Intercultural Mission Conference 2026: Seeking God's Kingdom together!

Intercultural Mission Conference guest speakers Majors Heidie and Richard Bradbury (THQ) talk about their experiences.

What’s your intercultural journey been like so far?

Heidie We were appointed to Chikankata Mission Hospital in Zambia. I was a nurse and Richard was in charge of the hospital. The Salvation Army is huge in Zambia, but it was different from what we came from in the UK and Denmark, where we had different expressions of worship. After coming back to the UK, we were appointed to Nairobi in Kenya with our two kids. That was a big city, which was different from being in a rural setting. The Salvation Army there was also different. And then came three years in Bangladesh – a culture where, as Christians, we were in a minority. It’s a huge sacrifice for people to be Christians or officers in Bangladesh – they often have to leave their families and communities. It’s a huge privilege for us that we’ve seen all these different expressions and experiences.

Richard Traversing different cultures, you see different ways of thinking. It softens your certainty, because you can have this very fixed view of what church or life look like, of what the Bible means, and your culture shapes your view. That was a real lesson for us, particularly in Bangladesh and our understanding of worship and what sacrifice means. Being able to take time to immerse yourself in other people’s perspectives and see the bigger picture more clearly is important. We’ve made mistakes along the way, but some of the sweetest parts of our lives are where we’ve been stretched, shaped and changed when we’ve been living with others in this intercultural journey. That’s the beauty of intercultural ministry – it’s not static. We learn together as we press deeper into relationship and grow closer to God. We seek the Kingdom of God together, and that’s what the family of God is all about.

Heidie We have gained more than we have ever been able to give.

Do you have any memorable moments?

Heidie One is the birth of our son at Chikankata Hospital. On the day, things were not well. His heart rate was down. When he was born, he wasn’t breathing. What we saw was a community coming together. Everyone came! There were three doctors, two midwives and two anaesthetists, which was amazing because one was able to be with him and one with me. He was brought up by the community there. It was incredible to feel that kind of belonging.

Richard I had a serious car accident and was rushed to the hospital in Nairobi. And there was an army of Salvationists waiting for me to arrive at the hospital, with everybody praying. One person in the ICU sang ‘I know he cares for you’ over me. I can’t remember much, but I remember that clearly. That sense of community, faith and belonging is something I’m often reminded about.

What are you talking about at the conference?

Richard One of the things will be time. In UK culture, time is something to be managed, whereas I learnt in Kenya and Zambia that, actually, people are to be honoured and time is secondary. That difference was powerful to me – it’s about giving time to the person in front of you. There’s a beautiful quote from Maya Angelou: ‘We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.’ But we do have differences and we need to live with and understand them. Through all that is a thread of common humanity and oneness in Christ. We’re not created to know all the answers – in the Bible, the disciples didn’t know everything. They kept listening and asking questions. For me, we need to have that intercultural space to understand that God is revealing to us some special things about his creation and his people. Seeing intercultural mission as part of the Great Commission, too, I think is very rich.

We are so privileged to be in this position as a Movement of diverse people. It’s something we should cherish. In a rapidly moving world, intercultural understanding is important.

What are you most looking forward to about the weekend?

Heidie Meeting new people and learning from them!

Richard Being part of worship where everybody comes from different places and ways of looking at things, but we sit down together in the Kingdom of God. Our experiences of God are diverse, but it’s the same God.