BACK HOME

 We’re back in Axminster now. The travel all went smoothly, and it was a nice surprise at Stansted to find that the sun was shining and it was almost hot (though less than the 38° we’d had in Izmir.) Axminster has not changed much; though the grass in our garden had grown quite high.

 Our final services in Izmir went well, and we said our farewells (or au revoirs – we’ll see what 2026 brings!) Monday and Tuesday were tidying up, and a final boat trip across the Bay. We transferred to the Ibis hotel on Wednesday, and had a final meal at Doga café that evening (Jo had another hug from the proprietor!) On Thursday morning we took a taxi to the airport, and were taken on the scenic route (alongside the Bay for some of the time.)

 We nearly had a catastrophe at the airport, as Michael managed to lose his wallet. We later discovered that the taxi-driver had found it and taken it to Ibis – what a relief! And the panic abated, when I realised that we had enough euro notes to buy drinks on the plane, and enough sterling notes to pay the taxi fares. So all was well – and I have been chastened and warned not to be in too much of a hurry! We give thanks for the honesty of taxi driver (Turkish people are generally very trustworthy) and for my providential putting European notes in separate place, and for storing plane and rail tickets on my phone!

 Anyway what else have we learned, what will we miss – and what will we not miss?

 We learned that there is goodness and kindness in many people. And we have learned to trust God more!

 We were encouraged by the commitment of the young Christians at St John’s. All of them have to travel to get to church; yet even on a hot Tuesday evening, two or three came to Bornova to the evening service (even though one was in the midst of end-ot-term university exams.) There is an enthusiasm, and a desire to learn more. Most Sundays they went for lunch with a couple from the congregation, and we joined them for coffee and chat. It wasgood to be included by them, despite the considerable age difference – we didn’t feel so old!

We will miss that – and the variety and international flavour of the whole congregation. The patience of some of the refugees is impressive. 

 And there are incidental pleasures we shall miss:

Every morning, before we said our daily prayers, we could look out of the apartment windows across the city, to see the sun rise behind the hills. We will miss that (we can’t see the sunrise here.) We enjoyed our regular pre-breakfast walk by the Aegean, and often collecting our gevreks straight out of the bakery oven. And some evenings, we could see the sun set across the Bay if we walked by the Kordon.

The skies were filled with swooping swifts, which we seldom see in England m- and there was always a chance of spotting pelicans on the water.

 On the other side, we will not miss the noise and pollution of a big city – or the particular nuisance in Izmir of large cars trying to negotiate narrow back streets, or motorcycles and electric scooters, which appear to go where they like (including pavements and pedestrianised roads); food delivery bikes are ubiquitous. Nor will we miss the litter – including plastic bottles and beer bottles floating in the sea.

 But we always felt safe, and accepted. The church congregation is welcoming and friendly, and we continue to feel a part of it.

 So we will hold Izmir and St John’s in our hearts and in our prayers

Surprises

 

We’re coming up to our final Sunday in Izmir. It’s been rather hot – 35- 38° - so that we have depended on air conditioning to survive at night.

Last weekend was fairly full. On Saturday, we went to the lovely Arkas Gallery. The building, on the Kordon, the former French consulate is still French property and flies the tricolor. But it is run by the Arkas foundation, part of shipping and commercial organisation, which has several other galleries in Izmir. Exhibitions used to be free, but there is a nominal charge (reduced price for us seniors!) The current exhibition – ‘Tradition and Modernism’ displays a range of paintings by Turkish artists during the first three decades of the Republic, when European fashions were being followed. Many of the younger painters trained in Paris.

Sunday was Trinity Sunday. We were expecting an additional 25 in the congregation – pilgrims from St Bartholomew the Great in London, led by their Rector. But we were surprised by a further 20 or so on a separate pilgrimage, whose pilgrimage had not yet started. So we were running round before the service, trying to find additional service books and reading sheets. But in the end, it was a good service, with some robust singing from the 60 plus congregation. And they all seemed very positive about the worship (and sermon!) Again, we had a good conversation with a few people, over coffee after they had had lunch (I need a break to recharge.)

Otherwise, it’s been a normal week, with Evening Prayer at St Mary Magdalene’s and Bible Study in the hall, and on Zoom. We also had a morning meeting with talk and prayer at a quiet café with a couple of church members.

For our day-off, we took the Izban to the end of the line at Selçuk – the town which includes Ephesus. We decided not to visit Ephesus this time – it would have been very busy and hot. The day didn’t start too well, and I got onto the train just before the doors shut, leaving Jo on the platform. I had to go to the next station and return. But fortunately, the next train to Selçuk had not left and we had ample time for the connection at Tepeköy. The journey takes just over an hour, and it’s good to go through open country after Izmir’s noise and congestion. There are acres of prairies which are fully farmed, though we don’t envy the women picking fruit and vegetables in the heat.

We had thought of going to the Virgin Mary’s House, a place of pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims, which we have seen a couple of times; but the only way there was by taxi, which was going to be rather expensive, and would only give us 40 minutes there. So we stayed in the town, and went to the Ephesus Museum, which we had seen before, but now had time to really explore and enjoy. It is very informative, and has great displays of statues and pottery.

I nearly spoilt the day, by tripping over a kerb round a tree and falling on the pavement. But people were very helpful – one got a chair for me, and got some wipes from the nearby café for my grazed elbow. No damage was done, and the café brought out the coffees which we ordered – and which I clearly needed. It’s good to experience the kindness of strangers, though I don’t recommend falling over to experience this! But it’s reassuring that my bones are obviously quite strong, and no medical care was needed. So not too many surprises.

We later walked through the town, which has the remains of a Roman aqueduct; most of the pillars had a nest for storks, many of which had young. We had a surprisingly nice lunch at a local café.

 So we come nearly to the end of our time here. St John’s feels like a church with real potential, with a growing number of students and other young people, who have a real enthusiasm and commitment. We shall miss much of it, though it will be good to be back home and have a less crowded diary – and lower temperatures!

 We have one more Sunday Eucharist and Tuesday Evening Prayer. Then we move out of the flat on Wednesday, to spend the night in the hotel before our early taxi journey to the airport and flight, on Thursday. We spend that night in London and take the train back to Axminster on Friday.

 Please pray that all goes smoothly and safely. 

 

 

Holy Days and Holidays

 

Another week of being fully  occupied

 Last Thursday, we made an enjoyable visit to a Korean friend, who hadn’t been coming to St John’s for a while, but happened to come on our first Sunday. It was lovely to re-make her acquaintance, and see her new home.

That was the eve of a four-day national holiday for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha – which meant that a number of public places (museums etc) were closed. The roads were much quieter than usual, and the noisy building work near us was paused.

 Public transport was free, which was a nice bonus (it’s very good value, anyway!) So on Saturday we took the vapur across to Karşıyaka, and discovered that many Izmir residents behave as the British do, and go shopping on public holidays. So the shopping area was busy – but we bought a shirt  and a dress for a total cost of about £27.

 Sunday was the feast of Pentecost, but – as expected = the congregation was half its normal size, because of people visiting families for the Bayram (holiday.) But we had the pleasure of welcoming some visitors. One was a keen Christian from Indonesia, who works as a nanny, and had asked especially for the day off, so she could go to church. And there was an African woman, who came with her 5 year old daughter. When the mother came up for communion, as I reached out my hand to give the little girl a blessing, she responded with a high five! I can certainly say that has never happened before in my 52 years of ministry.

 Life returned to normality on Tuesday, but we were invited to lunch by a lovely American, who each year spends two stays of three months at a time in Izmir. We went to an interesting Italian restaurant, and had some good conversation, only slightly spoiled by continual noise, as a nearby building was being demolished. WE then travelled over to Bornova for Evening Prayer.

 On Wednesday we had Bible Study: two American women joined us in the Office, and two others on (one of them from Istanbul). Then  we went out for an evening meal at the Greek-Turkish restaurant, where we were greeted with a big smile by the waitress, who evidently remembered us from previous years. It was an enjoyable meal and our pleasure was compounded by warm farewells from the cashier and the waitress, who both gave Jo a hug! That doesn’t happen often In England.

 On Thursday we gave ourselves a day off, and took the Izban, and bus to get to Foça, a lovely seaside town and port, with well-reserved 19^th century houses in the old town. There’s an Ottoman fortress overlooking the bay, and some islands beyond, one of which is claimed to be the Sirens’ island mentioned in the Odyssey. After noisy and dusty Izmir, it was good to get some relative peace and quiet. We try to get there every year; it’s the easiest sea port to get to by public transport. We had a good fish lunch overlooking the port – meze, followed by grilled sea-bream, all washed down by rakı.

 On Friday we visited one of the older church members in the afternoon. She is Turkish- French, and was an academic biologist in France. She used to be  regular at St John’s, often playing her violin to accompany hymns. It was good to see her again.

 Now we are preparing for our Trinity Sunday service; all our regulars should be back, and we will be joined by some 25 pilgrims from St Bartholomew the Great, in London.

 The weather has been good – wall-to-wall sunshine, with temperatures in the mid 30s! Now we are more than half-way through our stay – time has passed quickly. If you pray, please pray for continued health and energy for us both.

Keeping Going

 It’s been quite a busy week since I last wrote.

 We had a day out, going by tram to a green area beside the Aegean, with plenty of picnic sites, and a lovely mix of colourful trees and plants. It leads a lagoon which often has a variety of birdlife, including flamingos. There were a couple of birds on the far side, but we weren’t sure of they were flamingos! But it was a good and refreshing walk, beside deep blue, clear water. We returned by sea, taking the car ferry across the Bay, and then a vapur (passenger ferry) back to Alsancak.

 It's also been a cultural week. St John’s is a popular venue for choral concerts. One evening the Music Conservatoire presented performances by some of their graduating solo singers. They were excellent – two counter-tenors and six sopranos, who sang a variety of classical pieces. And on Saturday the A Capella Gramofon choir sang a varied collection of light music – some items from musicals, and even a couple of Lennon-Macartney songs! A less serious concert, but very enjoyable.

 Sunday saw our first complete Eucharist – I celebrated and preached for the Ascension, and Jo took part of the service, led intercessions and administered the chalice. WE had the usual mix of congregation: some we knew from previous visits, others were newcomers, or visitors. Once more, we joined some of the younger people for coffee after they had had lunch. Jo and I walked back through the street market – mostly local farmers and small-holders. WE bought some excellent strawberries and a melon.

 Otherwise most of our shopping has been in one of the local supermarkets – much the same as supermarkets all over the world! However, there are many fewer ready-prepared meals, apart from frozen pizzas and things like köftes. There are plenty of choices of beer – and a variety of (mostly) Turkish wines, which are generally dearer than one might find in the UK. Some things have changed since we first came to Izmir; there are more breakfast cereals, including their own brands.

 We have also taken Evening Prayer at Bornova again; we had a very refreshing cold coffee with coconut milk at a café beforehand, and afterwards joined with most of the congregation (ie about six people!) at an interesting restaurant with a very cosmopolitan menu (where the servers are encouraged to go back-packing to different countries!) Again, we had good conversation with the students, who had come.)

 We saw our friend Seyma, whom Jo had taught at St Sidwell’s school when she was 8. She is now married (though her husband was busy), and works as an architect – at present based in an office near the church. She came and had supper with us  (an English menu of cottage pie and fruit crumble – though the fruit was fresh apricots.) In return, the next day she brought us a bag of lovely juicy lemons from her in-laws garden!

 Finally today, we hosted a visit for some 40 American Episcopalians on a pilgrimage round the Seven Churches. They were nearly an hour late arriving, but seemed to value the visit.

 It’s become quite a bit hotter – temperatures around 32-34°, with dawn to dusk sunshine. We’re now preparing the worship for Pentecost Sunday – but the church congregation will be a little depleted as this weekend is a 3-day holiday for the Muslim festival of Eid al Adha. To complicate matters, there is a strike among municipal workers, which means there are no buses, and consequently more traffic congestion on the roads.

 Otherwise we have maintained our regular pattern, watching the sun rise above the hills, before we say Morning Prayer, and then enjoying our walk beside the Bay. Most days we go to the church office, to feed Cleopatra the church cat – though there are other who take advantage of the biscuits!

Coming Home

This is our eighth year of blogs – apologies that this one is late appearing.

We’re here; we knew that on our first morning when we were wakened by the first call to prayer, at around 4.30 am. Our journey had gone smoothly, and we moved into the Chaplaincy flat a week ago. It’s warm (hot by British standards), though we had a couple of cool rainy days. But we are back to sunshine now.

We were straight into work, with a Bible Study on our first afternoon; some people were physically present, others on Zoom. The ‘church cat’, Cleopatra, recognised us and came looking for food. Since then, we’ve done some of the regular things we do here – morning and evening walks to the Aegean, and along the Kordon (esplanade); a wander in Kultürpark (the site of the Armenian district destroyed in the fires of 1922.) Most days our breakfast has been a couple of gevrek (Izmir speciality – a sort of sesame covered bagel, but different) baked in a fiendishly hot oven watched by the queue of customers. It’s a delight to watch the skill with which up to 20 of these are pushed into the oven to bake in a matter of a few minutes – alongside another local speciality, kumru – delicious hot rolls filled with cheese and tomato.

Izmir always feels comfortable to come back to. It’s too busy and noisy – but it’s great to stroll by the Aegean Bay, surrounded by hills, and to see numerous swifts swooping around overhead. People are generally friendly, and it always feel a safe place.  Some things have changed. There seem to be more tower blocks spoiling our views, and the noise and dust from building sites can be tiresome. There are certainly more coffee shops – and tattoo parlours. There have been some improvements in the chaplain’s flat, and remedial work on the church (some paid for by the local authority!)

 I preached on Sunday, and Fr James celebrated. He had been leading a pilgrimage group round the Seven Churches. They increased the size of the regular congregation – but that has grown since last year, and there are more young people, mostly students. The worship experience is good, and they are good to preach to. After lunch we joined some of the young people at a coffee house for discussion. It’s stimulating to talk to people who have come (or are coming) to Christian faith from another background. Their desire to find out more is rich and stimulating. And there is some real commitment, We had a warm welcome, and it’s good to have met with old friends.

 Since then, we’ve taken Evening Prayer at the daughter church of St Mary Magdalene, in Bornova. The building has been well restored since our last visit, in 2019. There was an encouraging congregation of six, three of them students. Today saw another Bible Study, which went well. We prepare to celebrate Ascension Day (on Sunday.) We’re here for four more Sundays – and so I have the good fortune to preach also on Pentecost and Trinity Sunday

 Economically. Türkiye has had a difficult few years, with high inflation. (The exchange rate for the Turkish lira was about 7 to the pound in 2026; this year, it is nearly 50.) But there are plenty of shops, which seem to be busy most of the time. Politically, it is hard to say. Most people seem content with life. Izmir is open in its support for the opposition CHP (which was Ataturk’s party); but the CHP mayor of Istanbul is awaiting trial for corruption. There have apparently been moves towards a settlement of the long dispute with the Kurdish PKK party, which might bring some welcome stability and unity. It seems to be more difficult for refugees, after a number of years of generous welcome.

Thank you for your interest, and prayer support. My health seems to be fine, which is good, and we are looking forward to the rest of our time here. Photos of our activity can be found from time to time on Facebook.

Au revoir, Izmir.

 We’re back in Axminster now. Our four weeks in Izmir passed quickly, but were both enjoyable and – we hope – fruitful.  Our final day in Izmir was sunny and warm (25°), whilst it was wet and cold in England. Fortunately, things improved, and we landed in Stansted on Tuesday in sunshine, though less hot. Our return flight was very smooth, and we left the airport in good time. We had decided not to travel back to Devon that day, but stayed overnight near Waterloo, which enabled us to meet our son Daniel for supper, and to walk to the British

The last week had been the usual mixture of ministry and exploration. April 23^rd was St George’s Day for the English (recalling that our patron saint was born in Turkey to a Palestinian mother); but in Turkey it was National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. This commemorates the foundation of the Grand National Assembly in 1920, and was designated by Atatürk as a holiday for children and a celebration of their potential. (We were treated to a very nice lunch by a church member.)

That week, we finally made it to Ephesus for our eighth visit. It’s a very special place, now easily accessible by the suburban railway (Izban.) We always find something new to see in the extensive ruins. We included a pilgrimage to the tomb of St John the Evangelist in Selcuk, in the heart of the ruins of the great basilica on the hill-top below the walls of the citadel. (WE didn’t this time go to the site of the once-great Temple of Artemis -  one of the Seven Wonders of the World, now reduced to a couple of columns in a swamp). In the town centre, the storks were back, nesting on the pillars of the Roman aqueduct.

It's great to see storks flying. But bird-life in and around Izmir is limited. There are plenty of gulls, and hooded crows, as well as the ubiquitous sparrows and pigeons. It is lovely to see and hear the swifts swooping and diving above us. We didn’t see any flamingos this time, but caught sight of one pelican and a couple of cormorants on the Aegean. There is virtually no bird-song – so it’s been a joy to hear dawn-choruses back in Devon. Against that, we do miss watching the sun rise over the hills while we say morning prayer.

What else will we miss?  St John’s feels like a second spiritual home, into which we are quickly re-welcomed. The congregation averages 30 to 40, many of whom are young, but with a core of mature and prayerful believers. Our final Sunday saw an impressive and surprising influx of young men and women (students?) most of whom stayed for the whole service and came up to the communion rail for a blessing. There are plenty of challenges for James the chaplain, but much that is rewarding too. We will continue to remember the church and its members in our prayer. The wonder of Zoom enables us to maintain contact regularly through the weekly Bible Studies, which I will sometimes lead when the chaplain is occupied elsewhere.

On our final full day, we revisited the church for some prayer – and then found ourselves locked in, as the gate padlock had obviously been damaged by being carelessly closed. We had got in to the garden and re-locked the gate for security, and so faced the prospect of spending the rest of the day captive. Fortunately the Turkish police who watch over the church and the adjacent British Consulate came to our aid, and they managed to open the gate sufficiently for us to squeeze out. The young police-women, who spoke excellent English, told us that in Türkiye they say the police get thigs done – and that was proved to be true. We spent the rest of the day enjoying final trips on the ferries that criss-cross the bay, and taking the free lift – the Asansor – which was gifted to the city over a hundred years ago by a Jewish benefactor to make it easy for people to access the heights behind the large synagogue. There are fine views – and a nice café – at the top.

We are so fortunate to be able to continue with these spells of locum ministry. There seem to be some real movements of the Holy Spirit in Türkiye at the moment. There is no tradition of church-going, and so it can seem fresh and attractive to young people, and a lively alternative to both Islam and the official secularism of the state. Certainly in Izmir, there is no evident hostility to Christian worship and (discreet) activity. We hope and pray we will be able to maintain our regular contact for a few more years.

On cats, marathons (and much else)

 Another week in Izmir has passed. We have been asking ourselves what has changed since our first visit; and the answer is not much, apart from the price rises, given the high rate of inflation. But there is not much evidence of increased poverty; there seem to be few beggars, though they may have been moved on by the police – of whom there are plenty. There also seem to be more Turkish flags around each year. There has been a lot of new building – some to replace buildings damaged in an earthquake a few years ago. So the view from the chaplain’s apartment, facing east, is more of tower blocks (and a new football stadium), and less of the hills which surround the city; our view of the sunrise is less dramatic! The city is as noisy and busy as ever, and the new electric scooters are a pest. And there are more cats, but fewer dogs, on the streets – presumably because the latter are castrated.

Some things which were strange at first now seem quite normal: having to order large flasks of drinking water to be delivered; the disposal of household refuse (of all sorts) in large containers on some street corners – fortunately there are two close to the flat. Emptying the contents seems to be left to individuals – some, we suspect, refugees – who have to sift out anything that can be recycled, and dispose of everything else; not a job I would like!

We’ve enjoyed our trips by vapur across the bay, and the good tram system. It was lovely to meet up with Şeyma, who lives in Izmir, and whom Jo taught in Exeter more than 25 years ago, for a beer and some food. Also, walking by the Aegean in the morning, before queuing at the bakers for gevreks (a sort of sesame covered bagel) taken straight from a fiery oven by a skilled baker; and meeting some friendly and helpful people in restaurants and at supermarket checkouts – some of them speaking much better English than my feeble Turkish.

What has been most enlightening at St John’s has been meeting a number of university students who have become, or are becoming, Christians. One shared a very appropriate quotation from St Augustine in a Bible Study. And three or four others have met with us for coffee after Sunday lunch to ask informed and challenging questions about our faith. I met with another, recently baptised, who wanted to make his confession, showing a real sensitivity about the life of prayer. It is rare to have similar experiences of awareness among young people in England. And we continue to appreciate the mixture of nationalities and languages at the church.

There have been some lighter moments. Being recognised in the street by Cleopatra, the ‘church cat’, was nice – on Sunday she spent most of the Eucharist asleep on the clergy chair in the sanctuary; we did once see Henrietta (the ‘church office cat’ – she likes to sit on the printer!) on the doorstep on the British Consulate, and wondered if she was going to ask for asylum.

Last Sunday, we discovered that the Izmir marathon was routed past the church. This meant that the trams and buses that most of the congregation depend on were not running – and nobody seemed to have been aware of this event beforehand (local publicity is poor!) At 10 o’clock there were about eight people in the church (three of them being police and other officials who were keeping watch on the streets and saw the open door!) But in the end we had a healthy-sized congregation (about 30 people); two of the police stayed for half the service.

 I started to type this, as the adhan (the call to prayer, repeated five times  day) was broadcast through loudspeakers on the mosques. This afternoon, we had explored Kemeraltı, the traditional bazaar area, with narrow alleys, several mosques and hans (former inns for travellers – caravanserais.) We found a friendly café (bizarrely called Daisy Café!) which served a good sweet Turkish coffee, with small cubes of Turkish delight.

 The chaplain is at present leading a pilgrimage in central Türkiye; he returns on Saturday, when we move to the local Ibis hotel. I will preach on Sunday – and we fly home to the UK on Tuesday. If you pray, please pray for easy journeys for us.