Looking Back

We are now back In England, after an smooth journey back (apart from the greater number of security and passport checks at both Turkish airports.) It’s good to be back in our own home, with availability of books and music, choice of clothes and the calm of a small town in East Devon. But we miss our involvement in the life of St John’s and all the friends we have made there.

Our Holy Week was worthwhile, if a bit limited. We held an afternoon service for Good Friday – which about twelve church members were able to attend, as well as a number of Turkish passers-by, who called in and stayed for the rest of the service. Our Easter Day Eucharist was a joyful occasion, as always; and we had a lovely leave-taking afterwards. We were given a hand-woven kilim – a reminder, we were told, of how our lives are woven together. And someone had had a luscious strawberry and cream cake made, with the iced message ‘Michael and Jo, we love you.’!

Easter Day was also the day of the Turkish referendum on much increased presidential powers. To nobody’s great surprise, President Erdogan got his way – but only by a small margin. Given the huge disparity between the government-funded campaign for Yes and the severely restricted No campaign of the opposition, it almost counts as a defeat. The campaign and its aftermath was at least fairly peaceful. The Izmir region voted strongly against the proposed changes; again, no surprise. It will be interesting to watch further developments from a distance. Some of the Iranian refugees are anxious that there will be a push for more Islamisation in Turkey. And it will probably be even more uncomfortable to be an opposition politician, or a journalist. But as there will be presidential elections in two years’ time, Erdogan will have to ensure he loses no more support (even his home-base Istanbul had voted against the new constitution.)

So we look back on seven and a half busy weeks. As always, we are conscious of the privilege of doing locum ministry. We get to spend time living in a ‘normal’ area of a city, with regular contact with locals – so different from the experience of spending a week in a hotel or holiday let. We become part of a local church, with a real opportunity of getting to know and learn from people with many different stories. We meet Christians from other churches and denominations. Talking to refugees from Iran, we gained a much deeper realisation of all they have suffered, and the continuing pain of their unrooted existence in a temporary setting. They do not really belong anywhere, or possess anything – despite their skills and gifts. It is deplorable that those who are fleeing intolerant regimes are rejected by Western governments that criticise those same regimes.

I am writing this on the feast day of a third-century martyr from Turkey, who was executed in Palestine – one St George. It should be a reminder of our common humanity, unrestricted by narrow nationalism.  At present, most Christians in Turkey have freedom to meet and worship, but there must always be caution; Christian pastors have been arrested on little evidence, and in more Muslim areas, there can be some hostility. Complaints about the apparent downplaying of Easter in chocolate eggs hunts in England sound strange in a country where there is no outward recognition of any kind of this central Christian festival! At St John’s we were able to go on procession around the church on Palm Sunday, but we were told that in some places that would be impossible.

Our hope is that the appointment of a permanent chaplain will proceed according to plan. But we also hope that this will not have been our last ever visit to Izmir and the congregation of St John’s.

Please pray for the people of St John’s in the months to come:

That the refugees may have more than a glimmer of hope for the future.

For justice and openness in Turkey.