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.

Back in Izmir

 We’ve already been in Izmir for ten days, but we’ve been quite busy. The first five days we stayed in temporary accommodation, as Fr James the chaplain, was still in his apartment. But we have now moved in – and it’s all very familiar! As is Izmir, and St John’s – though, as always, there are some new members whilst others have moved on.

I've preached twice; on our first Sunday Fr James celebrated. The congregation are fairly easy to preach to, though it is quite a big building, so the congregation of 25-30 are  bit spread out. And for at least half of those attending, English is a second or third language, which can be a bit of a challenge! That’s one reason liturgical worship is preferable, as it becomes familiar for all the congregation, who can understand what is being said and done. It’s encouraging that there are a number of new young Turkish men and women attending quite regularly; we met with a couple of them on Sunday after church – and had some interesting conversations.

 We arrived at the end of Ramadan, and the beginning of the Eid/Bayram holiday, which has been extended to over a week. Most supermarkets and restaurants stayed open, but the streets were quieter in the morning, and public transport much busier for the latter part of the day, as people took advantage of the good weather and the holiday, together with free transport on a couple of the days. We’ve only had one full day off, and went to a lovely spot on the bay to the south of the main city. Most of the many picnic tables were occupied by families enjoying picnics of various complexities (some had portable stoves to brew the tea without which most Turkish meals are incomplete. The atmosphere was relaxed and convivial; there is little rowdiness or anti-social behaviour.

 Apart that is, from the increased number of electric scooters and bicycles which come at one from most directions. Izmir is a large and busy town, and the local area has narrow roads, along which many large cars and countless scooters and bikes weave their way. The scooters are rented by the hour, and then apparently abandoned all over the place. One is always looking over one’s shoulder to see what is coming (the scourge of electric motors is that they are silent!) It seems to be a matter of honour for drivers not to use their indicators – and it is rare for a driver to slow down to allow pedestrians to cross the road. If you stand back you will not be thanked in anyway. Walking in Devon one almost invariably greets those one passes with at least a smile, and usually a good morning. But here – and this may be equally true of English cities – there is little eye-contact.

 It is good to be back here; my understanding of Turkish is still depressingly poor, but we seem to get by. Outwardly, the economy seems much the same, but the country has experienced massive inflation over the past couple of years, and prices have risen. We’re barely affected, because the exchange rate has also changed – we get around 5 or 6 times as many lira to the pound as we did in 2016. There have been political changes too; President Erdoğan is still in power, but his country-wide support has lessened. In other ways his control may have increased; there seem to be more police in evidence, and life is more difficult for most refugees and asylum seekers. But for most people, life goes on. We always feel safe and comfortable when out in the streets, apart from the litter which is ubiquitous, on land and in the sea.

 This is a shorter visit than usual. Perhaps that’s not a bad thing, as we are a little slower and less energetic than we were 8 years ago. But we always have a warm welcome at St John’s, and feel almost part of the furniture. We’ve had a couple of sessions, listening to and praying with some church members. In addition, there is a weekly Evening  Prayer on line, and a Bible Study which gathers some to the church office, whilst others follow on Zoom. It seems we still have something to offer, which is good. Pray for the rest of our time here, that we can make good use of it.  

In the footsteps of St Paul

 Time is passing quickly. My last blog was ten days ago; so since then, we have had two full days off. Each time we repeated things we have done before – we find it difficult to travel to new places, as it’s not always easy or comfortable (we’re not great fans of bus journeys, especially in crowded minibuses!)

 Last week, we went to Foça – ancient Phocaia. It was the base for many sea journeys around the Mediterranean; Phocaians are credited with establishing colonies at Marseilles, and in Spain. It’s still an active port, with numerous small fishing boats, and many tourist boats. It retains many of its 19^th century ‘Greek-style’ houses, and it’s always pleasant to walk beside the sea. There are ruins of a  classical Temple, to which there is no public access; remains of a Genoese fort and an old mosque. All the Orthodox churches were destroyed in a massacre of Greeks at the start of the Great War. But despite its painful history, it is a calm and pleasant place.

This week, we enjoyed our annual pilgrimage to Ephesus; it takes a couple of hours to Selçuk by Izban trains, with a further taxi or minibus journey. But it is a remarkable place – extensive, with some splendid ruins, notably the two theatres, the Agoras and the famous Library of Celsus. A large ruined basilica, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was the site of the third Ecumenical Council in 431. And of course, one remembers St Paul’s visits and sojourn in the city. The first time we went, in July 2016, its almost deserted, as there had been terrorist attacks and an attempted coup in Türkiye shortly before, and tourists were obviously discouraged. This time it was crowded, with tour parties from cruise ships and elsewhere. But it’s good so many people want to come to this special place.

 We are here to minister, of course, and we have continued with the Sunday Eucharists; attendance is around 30 – some different people each week, and a number of regulars have been away. The fact that many of the congregation do not have good English can be a little inhibiting, as far as preaching is concerned; but there are a number of young university students and others who are eager to learn more. Most people stay in the church hall for an hour afterwards, and some then adjourn to a local restaurant for lunch together. The weekly Bible Study is usually challenging and interesting. There is an enthusiasm, and desire to learn, that one does not always experience in England.

 This area of Izmir, Alsancak, attracts many young people, especially in the evenings; they come to walk and talk,  to go to the bars and cafés. There seems to have been a proliferation of the latter, offering a wide range of ‘Western’ coffees, as well as the Turkish coffee (which we like.) There are often some rather delicious cakes! On the whole, behaviour seems calm and sensible, with little of the rowdiness that can be seen sometimes in British cities. In the same way, there are usually groups of people – often young people – sitting and talking on the Kordon. We always feel perfectly safe. People are friendly and welcoming.

 Izmir has its downsides. Litter is a problem – every morning we see cigarette ends, plastic bags and bottles and empty beer cans all along the Kordon – and in the sea. There is no clearly organised recycling. Domestic refuse has to be taken and thrown into large open wheeled bins in the back streets – where each day it gets sorted by hand by obviously underpaid and under-nourished men, and children. One often sees them dragging loads of rubbish in large sacks on barrows. Traffic in the narrow streets is rather a nightmare. It’s sometimes hard to see what the rules are, cars park wherever they can, and motorbikes go everywhere, including along pedestrianised streets in both directions. Often the bikes are electric, and there are many electric scooters. So no pollution – but more chance of one coming up behind us without warning!

 We’ve also visited a newly opened carpet museum, in Bornova, set in a beautifully refurbished Levantine mansion, I hadn’t realised how many different varieties of carpet Turkey could boast of. It would be interesting to compare designs and methods with those of the famous Axminster carpet weavers.

 Only two more Sundays, and then we pack up and return (though our journey home will be rather complicated, thanks to the train drivers strike!)

 

Getting Settled by the Aegean

 We are settling more into Izmir ways – including starting most days (after Morning Prayer) with a walk along the Kordon by the Aegean Sea before breakfast. We’ve eaten out a couple of evenings – including one strange experience, when I ordered two different dishes, chicken for Jo and köfte for me, only for the waiter to bring two plates of each, claiming that was what I had ordered. How we were supposed to eat two meals is a mystery, but fortunately the manager told him to remove the superfluous plates!

 For our day off last week, we took the tram to Űçkuyular, where there is lovely recreation area around a lagoon. We walked along by the beach, among a variety of semi-tropical trees, with different sea-birds around (including one flamingo). Lots of families go there for picnics and bathing.

 Other leisure activities included our regular Sunday afternoon ‘voyage’ across to Bostanlı by vapur (the water-buses which criss-cross the gulf to and from different areas of Izmir.) We usually treat ourselves to an ice-cream, but this time came across a lovely little café that served excellent Turkish coffee and delicious cheesecake. And we had another coffee one afternoon after spending two or three hours at the really good new Museum of Art and Culture opposite the church. A big improvement on the old one; it was encouraging that it recognised the multi-culturalism of Smyrna’s history, with a number of references and displays of Christian artefacts. (And the tourist leaflet includes a downloadable walk around Izmir’s churches, as well as one around its mosques.)

 We’ve continued with the weekly pattern of Sunday Eucharist, Tuesday Zoom Evening Prayer and Wednesday Bible Study (today we had 8 in the office and 5 on line!) I mentioned last week that Jo and I are older than most of the congregation – but it doesn’t seem to matter, and the younger members (several students at one of Izmir’s universities) are comfortable talking to and sharing with us. Indeed, we had two of the students with us on Saturday afternoon, when we opened the church for visitors – not as many as sometimes, because there were activities around the Kordon (for the 101^st anniversary of Ataturk’s victory over the Greek forces defending Smyrna – after which most Armenians and Greeks were driven out of the city.) 

There are certainly some restrictions on freedoms in Türkiye – the media is inhibited, if not censored, and most institutions have been purged of any critics of the government. But it is a relaxed and friendly country, and always feels safe and comfortable. There are many police in evidence in the streets and on the Kordon – but their presence seems pretty benign. There is no obvious feeling of there being surveillance of the population (there seem to be no more CCTV cameras than in the UK.) Churches are free to gather; some discretion is called for – but that is also true in France. The only change since our first visit is that non-Turks leading Turkish churches have been refused continuing visas.

 Residency permission is certainly getting more difficult: several church members have been unable to gain permanent resident permission, and so have to move between Türkiye and another country on 3-monthly intervals. And in general there has been a strong clampdown on refugees and others without full papers, many of whom have been deported, especially back to Iran. Others have been deprived of any medical care. So it is not all good news. But one church member is finding it absurdly difficult to get a green card to move to the States, where his wife is living. 

 To finish on a lighter note, the church cat, Cleopatra, waylaid us on our way to church on our first morning in Izmir. She welcomes stroking and expects to be fed on a daily basis, something she shares with her ‘understudy’ Henrietta. But we certainly had the impression that she remembered us from last year. So we have had a good ‘welcome back to Izmir’, all round.

Izmir 2023

 

It’s a week since we left Axminster, to travel to London and Izmir, via Stansted airport. So we are now reasonably acclimatised, to being 2 hours ahead of British time, and expecting a normal daytime temperature around 32°C.

Izmir has not changed much in the past 12 months, except that we now look over to a new Museum of History and Culture, in renovated buildings that were formerly a tobacco factory, and the view of the hills to the east is largely obscured by more new tower blocks; so we don’t get such a good view of the rising sun while we say Morning Prayer together.

St John’s has changed a bit. The interior has been re-decorated, and the electrical system replaced, with good new lights. The congregation at the Eucharist on Sunday was about 30, of whom only 4 or 5 were around in our first visit in 2016. There is still a good mixture of nationalities, with native English-speakers a definite minority. Most of the others have quite good English, but some are attracted more by the atmosphere and ‘style’ of the worship. Most people gather for refreshments in the church hall afterwards, and the discussions and conversations continue for up to an hour.

We’ve also shared in one on-line Evening Service, with a congregation of 5, one of whom was in a car in the States; and at the Bible Study 7 gathered in the chaplain’s office and 3 were on-line. How church life has changed since the pandemic (before which hardly any of us had heard of Zoom)!

The mixture of the congregation is always attractive – a foretaste of the eternal gathering of that ‘great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb’ (Revelation 7:9). It’s also challenging, as is the fact that Jo and I are clearly older than most of the church members. It also probably creates some problems in achieving a strong sense of solidarity and belonging; but it’s moving in the right direction, and gives some hope that this is a church with a future.

It's too early to make any real comments on Turkish society. Economically, the last few years have been difficult: inflation is over 30% this year, but the lira has been so devalued against the euro that the price rises make little impact on us – food is still cheaper than in Britain. There are more empty shops than we remember from last year, but some new cafés have opened.

The annual ‘International Fair’ is taking place at the moment, in Kulturpark. There are plenty of food-stalls and market stalls, plus various displays and exhibitions. There are evening concerts. But it’s hard for foreigners like us to navigate, as the only maps are exclusively in Turkish, as are most of the displays – so it doesn’t feel terribly ‘international’.  But perhaps that’s a rebuke to our assumption that everybody ought to speak English!

It is right for us to be here, though we are perhaps more aware of our being older than when we first visited Izmir. Please continue to think of us – and pray for us, if you are inclined to. 

Blessings to all our readers.

Our final week in Izmir

 The past week has, again, been quite busy.

 I had to take a funeral on Wednesday – details of which were very slow in coming (I was getting calls from someone – the funeral director? – in Turkish) until a contact at the Catholic Cathedral called me. So I had less than 10 hours to prepare a service etc. I was told they just wanted prayers by the graveside. They arranged a car to pick me up from the church, and fortunately there was an English-speaking woman also travelling, who could interpret for the Turkish driver. I had no idea where we were going, but discovered that there is a Christian cemetery on the outskirts of Izmir. There were around 30 people waiting; and we had a short service, with some of them, in the very small chapel – which had an altar, and a crucifix. We then processed to the grave, and the interment was very similar to one in England. (So I have now taken funerals in France, Corfu, Germany and Turkey.) This also meant Jo had to facilitate and lead the Bible Study in my place, which was good. I got back to the church in time for the last 25 minutes.

 After all that stress, we felt we owed ourselves a complete day-off, and took ourselves to Foça, a delightful harbour town to the north of Izmir. It’s an ancient site –Greek Phocaia was base for much exploring, and its voyagers went all round the Mediterranean, founding colonies, including Massilia (Marseilles). It’s an attractive town, with a lovely setting. It’s also got some fine fish restaurants, and we enjoyed an excellent meal of fried sardines.

 After a rather slow start, our time in Izmir has gone quickly, and this morning was our final service. The congregation was around 25, the usual mixture of nationalities and languages. Jo and I were probably the oldest people in church. It’s always refreshing to see new people, some just visiting out of curiosity, others more seriously attending. After the service we were asked to pray with a Turkish woman with some problem with muscle pain; and then with two Azerbaijan women who felt they had been put under some kind of curse. Ministering to non-English speakers is always a problem, but we had two excellent interpreters!

 After church, we joined with a few people for lunch at a local restaurant – a nice opportunity to talk and listen. Then a walk by the Kordon, and return to the flat to begin packing, as we move tomorrow to the Ibis hotel, in time for Fr James to return. We fly out on Wednesday morning.

 Initial thoughts: we think we have been able to contribute something to St John’s. People have been very welcoming and receptive, and it’s a refreshing change to worship with keen young believers and seekers, who have probing questions to ask. We shall be glad to be home in many ways, but we will miss many aspects of church life here – though some things about Izmir (noise, dust, crowds, traffic…) we won’t miss so much!

 

 

 

 

OUR WEEKLY PATTERN

I thought we might report on our regular pattern of activities – if only to prove that we’re not here for a holiday! (stimulating though our time here is.)

Sunday worship is obviously central. St John’s has a fixed liturgy (to allow for a Turkish translation on the facing pages and uses a rather mixed hymn book (BBC Hymns of Praise). Choosing hymns is not too easy, as there is no choir to lead, and half the congregation find it difficult to sing English hymns anyway. But it’s always an interesting experience:  most weeks in the congregation there are some young Turks, who have come out of interest or curiosity. Almost everyone comes to coffee or tea, with biscuits, in the church hall afterwards, and most stay for an hour or so.

 There are other activities each week. On Tuesday mornings, Jo and I join the Lighthouse Church for their weekly English language prayer meeting (though half the prayers are in Turkish!). This usually lasts an hour. That evening we have an Anglican evening prayer service – still on-line, partly because the daughter church at Bornova, where this service was held formerly, is undergoing (very slow) restoration. Last week we had four participants beside ourselves – two of them in the USA.

 Wednesday sees the weekly Bible Study. We usually read through and discuss the following Sunday’s lessons, which can provide helpful pointers for the preacher! We meet in the Church Office beside the church, with six or seven people; but it is streamed, and there is usually at least one person joining us on-line. It’s an interesting, and valuable event.

 Jo and I always start the day with Morning Prayer in the flat; we often then walk down to the Kordon before breakfast, usually buying a gevrek (a local version of simit, a sort of bagel) for breakfast, either from a street seller, or from a wonderful bakery round the corner, where one can watch them being made, and baked in a large brick oven, to be sold still hot.

 We haven’t this time yet travelled outside Izmir; we are re-visiting some of the areas in the city we have seen before. Last week, two of the Lighthouse church leaders took us to another district, to an unassuming local restaurant, which produced excellent, traditional bean dishes. It was good to have a chance to talk to them. Alsancak, where St John’s and the chaplain’s flat are situated, is not the most salubrious area, with a wide variety of shops and small businesses among apartment buildings, most of which have five or six floors. It’s busy and crowded; the next street is being ‘improved’ with new paving – with the result that it’s difficult to walk down, and parked cars accumulate a thick layer of dust. Traffic is everywhere; walking on pavements can be hazardous as one is quite likely to be overtaken by one of the ubiquitous delivery scooters.

 We were invited to a delightful wedding last week. One of the Lighthouse church leadership team, a young Zimbabwean, was marrying a girl from Mexico. The service was in St John’s, which was packed, with most of the Lighthouse church members attending; the basically Turkish service was interpreted via headsets in English and Spanish. The bride’s attendants (male and female) danced down the aisle at the beginning – to be followed by the groom and then the bride and her mother; at the end bride and groom danced exuberantly down to music and applause. It was unlike any wedding I’ve officiated at (though the essential vows and blessing seemed to be modelled on the traditional wording of our Anglican service.)

 We do have time for ourselves, though surprisingly little. It remains very hot, which can limit activity, though we aim to walk as much as we can, sometimes going down to the Aegean to see the setting sun. Good cheap public transport makes it relatively easy to get to other parts of the city. Our time here is passing very quickly – only nine more days.

A Rather Unusual Week, part 2

 I said in my last post that the past week has been a bit different.

 While we were reflecting on the death of our Queen, the people of Izmir (most of them) were celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the city’s ‘liberation’ from the Greeks by Ataturk. Large parts of the Kordon were taken over for scaffolding towers with lights, speakers and displays screens. For several days we were treated to loud low-flying fighter planes and helicopters – reaching a climax with the main event on Friday evening, which was attended by many thousands. Part of the attraction was a concert by a highly popular singer. And there were large lorries selling merchandise connected with the armed services. The Turkish flag was everywhere, together with many portraits of Ataturk.

 It's an ambivalent event for some residents, and a reminder of how complicated interpreting history is. In the days of the Ottoman Empire, Smyrna was a multi-cultural city, with various European communities, largely composed of business and trades people. These were the Levantines. (It was the British Levantine Society which first provided an English chaplain for the Anglophones – the list in the church porch goes back to 1636) There were also sizeable French and Italian communities, as well as Greek and Armenian Orthodox from within the Ottoman realms. Indeed, Smyrna was often described as an infidel city, because there at least as many Christians as Muslims – and several Jewish synagogues. The different faiths lived fairly harmoniously together.

However, after the Ottoman Empire fell at the end of the Great War, the Greek government sent troops to secure the Western coastal area and hoped to restore Istanbul to its original Byzantine status. This move was supported by the British and French governments. It did not win favour with Kemal Mustapha (Ataturk), who had risen to prominence with his effective leadership of the victorious Turkish army in Gallipoli. His vision was of a unified Turkey, and when the Greek troops started to move eastwards, to gain more ground, he moved against them, to drive them back, and to secure Istanbul. The final victory was at the Battle of Dumlupinar, on August 39^th, 1922 – and that day is celebrated as a public holiday throughout Turkey. On September 9^th his troops reached Smyrna, and enforced the retreat of the remaining Greek troops. A large part of the centre of the city was destroyed by fire – each side blaming the other for the conflagration. Many Orthodox churches were destroyed, and there is today little mention of the Armenian area, much of which is now a large park – Kulturpark, which each September hosts an International Fair.

 St John’s Church, together with the RC Church of St Polycarp (the oldest church in the city), and some others survived the fire, and it is still the case that Izmir – as it was promptly renamed – has probably more Christian churches than other Turkish cities. I have several times mentioned the general atmosphere of tolerance that prevails in the city. One Greek Orthodox church remains in use, and the Greek Consulate-General has been given a face-lift in recent years. But official histories and museums are very reticent about Smyrna’s long existence as a largely Greek city.

 Ataturk was a moderniser, and no great admirer of Islam. Under his firm hand, Turkey became a largely secular state – or more precisely, like France with its concept of laicité, neutral with regard to religion. The army used to see itself as the guardian of this, and at times this produced a hostility to all religions. The government of Recip Tayyip Erdoğan has been assertive of Islamic values and practice – and this is very visible in the reclaiming of Istanbul’s Ayia Sofia as a mosque. But alongside this, some Christian churches have spoken of a greater tolerance at government level. (St John’s has received funding from the local authority for church repairs.)

A Rather Unusual Week

 

The past week has been one of contrasts – and so will merit two blog posts!

 This first one, naturally, focusses on the death of Elizabeth II, which has touched us all. My initial reflection was that one of my very first memories of anything outside my experiences at home was hearing that ‘the King’ had died – in February 1952. Aged 4, I knew almost nothing about this ‘king’, apart from seeing some photos of him in the newspaper, at something called the ‘Festival of Britain’. But I was aware something significant and sorrowful had happened. That means that I grew up in the emerging ‘New Elizabethan’ age. The Queen was always there, visible in so many ways – on coins, stamps and bank-notes; appearing on papers and TV in countless situations.  As time passed, I became aware of her profound and firm Christian faith and came to admire her integrity and concern for all her people – in contrast to too many of our other public and political leaders.

 Obviously, her death was not given the prominence in Turkish news as in British, or European media. But it was noted. She had made at least one state visit to Türkiye, and had come to Izmir many years ago (in the days when there was a British Leyland factory here, as well as visiting the NATO base.) For most Turkish people she must have been a fairly distant figure. However, on Saturday we held an open afternoon at the church, with a book of condolence waiting to be signed. Not many came, though the Catholic Archbishop wrote a thoughtful letter, and the British Consulate next to the church flew its flag at half-mast. But among those who came, there were two women from established Levantine families, who had been introduced to the queen when she visited the city; and a young man, with British citizenship, who had continued his grandfather’s practice of sending the queen a Christmas card from Izmir each year, which had been acknowledged from the Palace, especially when the queen noticed that the name of the signatory had changed. He brought a lovely cross-shaped wreath to place beside the Queen’s portrait. There was a Kurdish man, who had worked in the hospitality industry; he wrote a long tribute, to the queen’s smile, and her ‘tireless efforts’ for humanity and for peace and was clearly very moved; he also copied out, in Turkish, some words sent by a cousin who lives in Europe. A couple of American Christians, long-standing members of a Turkish evangelical church, commented on Elizabeth’s faith and faithfulness. I had a conversation with an academic at one of Izmir’s Universities, who had been born near Exeter and attended Hele’s Grammar School – which was one of the constituent members of the High School all our children attended! 

 On Sunday morning, like all British clergy, I found myself leading a service which had been re-structured at short notice, and preaching a sermon written the day before, to provide opportunity for thanksgiving for her majesty’s life and expressions of sadness at her death; Jo wrote suitable intercessions, and we tried to fit hymns to the theme. But, unlike my colleagues in Britain, I was leading worship in a large Turkish city, and before a congregation of nearly 40 people, of whom fewer than a quarter (including Jo and me) were British citizens. For as always, the service was a microcosm of the universal church, with an Iranian and Korean sides-persons, Turkish and American readers and musician, and a Lebanese server; the congregation included a family from Iraq, and the usual Turkish members. Our Kurdish visitor came. There were some representatives of the small British contingent at the NATO base, including a young couple only recently arrived from a posting in Kenya. And at the end we British, at least (and I think some others!) sang, for the first time in our lives, ‘God save the King.’

We begin this week with a new monarch and a new prime minister of the United Kingdom. But God is unchanged; and Jesus Christ is the same ‘yesterday, and today, and tomorrow.’

 We begin this week, with a new monarch, and a new prime minister of the United Kingdom. But God is unchanged; and Jesus Christ is the same ‘yesterday, and today, and tomorrow.’

FIRST THOUGHTS FROM IZMIR

Our journey here went very smoothly. It was easier to get through passport control to enter Türkiye (as the country wishes to be called), than it was getting back into the UK after our pilgrimage in May! And the pre-booked taxi got us to our overnight hotel in good time. Now we are in the chaplain’s flat, on the sixth floor of an older building,  with its view of St John’s church, and beyond, to Mount Pagus (though that has been largely obscured now  by newly constructed tower blocks.) It’s been hot – up to 35° during the day, and around 25° at night.) We’ve done some basic shopping, walked by the Aegean on the Kordon, in the morning and in the evening, and our body-clocks have adjusted to the 2-hour difference.

What has changed since our last visit, three years ago? New blocks being constructed, and some older buildings being demolished; a few empty shops, but there seem to be a number of new coffee houses, which are popular. There has been marked price inflation – but the exchange rate means that nothing is more expensive for us, and some things seem absurdly cheap. I have forgotten much of the little Turkish I learned, but we’ve managed to get SIM cards, so we can keep in touch with locals, and have got a broken pump on the water container fixed (mains water isn’t recommended for drinking, so water is delivered in 17 litre ‘carboys’.) People are still very friendly and helpful. The city is still full of young people and students, and the roads are full of cars!

Izmir is a fairly tolerant and secular city. There are numerous mosques, and some large new ones have been built in the past decade. But it doesn’t appear, or feel, strongly Moslem. Relatively few women wear hijabs, and hardly any veil their faces. It’s good to see young women together, with a variety of clothing, including some with head scarves. And there are probably more Christian churches per head of population than in many Turkish cities: St John’s is very visible, and the building is shared by the Turkish/English language Lighthouse (Işık) Church; there are 7 or 8 Catholic churches, and a number of evangelical churches, some meeting in adapted shops.

Our first Sunday Eucharist went smoothly. The congregation was about 25, of whom we knew about 10, either from our previous visits, or through ‘meeting’ on the Zoom Bible Study. In many ways, it’s a typical Anglican service, taken straight from Common Worship, with hymns from BBC Songs of Praise. The only things that distinguish it are the Turkish parallel translations of the text, and the reading of the Gospel in English and Turkish. But more than half the congregation are Turkish or Iranian; the server is from Lebanon. Some live very precarious lives, with uncertain futures. It’s probably more like the mixture that prevailed in the early Christian house-churches, than what prevails in most of our comfortable Anglican churches today.

We are once more reminded how blessed we are, as Christians and Anglicans, to belong to a truly world-wide community of believers. Jo and I are fortunate to be able to move around the Diocese in Europe, offering ministry in  many different countries. (Our waitress at the hotel in Stansted was quite envious of us!) We look forward to getting more involved in the life of the St John’s community, and learning from, as well as contributing something to, them.

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.

Three more weeks in Izmir

We spent three weeks in Izmir in September.

Personal

It was interesting to be back there for a fifth time. It’s all very familiar. The city is big and noisy. One is continually crowded by people, and trying to avoid the delivery scooters which weave in and out on pedestrian ways. It’s not beautiful in itself; but the setting is lovely – hills all around and the curve of the large bay leading to the Aegean.

The weather was beautiful: hot, but tolerable, with cooler evenings and mornings, which made sleeping easier. We have seen most of the sites before, and didn’t have time to explore new territory, but we enjoyed walking by the Aegean and around the city. We had take one rail trip - to Foςa, where we had an excellent fish lunch beside the harbour. 

Izmir International Fair was held in Kulturpark during our stay, so we paid it one visit – but, rather disappointingly, the main halls, with exhibits from China and India, only opened in the evening, so we missed them. But we were able to wander around the bazaar and the food stalls.

We had one real cultural treat. The excellent Arcas Art Gallery (in the former French consulate) had an exhibition of Picasso’s work for the stage, including his designs for scenery, and the costumes for a couple of ballets. As the latter are held by the Paris Opera, we had never seen them.

The weather made it easier for Jo to walk, despite her arthritic hip, so we clocked up a few kilometres.

Above all, we enjoyed meeting some old friends (though they are mostly much younger than we are!). We had supper with a couple who got married last year, and with the Iranian family at church; we also met another friend for coffee.

Church

We had three Sundays at St John’s. It was encouraging to see that the numbers have increased slightly. There are some new, recent, Turkish and Iranian converts from Islam, and some American teachers; it is apparently hard to attract many of the British ex-patriates who work in Izmir. I think there were at least one or two visitors each week. The impression is of a healthy congregation. The church continues to be opened a couple of days a week, and people (mostly young Turks) come to look inside – an opportunity for some gentle outreach.

We also took two Evening Services at St Mary Magdalene’s Bornova, which has a small regular congregation; and we led two Bible Studies, which were enjoyable and worthwhile.

Turkey

There were no signs of much change in political and public life. The President’s party failed to keep control of Istanbul in mayoral elections earlier this year, and the re-run he demanded resulted in a larger majority for the opposition candidate. (The opposition party has dominated Izmir for some time.) Some members of Erdoĝan’s party have split to form a new party, so he is perhaps a little more subdued at the present.

One concern is that there has been a clampdown on foreign church leaders who preside over predominantly Turkish churches. As a result, the American pastor of the Lighthouse Church (which shares the use of St John’s) has had his residence rights withdrawn, as have others from that network. The church itself continues to meet, but with Turkish leadership. However, there does not appear to be any threat to the Anglican Chaplain or church.

Indeed, James thought that, paradoxically, on the whole life is easier for Christians under Erdoĝan than it had been under some of the aggressively secular governments of the past. Perhaps a sign of this is that the government last year contributed to the restoration of a major Orthodox church in Istanbul, and the Izmir municipality is paying for new roofs for St John’s and its hall.

Our refugee friends are finding life more difficult. The Turkish government has taken over all responsibility for asylum seekers, effectively marginalizing the United Nations. And they are restricting their rights. The policy is to ‘place’ all refugees in smaller cities, and to limit their ability to move around. So one church member is unable to come into Izmir for Bible study or to visit friends. And the Iranian family who live near the church are facing problems in finding a school place for their six-year old son in Izmir, as they are officially registered in Manisa.

At the root of the problem is the large number of refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey (3 to 4 million), many from Syria and Iran, which both have borders with Turkey. The government plans to send a large number of Syrians back over the border into Kurdish areas (which does not please the Kurds either.) There is also a concern that more refugees are trying to cross from the Western coast to Greek islands like Lesbos and Chios, where the camps are already dangerously overcrowded and insanitary. Around the world, most countries have closed their doors or are imposing strict quotas on new immigrants.

Reflection

It was good to see our friends, and to find the church alive and active. But it was a relief to get back home, to the slow pace and peace of Devon. We’ve been away from home a bit too much this year (18 weeks on locum service), and pray for a quieter time for a while.

Izmir Revisited

IZMIR REVISITED

Our second visit of 2018 was longer than our previous one week stay, but still shorter than in other years. We were there for just over three weeks. In many ways that was too short, as we had to fit a lot in during that time. The weather was typical of Izmir in August: hot all the time. It rained heavily once – and that didn’t touch the central part. Once again, we praised God for air conditioning, which at least enabled us to sleep.

St John’s church is doing well; most of the same people are still there, but it was good to meet some new members. James Buxton is clearly doing some good work, and has attracted new believers (four of whom had been baptised, by immersion, on Trinity Sunday after attending an Alpha course.

Michael celebrated and preached at three Sunday Eucharists, which seemed to go well. They are a remarkably good congregation to preach to, given that most weeks English is the first language for less than a quarter of them. Jo was able to play her full part, by sharing in leading the service, leading the intercessions and assisting with the chalice. On our final Sunday, we felt moved to offer prayer ministry, and almost half the congregation stayed for laying-on of hands and anointing.

Our stay covered four Wednesdays, so we had time to do a Bible Study on the Letter of James, with up to nine people attending – commendable, given that most – only a couple of whom were English-speaking - had to travel some way across town in the heat of the day. Each week we had good discussion and prayer. We also travelled to St Mary Magdalene’s church in Bornova for the Tuesday evening prayers, as well as joining in the Tuesday morning prayers of the New Frontiers church that share the use of St John’s church.

We visited three members – two of them out of town: one for a barbeque and prayer, one to meet a new baby; and we had supper with a lovely Iranian couple who have had some difficulties. We also had a time of prayer ministry for a regular member and her daughter from the States. Two people came to us for a meal.

We can add to that one evening out on the town with Şeyma and Berk, the young couple we’ve seen each visit; it’s touching that they seem to enjoy our company; coffee with one of their friends we’ve got to know, and breakfast with Canaan, Şeyma’s sister and another of Jo’s former pupils from St Sidwell days. (A full Turkish breakfast is a thing of wonder – various dishes to choose from, endless cups of tea, and coffee to finish. It makes most British brunches look a bit inadequate!)

So we feel we used our time to the full. The friendliness of young Turks is delightful; one assistant at the supermarket we usually shopped at always called out ‘Hallo’ when she saw us – and on our last visit used Google Translate on her phone to say ‘You are so sweet’ (something that’s never been said to me in the Axminster Tesco!) And we continued to benefit from the regularity with which we were both offered seats on crowded trains and trams.

More seriously: we’ve experienced some sort of crisis each time we’ve been to Izmir. This time it was the threat of American sanctions, which, combined with the rising inflation in the country, pushed the value of the Turkish lira to a new low on the exchange markets. (It came too late in our stay to benefit us much!) There are various suggested reasons for the financial problems – excessive borrowing to pay for large infrastructure projects, and some unwise government policies among them. So life is becoming more difficult for many local people.

The American reaction focussed on the continuing legal process against Andrew Brunson, an American minister who has been leading a small Turkish-speaking church which meets in premises not far from St John’s. By all accounts, he is very committed to his ministry and to evangelism, with a number of converts in his church; the accusations of spying and involvement with terrorist groups seem absurd. But he is a useful pawn for President Erdogan in seeking the extradition from the USA of the Muslim cleric he was formerly allied to, but who is now accused of masterminding the failed coup of 2016. The unfortunate effect of some of Trump’s posturing is to make Andrew Brunson look more important than he is. The good news is that he has been released from prison, but he is confined to his home. At least he is back with his family, and friends can visit him.

However, at the moment there does not appear to be any general threat against Christian churches or their leaders. A group of various denominational leaders in Istanbul issued a statement while we were in the country, asserting that they had not experienced any restrictions on their activity. There are no restrictions on the Izmir churches; the police guard by the church and the British consulate remain very relaxed and friendly.

President Erdogan has now been given extensive powers, which seem to be subject to minimal checks and balances. The situation will become clearer as time passes, but his direct power to appoint ministers, control the military and dictate to the judiciary must cause some concern. But he clearly won the election earlier this year. That said, Izmir itself still feels very open and inclusive. Only a minority of women wear the hijab, and burqas are a rare sight. But Ataturk’s founding vision of a totally secular society has largely been abandoned, with Islamic values being asserted more at national level – though, as I said, with no significant restrictions on other faith communities. Despite the economic problems, Izmir’s infrastructure is being improved, with a smooth new tramway, and some improvements to the coastal foot and cycle paths. The suburban railway (Izban) has also been extended south, which makes it easier to get to Selςuk and Ephesus (which we visited for the fourth time!)

We continue to be rather concerned about the asylum-seekers at St John’s; there are now six or more from Iran. Those we know best have been in Turkey for around three years, and there is little prospect of their being able to move on to third countries, as most of them seem to have closed their borders, or adopted policies of discouraging all attempts at immigration. Turkey has been remarkably open and generous in allowing well over a million people to enter – but these live in a kind of limbo, with restrictions on where they may live and what they can do; though they do get basic healthcare, and there seems to be a readiness to allow them to study.

We have always enjoyed our visits to Izmir, and feel encouraged by the continuing vitality of St John’s, and its central importance as a Christian presence in the city. For understandable reasons, there has been a certain downplaying of the times the church is open – but when it is open, there are always visitors, usually young people, many of whom are happy, and free, to ask questions and receive leaflets about the Bible and Christian faith.

St John’s feels like ‘our’ church in many ways; we will continue to pray regularly for them all – and ask you to remember them too.

Epiphany in Izmir

Our recent stay in Izmir was only for one week, but it was a good experience. We could review the situation of both the society and of St John’s Church. Unlike our two previous visits, this time there were no national crises or major political campaigns- so we were not harangued from loudspeakers; life seemed fairly normal and tranquil!  Indeed, one of the remarkable aspects of life in Izmir is still how normal things seem. Probably, there is close surveillance, but we saw only one policeman with a sub-machine gun (by contrast, Paris seemed to be frequented by them.) The friendliness of welcome at the passport control in Izmir contrasts favourably with what many ‘foreigners’ experience at London airports. (When Jo presented her visa, the officer declined to look at it, saying she ‘looked honest!) The helpfulness of the average Turk is notable; Jo was always offered seats on crowded metro trains.

St John’s seemed to be in good heart. The new chaplain, James Buxton, has obviously settled in and developed good relations with the people. There have been comings and goings, but several new people have taken on active roles in the church. We went primarily for the baptism of the second son of one of the Iranian refugee families, at the Epiphany Sunday Eucharist. It was a happy occasion; although the municipality cut off electric power just before we started – there are major works going on locally to set up a tram network – there were enough candles to provide light, as the Christmas decorations were still in place.  They helped incidentally to create a special atmosphere!

We also led the weekly Bible Study. It was good to see even more church members than before attending; for most of them English is their second language (which does create a few problems.) But there is a real desire to grow in faith and knowledge. This desire was also shown in a conversation after the Sunday Eucharist when a young Turkish woman – not a committed Christian, though with some Orthodox family background – asked me about the blessing of the sea at Epiphany, how one received the Holy Spirit, and whether he proceeded from Father alone, or from Father and Son. (I think that was the first discussion I have ever had outside clerical or theological circles about the Filioque controversy!)

On our Saturday flanerie, we visited the sole remaining Greek Orthodox church in Izmir – Saint Voukolos’ (he was apparently a disciple of St John the Divine, and precursor of Polycarp.) It has been restored by the municipality, and serves as a cultural centre, but is also used for the Orthodox services. As this was the feast of the Epiphany, the church was crowded for the divine liturgy; it was good to see the RC bishop in the sanctuary.

In one of the English-language newspapers, we saw that President Erdogan was going to attend the inaugural service at the newly restored Romanian Orthodox Church in Istanbul. The Turkish government had contributed to the cost of the building work. St John’s Church continues to be open for visits on several days each week (though prudence has dictated a slightly lower profile, with no canvassing on the street.) Next week a local primary school have asked to bring a group of children on a visit.

These positive signs must be balanced against signs of an increasingly strident Islamisation of this previously solidly secular society, with changes to the school curriculum and an increase in the number of faith-based schools. Some Christian pastors have been imprisoned; the previous churchwarden at St John’s and her doctor husband had to leave Izmir at short notice after untrue statements were made about them in one Turkish newspaper. Turkey is not a comfortable country for journalists or opposition politicians (one of whom is being sued for ‘demeaning the office of the president.’)

Finally, we really sympathise with the Iranian refugees, who feel trapped in Turkey. Their situation could be worse: they can get jobs, and receive free medical care. But one, a qualified Electrical Engineer, who had been told he would be able to move permanently to another country within a year or so, is about to begin his fourth year in Izmir. The Trump administration’s refusal to admit refugees, and its withdrawal of funding from UNHCR, together with the increasing raising of barriers by other countries, is leading to much frustration and a terrible wasted of talent. Please pray for a solution to be found soon!

We enjoyed our visit, and hope to be able to return later this year.