Lebanon/Syria #6: Renewal
See, I am making all things new. - Revelation 21:5
Seven years is a long time. That’s how long it’s been since my first visit to the National Evangelical Churches of Fairouzeh and Homs. Seven years ago these congregations were emerging from a darkness that threatened their very existence. On that trip in 2014, we saw first-hand the destruction and the first glimmers of renewal in Homs. Today we found a city still struggling but moving in the right direction and two vibrant churches serving their communities in the name of Jesus Christ.
This morning we exited the Christian Valley and headed east towards Homs. Before the war, Homs was a major industrial center with the third-largest population in Syria. Fairouzeh, once a separate mostly Christian village, is now a suburb of Homs due to the city’s urban sprawl. We are greeted by the Rev. Jacob Sabbagh and members of his congregation in the newly renovated sanctuary. Woodworm badly damaged all the wood, including the pews, pulpit, and piano in the sanctuary. Now a bright new cross and the Apostles’ Creed and Lord’s Prayer give the chancel a distinctly Presbyterian feel.
The sanctuary serves as a base for Fairouzeh’s many ministries, including a large and active Sunday School with more than 400 children participating (Fairouzeh is a predominately Syriac Christian village). Church members prepared videos of the Sunday School activities and events and we concluded our time together by singing the great Reformation hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God before retiring to the fellowship hall for mid-morning coffee, tea, and za’atar bread. It’s nice to know that Presbyterians all over the world like to eat together.
From Fairouzeh we made our way to Homs, to the old city where the National Evangelical Church is nestled on a busy, narrow street. The Homs church is currently being served by recent seminary graduate Adon Naaman, who welcomed us with members of the congregation. Seven years ago the sanctuary had just been returned to the congregation after terrorists used it as a base of operations and left it badly damaged. Holes in the roof have been repaired, the chancel has been renewed, and new pews installed. Seven years ago the people of Homs were beginning to return to their city, themselves badly damaged. Now they are rebuilding their lives and not just the church, but the congregation.
The Homs church, like Fairouzeh, hosts an active Sunday School with 120 students and 20 leaders. Like churches all over the world, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns forced the Homs church to get creative in order to stay connected when they couldn’t meet in person. Online meditations and prayers helped. At Easter, the Sunday School students recorded scripture, hymns, and prayers, and the resulting video was shared widely. At Christmas, the Sunday School leaders prepared gifts for all the children, then rented a bus and drove all over the city delivering a bit of (safe) Christmas cheer during a difficult time.
No visit to Homs would be complete without a visit to the elderly home owned by the congregation and operated by nuns. The elderly home in Homs is widely respected and one of the treasures of the National Evangelical Church. It never closed during the war, and when the sanctuary was too damaged to use for worship, the congregation gathered there. Today we gathered for lunch served by the dedicated staff and enjoyed time with the congregation’s leaders.
The scripture from Revelation, See, I am making all things new, kept flashing in my mind today, a reminder of the promise that God is never finished with us on this side of eternity. God is making, God’s work is active now! Day by day we are being renewed and by the power of the Holy Spirit; we are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Our Syrian brothers and sisters bear witness to the power of God’s renewal in their individual lives and in the life of the church. Renewal may be slow and painful at times. It may be frustrating and hard to discern. And there may be setbacks like COVID-19, but we trust that God’s power at work in the life and witness of His church is light in the darkness and hope for the future.
by Rev. Anthony Lorenz, First Presbyterian Church, Carlisle, Penn.