Summer 2015 Edition In April this year I had the privilege of visiting Amman, Jordan. I was with a group of ministers from Scotland and Northern Ireland and the purpose was to find out a little about what it is like to live as a Christian in a Muslim country. It was a challenging and stimulating experience. I had not visited a Middle Eastern country other than Israel and there was an immediate sensory overload. The people we met were very friendly and we never felt in any danger—except in a taxi as the driving was interesting.
We visited churches and enjoyed meeting fellow believers, even although everything was in Arabic. What was striking was the depth of faith of these believers. They live in a situation where it is www.mpnchurch.org.uk
absolutely forbidden to try to convert a Muslim person with prison (or deportation if you are a foreigner) as the consequence. So how can you be obedient to Jesus’ call to make disciples? How do you respond to the needs of 25% of the population who are refugees? How do you cope with the pressure of knowing that friends, neighbours or even church members may be reporting to the secret police? These are issues believers are grappling with and they need our prayers. It was also good to be able to see sites which have biblical significance. It helps to be reminded that the salvation story was grounded on a family that became a nation which, on it’s journey to the Promised Land, passed through what we now call Jordan. The place shapes the story and the actions of the people and the same is still true today. To be able, as Moses did, to look from Mount Nebo over Jericho and the Plains of Moab into what is now Israel is amazing. To stand on the banks of the Jordan and watch people being baptised is very moving but it also reminds us to ask some of the same questions that they are asking: Scottish Charity Number SC004271