Returning to Izmir

Our first visit to Izmir was six years ago – our last was three years ago. Since then Covid-19 has prevented any further locum ministry.  So it is good, and yet a little daunting, that we are now returning for our sixth time, to spend four weeks caring for St John’s Church and its congregation, while the chaplain has a well-earned holiday. It will be interesting to see what has changed, and what remains the same.

In fact we had a glimpse in May this year, when, as part of an excellent pilgrimage to the Seven Churches led by our friend Geoffrey Marshall, we visited the Roman forum of Smyrna, and called in to St John's. Some of the church-members we know welcomed our group with refreshments, and Father James gave us a guided tour of the church, and talked about its origins and its current life. The pilgrimage was great, as it enabled us to see parts of Turkey which we had not visited – including the surprisingly attractive site of Laodicea (despite its being castigated in as a ‘luke-warm’ church.) We were reminded how important Turkey was in the first three or four centuries of Christianity, with the first four ecumenical Councils being held here, and producing the creeds we still use.

We have been in regular contact with some of the church members- thanks to Zoom, which most of us had never heard of before March 2020. Through this, we have joined in Bible Studies with some of St John's people, in Izmir and beyond - one regular participant now lives and works in Maine, USA. I've led some of those meetings, and even preached and celebrated for a couple of Sunday morning eucharists.

 So when we return to the church on the first Sunday in September, it will not be a completely new experience. Except that some things will have changed. There are new people in the congregation, for St John's continues to draw in newcomers to Izmir – among them refugees from other countries, and local Turkish speakers who have been attracted to its worship. And some we knew well have moved on; including one lovely family from Iran, who are now settling into their new life in Australia (thanks to friends of ours from Bordeaux days.)

And we have changed. We are six years older, if not wiser, than when we first visited; and all of us have been affected by events - the coronavirus pandemic, economic problems (Turkey's inflation rate is even worse than the UK’s), and above all by the shadows cast by the war in Ukraine - just across the Black Sea from Turkey - and the increasingly obvious effects of climate change.

It is, praise God, true that 'Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.' But the context in which we affirm that belief does change, from year to year, and our present context is different from that which prevailed in 2019. If our preaching and teaching does not reflect those differences, we dishonour the God who is involved with us in all aspects of our daily life, and our teaching will not connect with where people are.

We hope that in this blog we shall be telling something of what we see and do in Izmir, and also trying to reflect on our experiences in the light of the Gospel.