Of an estimated population of 17 million in Syria, 11 million
have either left the country or been internally displaced by the civil
war which ‘officially’ enters its 5th year today, 15th March. This was
when protests began in Deraa, which quickly led to the spiral down into
civil war. About 4.5million have left Syria but, for many others still
there, there are new beginnings with new opportunities – in both
business and in living out their faith.
Some enterprising Syrians are in churches which are creating
work and opportunities for those who stay on in the war-torn country,
and others – church leaders - are adapting to the growing interest in
Christianity of former Muslims in Syria and neighbouring Lebanon, where
new former-Muslim believers can at times outnumber long-time
church-goers.
Real names and exact locations cannot be disclosed for security reasons.
The opening of a factory is usually a sign of renewed confidence in the
economy; in Syria it’s a necessity, driven by a need to reverse the
destruction caused by five years of civil war.
Thirty people in one of the Syrian cities to have suffered terrible
destruction are newly employed in a furniture factory that opened in
February. It’s hoped that a paying job will stop their families leaving
the city like so many others, fearful for their lives.
The idea for the factory came from a local Orthodox priest. After
drawing up a convincing business plan he found a private partner and now
its business prospects look good – the factory even has international
orders on its books.
In August 2015 last year a pharmacy opened – a vital new business in
another besieged city in Syria. Again backed by church funding, it
provides discounted medicines to the elderly and vulnerable.
One big challenge for people in Syria is the lack of a water supply,
regularly cut off over the last two years. The water in some wells isn’t
safe to drink; sanitation experts think this may have been behind an
outbreak of infections and skin allergies.
A church group decided to create a new well. Local authority approval
helped them overcome some of the challenges. “We got approval to dig
much deeper than the usual hundred meters. We chose this depth because
hundred meter wells can dry up during the year, and deeper wells
guarantee a continuous provision of water,” said a representative from
the church.
The well took six weeks to dig.
“We reached the required depth in January. After that, a company
installed the pump and filters to create water storage,” he added.
The well should produce 10,000 litres of water each day, to serve 500
families, each allowed to take 20 litres of water each day.
Former Muslims who are now Christians outnumber long-time church goers
Before Syria’s civil war, it was unusual to find a Muslim converting to
Christianity, but, after five years, you can find many former Muslims
in churches in Syria and neighbouring Lebanon, where many Syrians have
fled.
A church leader in southern Syria thinks the war has played a part:
“[Muslims] are open to hear from the Bible after the atrocities they’ve
seen in the name of religion.
“Some come because they found what they were taught about Christianity
was wrong. They were raised to believe the Bible is corrupt.”
Being away from family and friends has also allowed some to explore
Christianity. “They are now displaced and their closest family members
can’t see where they are going and what they are doing”.
Church leaders overcome some of the challenges of former Muslims by using the language of Islam.
“We give special lessons to answer their questions comparing Christianity and Islam” says one.
“We say about faith that it’s “the same dish but with a different
dressing”. We use some of their terms but never compromise about the
truth,” says a pastor from Lebanon.
Another one adds: “In my teaching I focus on the ideas that they carry from their former religion.”
Church growth from former Muslims has its challenges, with long-time
church members being initially suspicious. “We are cautious about their
sincerity. These new believers used to persecute us. We get complaints
from a few of the long-time Christian members.”
Some church members are suspicious of their reasons.
“Are these people truly believers, or are they coming to spy, or
because we are giving hand-outs? In my case I disciple them one-on-one
first because of trust issues,” a pastor from Southern Syria says. “The
new believers are afraid that other people will know about them because
it is really a scandalous thing in their community if people discover
them being Christians”.
One pastor in Damascus is cautious because the authorities don’t like
Muslims converting to Christianity. “So we do our ministry with caution,
keeping away from publicity and social media. We don’t tell anyone
about the work.”
All pastors say their churches have special discipleship training for
these new believers. One says: “We disciple them and it changes their
view of the world. We encourage them to stay firm, despite the
persecution and the trouble that they might face in the future.”
Refugees turning to Christianity in Lebanon have created a demand for more church buildings.
“We now have more than 20 ‘churches’ meeting in people’s houses and
believe we will grow much bigger. More than 100 families are waiting for
us to find them a house church,” said one pastor.
Many helping in the churches are themselves refugees and former
Muslims. “I would say that 70 per cent of our team helping the refugees
are refugees themselves who have come to Christ,” says a Lebanese
pastor about his congregation. “So they are now serving their own
people. We are trying to equip them to be leaders in the future when
they go back home."
Courtesy: World Watch Monitor
No comments:
Post a Comment