A Shift in Syria

I recently had the opportunity to travel with a team, including my daughter, from Winston-Salem, NC to Syria. I had not been to Syria before and was somewhat surprised when I found out that the pastors we would be visiting had active churches that had the freedom to operate “above ground”. My surprise continued as we crossed the border from Lebanon into Syria, where the roads improved and there was even a Dunkin Donuts. Syria is a beautiful country, and the history certainly would justify a tour of the country. But we were there to encourage pastors and to see how Answering the Call might be able to assist them in their efforts. I continued to be encouraged as the first church we visited seemed to be well established with several discipleship ministries and an impressive outreach effort. So, when we received an invitation to meet the man responsible for multiple churches in Syria, we went to the meeting expecting to be surprised and excited by this expanding effort.

When we arrived at this pastor’s office, it became clear that he was bothered by something, and I started to wonder if we should leave. As it turned out, he had just received a message that one of his churches had been shut down by the local government with no explanation. This was the first time something like this had happened and there was concern that this closing might not be isolated, but actually represent a shift. Well we stayed, talked and prayed, and I believe the Lord allowed us to offer him at least a bit of encouragement.

On the next day, June 6, our only Sunday in Syria, we worshipped with an incredible body of believers outside of Damascus. The pastor of this church has done an amazing job of unifying denominations in his town and has developed a church with members of various backgrounds. We shared testimonies with members of the body, shared a meal, and had an amazing time of worship. Amazing in that the three of us that did not speak Arabic were equally moved by the time of worship, feeling the Holy Spirit move, without understanding a word of what was said…Our amazement in the joy of the worship was enhanced by the fact that this very church had recently been told that they would be shut out of their meeting place (an apartment) if they could not prove that their body was composed of a majority of people with Christian backgrounds.

Our worship that Sunday and the incredible joy present in that body of believers was a humbling reminder that the church is not a building but a group of people united their belief and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the body of believers in Syria seems to be entering a time when their freedom to meet and worship in public will be challenged. It has been said that “June 12, 2010 may have been the saddest day for Christianity in Syria” when the police entered and closed four additional and major churches, telling the pastors they could not meet until further notice.

So please pray for our Syrian brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for protection, unity and wisdom as they are forced to deal with new and sometimes unknown challenges. And pray for how the Lord would have ATC be involved…

Courtney Mauzy