On Thursday 19th December 2024, the Nishkam Team had the honour of welcoming Bishop Michael Volland for a momentous visit to the Gurudwara and the Nishkam Campus.

The visit was long overdue and highlighted interfaith collaboration and mutual respect, fostering a shared commitment to peace and service in the city. The Gurudwara Sahib will be commencing its bi-annual eleven-day prayer programme for world peace and the welfare of all humanity on the 21st. December 2024.

Bishop Michael was warmly received by Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, Spiritual Leader and Chairman of Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha and an esteemed global ambassador for interfaith dialogue. Their meeting was a profound exchange of ideas and aspirations, focusing on building bridges between communities and reinforcing the importance of spiritual values in contemporary society.

It focused on how the two faith communities could collaborate with others in the city to build more cohesive, equitable, fairer and just places and spaces for all communities. During his visit, Bishop Michael toured the Nishkam Campus, starting with a visit to the Gurudwara Sahib and hearing about its history; the fact that 25,000 vegetarian meals a week were served as Langar; that the continuous prayers were ongoing for over 45 years; the fact that not a single person was paid a salary, and all service was provided by volunteers.

He then visited the Nishkam Healthcare Trust (NST) to see how a community group, rooted in the community, could provide essential, frontline services in a culturally appropriate and sensitive way, whilst curtailing pressures on the NHS. The NST team were proud to share that their service users were representative of the local demographics and not necessarily from the Punjabi or India diaspora as often perceived.

The healthcare team also shared it was one of the early faith community vaccination centres during Covid and, probably the only one nationally that was entirely run by volunteers. Due to pressures of time, the Bishop was made aware of the Nishkam Community Cooperative (Marg Sat Santokh), which was set up to provide employment opportunities and was a trailblazer when first established in the mid-80’s.   

The entourage then went to the Nishkam Primary School, where they were received by the Headteacher, Gurpreet Kaur. She explained the unique offer of a Sikh ethos, multifaith, values-based education that underpins the Nishkam Education Trust; this was clearly demonstrated, observed and commented upon by Bishop Michael during his visit.  

Bishop Michael stated: “The work being done here at the Nishkam Campus is truly inspiring and thank you for sharing it with us today.

“It is a testament to how faith communities can lead by example in creating a world of compassion, inclusion, and service to humanity.” Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh expressed his gratitude for the visit, saying: “Today’s meeting is a reflection of the unity that is possible when we focus on what binds us together as humans, rather than what divides us.

“It is through dialogue and collaboration that we can address the challenges of our time. We see each other at the Birmingham Faith Leaders Group and other City events, but never get a chance for deep conversation or discussion, today was a great opportunity to get to know each other.”

The visit concluded with a trip to the Nishkam Centre to see the Values Revolution exhibition and to visit the Community Jubilee Archway project. Bhai Sahib Ji, then presented the Bishop with a very special Peace Charter scroll that had been personally blessed by Pope Francis. Amrick Singh, Director of Nishkam Civic Engagement and Partnerships said: “It was insightful to see both leaders emphasise the importance of continuing such dialogues to inspire collective action for a better future and strengthening already existing strong bonds.

“The fact that we are looking at innovative projects and tasks together, is uplifting and gives hope. One social housing project that was discussed has the potential to be the first of its kind in the country and has already attracted national interest.

“I’m glad Bhai Sahib Ji shared the concept of Kar Sewa (collectively coming together to serve the Creator and the Creation on joint projects) during the discussions”. The Nishkam Centre and the Campus remains a beacon of hope and a hub for community transformation, upholding the values of selfless service, spiritual enrichment whilst tackling injustice, inequalities and empowering communities.