Alvin Mark on roots and discovery

I wasn’t born in Tranquebar, but my faith heritage is deeply rooted there. It was in that coastal town of Tamil Nadu, India, that Lutheran missionaries like Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg (pictured above) brought the Bible to India in Tamil – a legacy that shaped my grandfather’s ministry, my family’s traditions, and, ultimately, my own calling.

When I moved to the UK for postgraduate studies, I brought with me more than memories and a suitcase. I carried a deep love for church life, youth ministry, and the Gospel. What I didn’t expect was that this journey would take those foundations and build something altogether new – something shaped by the wind and welcome of Newcastle-upon-Tyne…

Alvin Mark is Digital Ministry Associate at St James’s URC, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, and a member of the URC Youth Executive

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This is an extract from an article published in the Issue 5 – 2025 edition of Reform

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Image: ©Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 4.0