Culture

Nepal is are one of those people groups who are benefited by the shelter provided by the Korean Churches. It is assumed that around five to eight thousand Nepalis are currently living in Korea, many of whom are illegal workers because they did not return their home country when their visa expired. Mostly the illegal workers suffer from the loss of job and other social problems due to their illegal stay and seek their refuge in the shelters provided by mainly Churches. In the shelter, they are supplied with food, and the Gospel. Many of these Nepalis hear the gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time in the shelter. Many people receive the Lord as their savior and get baptized but many people just ignore the gospel told to them.

Seemingly, the shelter ministry is need based and effective because it is both the social work and a ministry among these Nepali. However, by the study of Nepali culture, the ministry among the Nepalis in Shelter can be made more effective and fruitful. The main purpose of this paper is to identify the some cultural elements in the Nepalis people group which can be helpful in understanding them eventually opening a new and effective way to introduce the gospel to them.

To reach the goal of this paper, the researcher firstly identifies the nature of the shelter ministry and Nepali culture among these Nepalis, by visiting these various Nepalis people in the shelter and the ministers who are serving these Nepalis. Afterwards, the researcher evaluates the culture and the ministry provided to them in the shelters in light of the biblical and missiological perspective. The following section provides the theoretical background for the research giving biblical and musicological foundation for the social work base ministry.

However, Some Nepalis are not happy to join the Christian worship service and the Bible studies just because they live in the shelter provided by the church. They feel like it their duty to follow the shelter schedule and regulations. They try to avoid the service and the Bible study meeting as much as possible making excuses such as going to look for job, meeting friends, sickness and so on. Some are very enthusiastically participate in all kinds of meetings. They also take initiatives to invite friends to the church, and the Bible study meetings, make phone calls to the friends who do not live in the shelter, keep in touch with them, and let them know the church upcoming events.

Some Nepalis in the shelter acknowledge that the shelter became the first place for them to hear the gospel and read the Bible. They come to know Christ in a different way than that they used to think of Him. They used to think that Christ is one of god based on Hindu belief. People learn to pray, read Bible and praise and worship in the shelter. People are happy to come to shelter and join it because they can learn, know and study the Bible in their own language, with their own people. Because most of the things are conducted in their own language by themselves they do not feel linguistic cultural difficulties.

Some Nepali brothers also complained to their own Nepalis saying that not all of them who attend the worship service are converted genuinely in his experience because their behavior outside of the church premises do not witness a genuine conversion. They also said that more Nepalis attend when they have their own separate worship than they are combined with the Korean service. Nepali people seem to like to hear the sermon preached by the Nepali pastor, because of his expression of the truth in Nepali language using Nepali illustrations and expressions.