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.