Working at Muslim Ministry
For the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, CRC News has prepared aseries of stories about how the Christian Reformed Church and its members have responded – and what we have learned – in the last 10 years.
Carrying sacks full of New Testaments and gallons of drinking water, two Christian Reformed Church missionaries often trek many miles through volcanic mountain landscapes, dry savanna grasses and parched red-gray desert to bring God’s good news to remote villages in a predominately Muslim, West African country.
The New Testaments they carry have been, after many laborious years, translated into the native language of the people whom they visit in scattered villages. Once they arrive at their destinations, people gather around to see what they have brought.
Without fanfare, the missionaries hand out the New Testaments to key people when they arrive in a mostly Muslim village. They hope that the recipients will read the books and start to ask questions. A prayer card explains their mission. It says that they make the grueling trip in order “to bring Living Water to a dry and weary land.”
The exhausting trek is worth it when the missionaries see the joy on the people’s faces as they read the Word of God in their own tongue for the first time in their lives.
A missionary wrote of one such visit: "After chatting a long time, drinking some oranges, and eating breakfast, we presented the leadership with some of the Scripture we had brought. They were thrilled with what they saw and asked if we had any extras."
Henry Persenaire-Hogeterp, a missionary in Africa who serves as chair of the CRC’s Advancing Ministry Among Muslims team, says it is often a long process to build relationships and trust with those who are Muslim.
He also says there are reasons to be concerned about the actions of some Muslims, such as those who say their faith requires them to burn churches or undertake terrorist attacks. “Fear in some instances is warranted. We are dealing with very real issues.”
But there is another side to Islam as well, he says. When he was recently on leave in North America, he and his father met with an imam from a town in Ontario. The meeting reflected for him the challenges and opportunities of ministry among Muslims.
"He was very friendly and engaging," says Persenaire-Hogeterp. The members of the imam's community come from 20 different countries. He was an orphan in Palestine and came to Canada in 1968.
"He invited us to visit him anytime and even invited us to pray with him. There were awkward moments. At one moment he burst out, 'You are not going to convert me! And I am not going to convert you!' And there were moments of understanding. He shared that each Christmas he preaches about Jesus from the Qur'an."
Persenaire-Hogeterp says he is troubled by the opinions sometimes expressed by Christians that refer to Muslims as “our enemy” or suggest that all Muslims are to be feared.
It is not correct to characterize an entire group or religion in this way, especially in today’s constantly changing globalized world in which many people are connected, are able to express themselves and access information in ways not possible until now, and are often open to new ideas, he says.
Muslims, by the very nature of the world, are a varied group. His hope, he says, is to find ways to break down the walls of fear and find ways for the religions to talk and get to know one another.
But a former CRC missionary says that, as the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approaches, Christians need to be forthright and open about their faith. They need not soften the message Christ brought.
Another missionary, who has worked among Muslims for many years, also says that the best approach is to be up-front and straightforward.
He says he sketches for Muslims what the New Jerusalem will look like. He says that the book of Revelation paints a picture of perfect community, perfect provision, and the presence of God. This is a community, he says, that will gather around Christ. This is a community who fully embraces the love and teachings that Christ shared in the Bible.
