Monday, 5 September 2016

Looking Back

We’ve been back in England for more than a week – and much of the time has been spent in catching up with family, seeing the grandchildren before they start school. Which has been good but it’s only now that we can stop and take stock of our experience in Izmir.

The first thing is to say we would not have missed the opportunity for anything. There is a unique and refreshing pleasure in sharing in the life of any international congregation (and all congregations in the Diocese in Europe are that to some extent.) But we found our time at St John’s Izmir especially rewarding.

One factor was being part of a church in a non-Christian society. We’re used to England’s post-Christian character; but that makes most people feel they know about, and have discarded, the faith. Turkey is predominantly Muslim, even if most people – at least in Izmir- barely practise their faith. But there are plenty of mosques, and the day is punctuated by the call to prayer from loudspeakers on various minarets. So to come to church is a definite choice, a recognition of being part of a minority, ‘peculiar’ people. And because St John’s was very visible and more accessible than any of the Roman Catholic churches (which hid behind walls and security doors), it was often visited when it was open. Many who came in were young people, who had never been inside a church before. Which offers exciting possibilities, and was part of the freshness of the whole experience for us.

Islam has many good feature, but we could see its negative side too. Friday prayers basically involved only men, and seemed to consist largely of their listening to recited prayers and lengthy exhortations. Although in Turkey there is a mix of dress styles, something felt wrong about the sight of women wearing not only the head-scarf, but also long dresses and coats, walking in the 35⁰ heat, when their husbands wore T-shirts and shorts. So it is not surprising that it is often the women who are attracted to Christianity, which offers them affirmation and freedom, and offers all an involvement in worship that involves music and self-expression. (We saw that directly in the enthusiasm and happiness that characterised the singing of ‘Shine, Jesus, shine’ at the prayer concert led by Graham Kendrick.

Another joy for us came from experiencing the commitment and enthusiasm shown by the majority of church members. Our weekly Bible study was good; both for the mix of ages and nationalities, and for the thirst for knowledge and insight that the members showed. Intercessions were offered in at least three different languages, and showed a faith and love for God that is not always obvious in other contexts.

Many of the congregation had problems, but there was no complaining. Those who were refugees from Iran, and had left much behind them, were open and positive about what they had – most of all their faith in God’s love.

So we have made many new Christian friends, whom we will miss. And we have also glimpsed something of Turkish life and society. We won’t miss the litter, or the somewhat chaotic nature of the public transport. But we will miss the friendliness and helpfulness of most people – including the police keeping watch over the British consulate and the church. We will miss being close to the site of so much early Christian history – for it’s easy to forget that the seven churches of Revelation were all in western Turkey, as were the sites of the first four Councils of the Church. We will miss the sense of opportunity and possibility that exists for Christian churches in the country.


WE give thanks for the prayers of many while we were in Izmir; for our being kept safe and well, and for our return to home and family. And we look forward to our next commission!

Thursday, 18 August 2016

A green candle and an open casket

We’ve just baptised one of our Iranian members – a very intelligent artist, whose faith is real and lively. It was a happy occasion, celebrated with other members of the Wednesday Bible Study group, who provided refreshments afterwards. She is another example of the growing number of converts that are being seen here. I’ve mentioned previously the phenomenon of Moslem women coming to church after dreaming about Jesus, and the Lighthouse Church reported a family turning up at their worship last week after the father had had a similar dream; they were then moved to make a profession of faith. We saw an interesting variant of that last week, when a young woman came into St John’s just before Tuesday evening prayers; apparently she had come, because a friend of hers had dreamed about her coming to church to light a green candle. She had never been inside a church before. We were puzzled about why the candle had to be green; as we didn’t have one, she was going to buy one and come back another time. We pray it leads her further into exploring Christianity.

Last week also, I was stopped outside the church by members of the Turkish church who were keeping the church open for visitors. A man had just turned up; a family member had just died and they wanted to bring her body into church for an hour that afternoon, ‘for prayers’. I agreed that I would open up for them, and contacted the leader of the Lighthouse Church, an American with good Turkish, to see if he could help. When we both arrived at the church later, other people were there and we discovered that most of the family spoke neither Turkish nor English, as they were Georgian Christians – did we speak Russian, and was I an Orthodox priest? Shortly afterwards the rest of the family arrived, with the city ambulance that was conveying a substantial casket. The latter was carried into church, and placed on the altar; the lid was opened and the body of the deceased – a woman in her early sixties – was raised up, so that her face could be seen by the mourners. I improvised some prayers from our funeral service, adding Alleluias and Kyrie Eleisons, in the hope that might convey something to the family, including the woman’s daughters, one of whom was distraught with grief. We never discovered what had happened, or where the body was being transferred, but after 40 minutes they left – hopefully we had enabled them to mourn for their mother, and get some comfort.

Nathanael’s visit to us was followed by Becky’s; so we were able to do some more exploring of new and old sites. The newest was a day-trip to Bergama (Pergamum) which has impressive ruins on its acropolis, including a vertiginously steep theatre on the hill-side, looking down into the valley. A large brick temple in the town had been converted into a church dedicated to St John in the Byzantine period. We also saw the famous healing centre, the Asclepion, which in the 2nd century AD had been the base for the physician Galen, whose insights into causes of ill-health were influential on medical practice for centuries afterwards. Although it was clearly pagan, in some ways the centre resembled Christian centres like Burrswood, with spaces for a variety of therapies – music, bathing, exercise and a form of counselling.

On another daytrip with Becky we came across a group gathered outside a community centre where some people were cooking something like doughnuts in a large pan of oil heated by calor gas. We were intrigued, and told by a young woman with good English that this was probably because a family member had died, and they wanted to give these away to by-passers. We seemed to be included, so received a few of these delicacies, which we ate while praying peace for the deceased and their family. Becky also enjoys eating out, so we had a very pleasant week with her.

Now it is again just the two of us in the flat, as we enter into the final week of our time in Izmir. The weather is at last becoming a bit more bearable, with freshness at morning and in the evening.

Please pray:
1.         For our final Sunday service, and the process of leave-taking from our new ‘family’.
2.         For those who will be maintaining the worship and teaching after we leave Izmir.
3.         For the Diocese to move more quickly in short-listing candidates for interview in September.

4.         For our packing up, and safe travel back to the UK on Thursday morning.

Tuesday, 9 August 2016

Week 8

Another largely uneventful week; though we had the pleasure of Nathanael visiting us, which gave an excuse to re-visit some places. It was good to have some time with him here. He has now returned to England, and we await Becky’s visit later this week.
Last Sunday was the eighth we have spent in Izmir, so it is time to start reflecting on the experience. As we have said before, it is good to experience worship in a multi-national congregation – something which always should be typical of Anglicanism, with its ability to sustain a recognisable ‘style’ of worship in a variety of contexts and languages. In most English parishes we are deprived of this pleasure; on Sunday we had people from the UK, USA, Turkey, Korea, Germany, Netherlands, France, Iran – and that in a congregation of around 24. We continue to be impressed by the desire to learn more about the Bible and faith; by the way the congregation have taken responsibility during the vacancy – and by the opportunities for witness in this place.
Turkey itself seems to be calming down. The daily demonstrations in support of ‘democracy’ have finally finished, though the word is sometimes used in ways we find it hard to recognise. The control of the media for what is almost propaganda is a little disturbing; but some papers are showing more openness. On Thursday there was a large gathering in Izmir; we saw some of those preparing to march, and it must be said that many were young and few looked at all ‘Islamist’. So some of the reports in Western media need to be corrected. And the atmosphere in this city remains relaxed at all times. Although the state of emergency continues, police are seldom seen on the streets, and those who are appear less scary than some of those we saw in Paris three years ago. The majority of people simply want stability, and are probably not too bothered about political niceties. A church member commended us for helping the church members to feel calm during the troubles, but we must say that we have never felt at all anxious about our security or well-being,
As I said, we have been able to re-visit some places with Nat – and enjoy some more meals out. For us the highlight was our second visit to Ephesus. The taxi from Selҫuk took us to the Upper Gate, which meant we began our exploration from the other end of the ancient city, seeing things in a fresh light, and enjoying the perspective of looking down the main paved street to the Library of Celsus. We paid extra to see the ‘terrace houses’, in which some remarkable wall-paintings and mosaics are preserved. This time we had enough stamina to visit the Basilica of the Virgin Mary, where the Council of Ephesus was held in 431 (it declared her ‘Mother of God’, in an attempt to resolve some of the conflicts about the relationship of Christ’s human and divine natures.)
We also had another day-trip to Foҫa, with its pleasant contrasts to Izmir – a small town, its harbour filled with pleasure boats and fishing boats, and with truly blue, clear sea. At Izmir, the Aegean is much darker, and often choppy. The bay here is constantly active; passenger ferries criss-cross from one landing pier to another, and there are always cargo and container ships moored at anchor. Some are waiting their turn to go into the port, but one or two have been in the same spot for the last seven weeks at least. One wonders about their crews – are they marooned aboard, or have they been abandoned somewhere, far from home? It is good that the job description for the new chaplain here includes work with the Mission to Seafarers.
It remains (very) hot, and our energy sometimes flags. But though we will be pleased to be able to catch up with friends and family soon, we shall also miss much about the life of St John’s and its members.

Prayer Points:
1.   Please continue to pray for the process for appointing the new chaplain; short-listing is under way, and interviews are planned for early September.
2.   Pray for those sleeping rough on the sea-front; some of whom seem to be refugees.
3.   Keep praying for a full return to normality in Turkey; for restraint in the state of emergency, and no excessive recriminations against those involved in last month’s attempted coup.
4.   Pray for our last fortnight here.


Monday, 1 August 2016

The joy of normality

Church life at St John’s has continued this week without any great events or surprises; but in some ways that is part of the quiet joy of pastoral ministry. The daily office is said (in our case, by Jo and me together in the sitting room); a small number of the faithful gather for evening prayer in church on Tuesday, and a few more for the Wednesday afternoon Bible study. But that often has its surprises – not least in the commitment to prepare and reflect on the chosen text (in this case, the Gospel of John) and the questions that are raised. Each Sunday is also a different experience. Numbers are not high here, and the absence of people on vacation is felt. But one never knows how the worship will develop, what response there be to the sermon and to the celebration. Sometimes our expectations are met; sometimes there is a hard to define but real sense of the movement of the Holy Spirit.

So there have been no mass conversions. But we look forward to baptising an adult refugee from Iran, a highly intelligent artist who has developed a real awareness of what Christian faith means and who brings a great deal in her quiet way to our Bible study. And who knows what other opportunities will arise in our final three weeks’ ministry here.

Life in Izmir continues as normal, apart from the nightly ‘democracy watch’ assemblies, arranged with the ‘encouragement’ of the ruling AK Party. Friday night’s seemed to start earlier and went on for some time, as we could hear the PA system from our balcony; but in time, the noise and music from the local night-clubs gained their usual dominance. The newspapers that are still published seem to continue to devote most of their space to the after effects of the attempted coup, and to demonise Gülen, and increasingly the USA and European media, for their failures to join in the denunciation and their temerity in criticising the Turkish government.

We’ve continued to explore and enjoy the locality. This week, we managed to get ourselves to Çeṣme, a resort famed for its beaches, though we concentrated on its 18th century street fountains and distinctive houses and its restored Genoese/Ottoman fortress, with an interesting museum. The local authority have restored a former Orthodox church, which still boasts a number of ceiling mosaics. Thanks to the local tourist map we also discovered two excavated sites dating up to 5,000 years ago – one of which shows evidence of an archaic but developed winery! Getting there had been the usual challenge, with no indication from the metro station where the coach park was; only a couple of phone calls to Jo’s friend, and the helpfulness of a passing family – and the chance that a coach about to leave had two spare seats – enabled us to get there! The coach driver was helpful in pointing out the way to explore the old city. By chance we met him later, sitting and talking to some friends. He invited us to join him for a glass of ҫay; we were then gently quizzed about our political views – so we had to be diplomatic – though they were delighted to find out I was a priest, even if I had to try to explain about the Church of England!

Another expedition was to find the site of the original Aeolian settlement of Smyrna, at Tepekule. It was mentioned in a couple of books, including the official guide – which gave no indication of how to get there. Without the help of Google maps, we could never have found an absolutely fascinating and extensive area of excavation; there are remains of 9th century BC mud-brick walls and a fountain (still with its water source), and what may be the oldest Temple of Athena. Why does Izmir take such pains to hide its treasures?

For Prayer
1.            People are expressing concern about our having to leave. Pray for continuing provision of ministry, and the successful appointment of a full-time chaplain.
2.            Pray for ‘our’ asylum seekers, that they will not have to wait too long before finding a country to offer them a permanent home.
3.            Pray for the Iranian woman preparing for baptism.

4.            Pray for a return to normality, and greater freedom of expression, in Turkey.

Monday, 25 July 2016

The second half

We have now passed the ‘half-way’ mark here in Izmir: four Sundays left before we return to England. It will be strange to worship in a church where everyone is British, and no longer to be saying ‘It’s only 33 C today’ (it was 40 yesterday at 6 pm.)
We had a rare treat on Saturday, when the Turkish-speaking church had organised a praise concert in St John’s with Graham Kendrick (whose songs are very popular here.) We’d never seen him before, and it was great to hear him lead a packed church in mostly ‘golden oldies’ – but also to lead prayer and worship with sensitivity. We were afraid our Sunday morning service with 20 people and a music group of pianist and two violinists might feel an anti-climax, but – whilst it was very different – it was also a good experience. But we will long remember the enthusiasm and joy with which the Saturday evening congregation sang ‘Shine, Jesus, Shine’ (in Turkish.)

Although the Anglican congregation is small, it has an important role to play, we believe. Its (very English) church building is (as we have said before) in a visible and prominent position, and is a resource for a number of smaller Turkish evangelical churches, for weddings and events like the Kendrick service. With more effort, there must be opportunities of contacting many more English speakers in Izmir, with its industries, universities and NATO base. It could also appeal to those (English and Turkish) who value a more liturgical and sacramental approach to worship.  Finally, it is close to the busy port, with all the possibilities of developing ministry to the seafarers.

Certainly continuing prayer for Turkey is needed, as there is a lot of anxiety beneath the surface. Many are concerned about the apparent enthusiasm with which military, judicial and educational establishments are being ‘cleansed’, and there is much uncertainty about what the shape of future political developments will be. Two of the three English language newspapers we have found seem to follow the official line unquestioningly, so it is hard to find out what is really happening. We have both received SMS texts on our mobile phones from the ruling AK Party over the (nationalised) phone network, calling for ‘support for democracy’; every evening there are public gatherings in Konak Square, where the Town Hall is festooned with national flags and huge banners depicting the President alongside the great Atatürk. Otherwise, Izmir has been very calm and safe.

We have continued to explore the area a little. On Thursday, we took suburban train and bus to Foҫa, a sea port in a lovely setting, some 90 kms to the north-east. This is the site of ancient Phocaea, whose sailors explored the whole Mediterranean, founding colonies, of which the best-known is Marseilles. It’s a pretty town, but not much of the old city remains – apart from a Byzantine/Ottoman fort, and the ruins of Temples of Cybele and Athena. These are being excavated and restored, so are currently closed to the public; but one of Jo’s former pupils had friends working there who kindly met us and took us into the compound. It’s another example of the helpfulness and courtesy of Turkish people. We were delighted to be called a ‘cute couple’ by the girl who showed us round. Previously, meeting Jo’s pupil, her boyfriend had said he would like to be like us when he was old! So we feel good about ourselves.

Another day, we also found the Botanical Garden attached to Ege University – though (not untypically) there were no signposts from the metro, and no notice on the entrance. Without two helpful security guards, who left their posts to point us in the right direction, we would never have found it. Not quite up to Kew Gardens standards, it was still attractive and interesting.

Prayer Points:
1. Please continue to pray for Turkey, and for wise government following the attempted coup.
2. Pray for the church, for the right appointment of a new chaplain, to develop its outreach and improve pastoral care.
3.  Pray for the refugees and asylum seekers, that they will find permanent homes.
4.  For us, that we may use the rest of our time here in a fruitful way.


Jo’s post-script
One of the many pleasures I receive from sharing in Michael’s locum posts is the way we experience, even if only briefly, the life of the local community: not only through worship, pastoral work and church life, but also some of the everyday happenings. Our experiences in French and German chaplaincies have been close to UK life, but things have been a bit more distinctive, the further east we have gone.
So, in Corfu we had to collect drinkable water from public taps near the church, and we soon got used to bagging up all refuse – including used toilet paper – and adding that to the overflowing bins on the roadside. We also became accustomed to the constantly growing population of stray cats that frequented these.
Here in Turkey, drinking water is obtained, either by adding purifying tablets to tap water, or by ordering 25 litre containers of water from a local supplier – though we still haven’t worked out how the telephone ordering system works and we end up going to the depot and showing them our address. Fortunately our sixth-floor flat is served by a lift – except when the electricity is cut. This has happened twice – once because a bill had not been paid, though at least then we had lights and air-conditioning in the flat. After the second cut, when we had no power at all and which lasted two hours, we discovered that this is a regular occurrence in Turkey. So now we know. But going up and down steep winding stairs in total darkness is no fun.
A small job I have given myself is to occasionally sweep the entrance hall, when the accumulation of dried leaves, dust, handbills and dead cockroaches gets too much for me. This gets added to our plastic bags of rubbish which I take to the nearby bins. At least these are emptied daily, by a man who has one of the most horrendous jobs I have seen – sorting out all this rubbish by hand, so that the many plastic bottles, beer cans and cardboard are placed in separate containers on his hand-cart. He is always surprised, and pleased, when we greet him with ‘günaydın’ (good morning).

Then, there are the tranquil stray dogs, which have been ‘de-masculinised’ and spend their days mostly sleeping in the heat on the grass of the Kordon (promenade); when we walk there before breakfast we also see men fishing hopefully – and often catching little except plastic bags (of which there are far too many, with other refuse, in the sea.) We also see people (presumably refugees from Syria or Iraq) sleeping out on benches or on the grass. In the morning, we see the occasional runners and cyclists; in the evening, it is thronged with people walking and taking selfies against the background of the sun setting behind the Aegean.

Monday, 18 July 2016

Another week in Izmir

For the second time since we arrived here, we have received concerned text messages and postings on Facebook – often the first way we get news, as the flat lacks TV or wi-fi. (We are touched by the concern many have shown us.) The attempted coup last Friday night seems not to have touched Izmir at all – but many church members are concerned about what happened, and its implications for the future direction of Turkish politics. We are poorly informed in the UK about the complexities of Turkey and its neighbours, and I won’t attempt a simplistic analysis. The dreadful attack in Nice on Bastille Day will have made more impact back home, though the death toll in Istanbul and Ankara was more than double that in Nice, and some of the victims seem to have been young conscripts drawn into conflict in the belief that it was a military exercise. One of Jo’s former pupils lives in Ankara near the parliament buildings and reported that she had spent a terrible night, with bombings and gunfire nearby. The country is certainly seriously divided, and there is no shortage of conspiracy theories.
We had a slightly depleted congregation on Sunday morning, but the worship went well. We are being helped by a young Turkish pianist from another church, who has offered to play for our services when he is free. During the week, we had eight people at the Tuesday afternoon Evening Prayer, and nine at the Wednesday Bible Study; the latter is interesting, in that five different first languages were represented, and prayers offered in three of these. In discussion afterwards, our Kenyan Christian bewailed the ‘staidness’ of the worship at St John’s, and the shortage of activities during the week.
We continue to use our free time to explore and experience life here. We managed to master the rail system sufficiently to get ourselves to Selҫuk, where we visited the splendid Ephesus museum. We also discovered the remains of the great Temple of Artemis (a solitary column in a swamp, complete with stork’s nest on top; the town has many such nests, especially on the top of the pillars of the Romano-Byzantine aqueducts.) We walked up to the great Ottoman citadel and the Byzantine Basilica of St John (the reputed site of the apostle’s grave). A helpful taxi driver took us to the House of the Virgin Mary, which was surprisingly quiet and peaceful, and in a splendid site up in the hills overlooking the Aegean.
Another afternoon’s walk round Izmir led us to St Polycarp’s church – the oldest in Izmir (c. 1625), a rather splendid baroque building, dedicated to Izmir’s patron saint, martyred in the stadium in 155. The church was originally built for the French community in the city, and is the now the home of the RC Bishop. We were pleased to see that St John’s church was listed in their leaflet. We curtailed our plans for Saturday, but disregarded Foreign Office advice to stay indoors following the attempted coup. Instead we walked through (a slightly quieter than usual) Izmir, to the Kültürpark (site of the former Armenian district destroyed in the 1922 fire), which is peaceful and green. We went to the city’s Art and History Museum – a collection of Greco-Roman statues, ceramics from the Stone Age onwards, coins and jewellery. It’s a fine museum, so it was rather bizarre that we were the only visitors that morning – but then Izmir doesn’t promote its treasures very well.
We are approaching the midpoint of our time here. We are struck by the helpfulness and courtesy of local people; we seldom have to stand on public transport (even when it is as crowded as the train from Selҫuk.) We are enjoying sharing in the life of the church, though numbers are on the low side, as some expatriates are away for the summer. We pray that they will not have to wait long for a new chaplain, as there is need for some clear vision for growth and development.

Prayer Points:
1.      For the people of Turkey, their government and politicians; for integrity, stability and peace.
2.      For security and justice in the aftermath of the attempted coup, and the government’s purging of the military, judicial and educational establishments.
3.      For the church to be able to get a clearer vision of its purpose and mission, and to develop the resources needed to achieve that.

4.      For us: for renewed energy, and a clear sense of what is needed from us for the second half of our time of ministry here.

Monday, 11 July 2016

Unexpected meetings

Last week was busy, but stimulating.
The requested evening Bible study only attracted two men, one a German who works at their Consulate, and our regular Iranian. There was good sharing and discussion, as we looked at Philippians 2. We shall now look at some of the ‘I am’ sayings in John. We also continued the afternoon Bible study – working through John’s Gospel – on Wednesday. Numbers were down there, because of the public holiday, but again there was good sharing.

On Wednesday we had an early start, to cross the city by Metro to meet a church member who was driving us down to a Christian retreat centre near Ephesus for their weekly Prayer Meeting, which draws Turks and English-speakers together. We had been told that the group leader wanted to talk to us about spiritual direction/guidance; this did not prepare us for being told that they wanted us to speak to the whole group about this for two sessions, morning and afternoon. So Jo and I had a hasty prayer walk and talk during the coffee break, and then threw ourselves on the Holy Spirit! We discovered that one advantage of having to have one’s words translated is to give space to think of the next sentence! In the event it went well, and again there was a real interest in the whole subject of prayer. It was moving to hear from two Turkish women, who had been led from Islam to Christian faith as the result of dreams about Jesus -something we had only heard of at third hand.

Indeed, it was a week for unexpectedly meeting Christian converts. A walk around Izmir one afternoon led to a short conversation (in English) with a man who cleans shoes. He spoke of the effects of the Bayram (the post-Ramazan holiday, which lasts at least three days), which deprived him of custom; he asked our nationality, and expressed his affection for Britain, and told us he had been baptised some years ago in the sea near Ephesus by a British Christian friend. He produced a crocheted cross bookmark, which we bought from him. And on Saturday as we returned on the Izban (light railway) from a morning exploring a town to the north of Izmir, we were again addressed by a Turkish man who sat opposite us, who told us he was a Christian, having become a member of a Baptist church some three years ago. He knew of St John’s, and showed us photos of a former Anglican church in the city, which is now used by Baptists. (We communicated with the help of his smart-phone’s translation app.)

Add to that a young couple from Istanbul, who came into the church on Sunday before the service – out of curiosity or interest - and then stayed for the whole service, and went to the after-church refreshments. They had been particularly taken by the infant baptisms which took place. (Those baptisms were a joy, as they usually are, particularly as we knew how much they meant to the believing parents. Church members also entered into the spirit of the service – the responses were made clearly and with conviction.) Then after the service we were met by a couple of men who wanted prayer for deliverance for a friend (but our lack of Turkish limited our ability to respond fully.)

So the balance has been more towards work, but we still enjoyed some good time off. Our daily walks by the sea, mostly in early morning light, or towards sunset, are a source of pleasure and refreshment. We managed to find the city bus that goes up the top of Mt Pagos, overlooking the bay, on which are found the ruins of the ‘Velvet Castle’, Kadifekale. The views are wonderful, and the remains of the (mostly Ottoman) keep and walls interesting. The original foundation was by Alexander the Great, but little remains of that. But it was worth seeing (despite the dismissive ‘only ruins’ from the young lady at the Tourist Office.) And wandering round Menemen, at the end of the Izban, was fascinating; just shops, a park and many older, simple houses, but we also came across a partly restored caravanserai in the back-streets.

Prayer points:
·        Give thanks for the obvious openness to and interest in Christianity among at least some Turks.
·        Pray for Yaṣar, who suffers from what his friends called a curse.
·        Pray for a church member visiting the UNHCR office in Ankara, to gain asylum-seeker status.
·        For the Christians we have met by chance.
·        That we may be ready to respond to the unexpected – and to meet the spiritual needs of the congregation here.


Monday, 4 July 2016

Thoughts on Turkey

A few more reflections about life here, though Izmir is not typical of much of Turkey, being very westernised and liberal. It is a busy metropolis, with many students, who make for lively and noisy evenings in the café and club area. The savage attack at the Airport in Istanbul can seem a long way away. But that was the third or fourth in the past year, which shows some of the problems Turkey is facing. There is a question of identity – is it a Muslim country, or (as Atatúrk intended) an open, secular country, with similar policies to France, with its laicité? Is its character that of Istanbul and the western regions, or that of the conservative eastern parts, with the long and easily crossed borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran, as well as some of the former USSR?  The large numbers of refugees that have entered the country over the past 5 years have contributed to some of the security problems.

An obvious effect of the troubles is a drastic decline in tourism. Russians have been told not to come and Americans and Europeans are also staying away. On Saturday one of the church members (a Korean) drove us to Ephesus. The guide books warn that it can be very crowded after 9.30, but we arrived just before 10.00, and there was plenty of space, as there were really not many people within the site. Which was great for us, as we wandered among the marvellous ruins of this once significant Christian city.

Still, in Izmir, we feel as safe as one can be in any large city today. People are relaxed, and we have a good relationship with the police who keep watch on the British Consulate and the church. It is a Muslim city – but the majority are not fasting during Ramazan; though a crowd gathers on the kordon (promenade) for an organised iftar picnic, which begins after the sun disappears behind the Aegean, for those who have spent the day without food or drink.

There are few churches in Izmir; most of the Orthodox churches in this once most Greek of Ottoman cities were destroyed in 1922-24. We have seen a couple of evangelical churches, which meet in converted houses or shops, and Catholic churches which hide behind high walls and security doors. In that sense, St John’s is unique. It is obviously a church – typically Anglican - and visible to passers-by, with just railings in front of it; and it is often open – for a midweek service, or because the Turkish Church which share the building make sure it is open on two or three other occasions. And frequently we have visitors – often young people – who come for a variety of reasons; still they come in, and look and maybe pick up some of the Turkish language literature that is around.

Church members make a real effort, often to travel some distance to attend worship (one refugee walks 5 km to church); there is also great desire to learn more about the faith. On Sunday we met one of the couples whose baby will be baptised next week. The mother is a Kenyan Christian, the father a Turkish Muslim; but his interest in and assent to his daughter’s baptism was encouraging and hopeful. The other couple invited us earlier in the week, to an Iranian lunch. Lina converted to Christianity as a teenager from a church that followed John the Baptist, and had led her family into the Anglican church. Her husband is a convert from Islam; they have left good jobs and family to be together. They wait for permission to emigrate to a permanent home in an English-speaking country. They will be an asset to the country that accepts them.

We have explored some more parts of the city. On Sunday Jo met another of her former pupils, still jet-lagged from a trip on Government business to Toronto.

Prayer Points:
1.      For the new evening Bible study (mostly for men) we are starting this week.
2.      For a prayer meeting in which we are sharing, with a small community in Selҫuk.
3.      For St John’s Church, as the adverts for a full-time chaplain are published in the UK Church Press; that the right person will respond to the opportunities and challenges.
4.      For the people of Turkey, coping with many thousands of refugees, and security issues; and for all involved in tourism, who face an austere summer.


Monday, 27 June 2016

Getting settled in Izmir

We’ve now experienced one whole week of involvement with the church here. It is a wonderfully diverse group of people – but one disadvantage of that is the difficulty of finding any hymns people can sing! We have had good responses to our first two Sunday services: three Turkish members of the congregation declared yesterday that they wanted to keep us! That is also creating new opportunities; we have agreed to offer an extra evening Bible study group, primarily for working men, and one of these, an Iranian refugee, wants supplementary teaching as a first step towards confirmation. We also have two families to prepare for the baptism of their children.

Since my last report we have shared in a bi-lingual evening service, held every Tuesday; that was held in the daughter church of St Mary Magdalene, but because of difficulty of access, we shall continue it at St John’s. A small group of women meet for Bible Study on Wednesday afternoons.
St John’s was being used on three days last week by a group of tour guides, from various parts of Turkey. An American academic was giving them lectures on Christianity and the Seven Churches. Today they have to sit an exam, in order to gain certificates – but it is interesting that, apart from their professional need for information, many seemed to want to know more about the faith. So there are many opportunities in this country that seems to have underplayed its cultural and religious heritage; as the lecturer pointed out, in the first centuries of Christianity, Turkey was the focus of activity (the first four Ecumenical Councils were held in this land.)

It’s not been all work! We have gained a rather better understanding of Izmir city. Contrary to the criticisms in the Lonely Planet guide, the city Information Office were friendly and helpful, and issued us with a good map and a couple of leaflets. We have discovered the Roman Agora – quite an extensive area, with reconstruction work going on - and the bazaar area of Kemeralti, a maze of narrow streets lined with every kind of small shop, with an 18th century caravanserai in its midst. The former Armenian area, destroyed in the 1922 fire, is now an attractive park in the midst of the urban busyness. We have also ventured onto the metro system, and experienced the frequent ferries that criss-cross the bay. Buses are still something of a mystery, but we live in hope of solving that one too!

We also met one of Jo’s former pupils from St Sidwell’s school, Exeter; she was 8 at the time, and is now an architect back in her home city. Most mornings we have a pre-breakfast walk alongside the Aegean on the wide promenade (the kordon.) Today was the first time that the air was fresh – and almost cool – so we hope the intense heatwave is coming to an end. We celebrated the conclusion of last week with a meal at a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the sun setting behind the bay. And on Saturday, a (Korean) church member is driving us to Ephesus, which will be great.

A final comment on the UK referendum result; we were saddened by the outcome, but especially by the narrow-mindedness of British insularity. At one point in the campaign, there were dark hints about the millions of Turks who would flood into Britain if Turkey joined the EU. The implication was that the barbarians were coming, but all the Izmiris we have had dealings with have been friendly, helpful and hard-working. One of the joys of congregations in the Diocese in Europe is the way they foreshadow the final assembly of the saints of God, gathered ‘from every tribe and language and people and nation’.

Prayer Points:
·        Please pray for us as we meet with the two families whose children will be baptised on July 10th, and for baby Esther and lively 2-year-old Ryan.
·        Preparations for the additional evening Bible study.

·        For developing relationship with the predominantly Turkish-speaking Lighthouse Church, which uses St John’s every week. (There are other Turkish churches; yesterday we saw a local car, with a fish on it!

Monday, 20 June 2016

ARRIVED IN IZMIR


We’ve been in Izmir for less than five days, but it feels longer (in the most positive sense!)
Our journey here was easy and uneventful. We received a warm welcome from our greeters, who then took us to a restaurant, where we enjoyed the iftar menu, for those observing the Ramazan fast (freedom to eat being signified by the firing of a cannon. There is a pre-dawn warning from drumming in the streets.) It appears that many people are not fasting – Izmir is a liberal, Western-oriented city (known to many Turks in the past as ‘infidel/pagan Izmir’!)

Physically, it is very hot (40/41 degrees C yesterday), but less humid than we had expected, and mitigated by breezes off the Aegean. So we think we will survive; especially now that the church has had air conditioning put into the main bedroom of the flat. We are about ten minutes walk from the sea. We can see St John’s from the flat; the former chaplain’s house is used as the British consulate. An advantage of that is a reassuring, friendly police presence whenever the church is open.

We are settling into the practicalities of life here. Shopping is easy; there are some good supermarkets nearby, as well as many ‘corner shops’. Yesterday we discovered an abundant farmers’ market in neighbouring streets, with all sorts of fresh produce on sale. Our lack of Turkish is a slight disadvantage, but much can be achieved by smiles and pointing! We are working on the language. Our hosts have taken us out to two lunches: one an amazingly good value salad bar (six portions for 10 lira – less than £3!), the other a wonderful fish lunch at a harbour-side restaurant.

We are gradually finding our way around, but hampered by inability to find any meaningful guides or maps. The one map we did find was declared confusing and unhelpful by a Turkish visitor. The local metro station seems bereft of any timetables or route indicators! We will try the Tourist Office – but the Lonely Planet guide declares it ‘unhelpful to the point of being hostile’! So far we have not discovered a single post-card seller – so potential recipients will have to wait! (And post is slow…)

However, we are here to minister to the church. The Eucharist on Sunday was a good occasion. The congregation is not large; there were 21 communicants, of whom Jo and I were the only British. The rest divides between Americans and Turks, with 3 refugees from Iran and a couple of Koreans. We received a good reception, and my sermon seemed to connect for at least a few. The style of liturgy is quite formal; but we feel they are open to variations, though we are hindered by our inability to explain any divergences in Turkish. As usual, we are leading the service together as a team. Singing is not their strong point – and the organist returns to USA this week, until the end of September...
Tomorrow we visit the daughter church, and there will be other Christian groups to meet and pray with in coming weeks.

So please pray:
1.      For our ministry here, that we will meet the people at their points of need, and be open to the guiding of the Holy Spirit.
2.      For all the church members; especially those whose mother tongue is not English, that we will communicate clearly with them.
3.      For refugees; especially a couple from Iran who had to leave because he comes from an important Muslim family, while her family has been Christian for many generations; and another woman from Iran.
4.      For the future development of this church and chaplaincy; adverts for a full-time chaplain are appearing in the church press around this time.

5.      For us – that our Turkish will improve, and that we will be able to find our way around on the metro and bus systems! And that we will be able to visit some of the many wonderful ancient and Christian sites in this region. 

Thursday, 2 June 2016

Turkish Delight?

There's a bit of a pun here. In Turkish - lokum means Turkish Delight! So we are hopeful that our time in Izmir will be a delight for us - and, hopefully, also for the people of St John the Evangelist and St Mary Magdalene, Izmir, where we will be spending ten weeks, from June 16th.

We will be posting reflections and prayers - and (if I can manage it!) some photos.
For now, our need is for the prayers of our friends, so I am pasting below the Prayer Letter we have sent out to some of our contacts.


From mid-June, we shall be spending ten weeks at St John’s in Izmir, Turkey; they have been without a chaplain for some time. The hope is that the church will eventually be able, with assistance from the Diocese in Europe, and the Intercontinental Church Society (ICS), and in partnership with the Mission to Seafarers, to have sufficient funding for a stipendiary chaplain. Please pray for us as we prepare to travel and for our time there.

Prayer Points:

Our Preparation.
We have another fortnight for spiritual and physical preparation. Pray for our protection during this period, that nothing will impede our travel, and for safety during our journey.
Settling in.
Pray all goes smoothly with our arrival, settling in to our accommodation (a two-bedroom apartment near the church), and finding our way around in a new city and culture. Pray we will cope with Turkish language, and be sensitive to living in a predominantly Muslim country.
Blessings on our ministry.
We hope and pray that we will quickly be able to discern the needs of the congregation, and how we may best offer pastoral care, teaching and guidance.
Protection in Izmir.
There have been disturbances in Turkey in recent months, with terrorist attacks mounted by both IS and PKK (the extremist Kurdish militants.  Pray for peace with justice in Turkey, and for our safety.
Good health and energy during our stay.
July and August are the hottest and most humid months in that area. Pray that we will soon be acclimatised, and able to minister effectively. Pray for protection from illness.
St John’s, Izmir.
Pray for the congregation here, and at the daughter church of St Mary Magdalene; for the churchwardens, with their additional responsibilities during the vacancy; for those who have been leading worship; for guidance for their future.

Izmir:
In NT, Smyrna (one of the seven churches in Revelation.) Third largest city in Turkey, and largest port. Small Christian community – RC Cathedral, some indigenous Protestant and Evangelical churches – and the Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist (19th century building, but there have been Anglicans in the city since 1625), with daughter church of St Mary Magdalene. There is a weekly Sunday morning Eucharist at St John’s, and a Tuesday evening Service at St Mary Magdalene’s.

Timetable:
Tuesday 14 June Leave Axminster, to take train to Gatwick. Stay overnight
Wednesday 15 June Fly from Gatwick late morning, changing at Istanbul, to reach Izmir by early evening.
Sunday 19 June Our first Sunday service at St John’s.
Tuesday 21 June Our first evening service at St Mary Magdalene’s.