The Cyprus Mission: Churches Abroad Can Have the Same Needs as the Ones at Home
by Ellyn Newman
On the plane ride to Cyprus, I had plenty of time to review my concerns and expectations for the trip. I had many hesitations about short term missions, the biggest of which was the question of effectiveness. I worried that we would be a burden on the church and that the money used to send us there would have been better suited as a donation to the established mission. Most of all I was worried that we wouldn’t have enough work to do. As we greeted the pastor at the airport, though, I decided I had to release my worries, seeing that I was already there, and focus on doing whatever I could in the coming three weeks.
I awoke the first morning in Larnaca, Cyprus, eager to get started. I had the opportunity to accompany the pastor on one of his regular errands—taking groceries to the refugees and asylum seekers of his congregation. We had the chance to meet a few of the church members and learn a little bit about their situations. Right away it became clear that there was always something to do here, someone that needed immediate help, and the pastor was always on call.
Most of the asylum seekers have been scammed and trafficked across the border illegally, although many are also fleeing religious persecution. We learned later that these young men had been told they will be taken to a university in Cyprus. Their village had likely pooled resources to send their brightest youth with these traffickers in pursuit of opportunity. Unfortunately, they were instead taken to the north part of Cyprus, which is controlled by Turkey, and robbed of their passports, IDs, and any other possessions they might have. They were then put into what most of the world would consider to be slave labor. Those who we came in contact with had been fortunate enough to escape to the south, but only by becoming illegal immigrants, which presented them with a whole other collection of problems.
The pastor’s duties include lobbying for the cases of many of these victims to be granted refugee status (through which they are allowed to travel anywhere in Europe) and medical attention. Due to prevalent racism, Africans are treated as second-class citizens while Cypriots receive preferential treatment. In situations like these where people are in need medically or legally, the pastor dons his clerical collar and argues for their situation. In a culture so steeped in the Greek Orthodox Church, the appearance of spiritual status is extremely important in gaining respect as a pastoral figure. “It’s very unfortunate, it is, but they’ll only pay attention to someone who looks the part. Otherwise, the asylum seekers will just get treated terribly,” he explained somberly. So, a cross necklace and collar become an occasional necessity.
During our trip we were able to visit many of these asylum seekers, take them out for coffee and meals, as well as put on events for them at the church and take them on trips, things the pastor does on a regular basis. The congregation in Larnaca is very transient due to the asylum seekers usually only being in the city for a short period of time before they finish getting processed through the court systems. This makes the church extremely active in sending people! They are fed both physically and spiritually, and then they take what they’ve been given out into the world. However, European immigration law dictates that asylum seekers can only receive half salary for a limited number of jobs, if they can find one at all. This means there is little income coming in to support the mission.
Those who receive blessing from the church are eager to give back. A few of us were invited to attend a west African party to celebrate the first birthday of a little girl where we were taught dances to vibrant, afro-pop music. Our team was also privileged to be hosted for an elaborate middle eastern dinner, which we all agreed was some of the best food we’d ever had. Then, on our last day, one young man gifted me an intricate portrait of myself, done in pencil. He had spent over five hours of that afternoon working on it, and it now serves as a reminder of the connections that still exist there in Cyprus.
This church, while on the other side of the world, has the same qualities that one would find in any evangelical church in America. Circumstances make it a unique ministry, but at the end of the day it has the same spirit, people, obstacles, and needs as one in any hometown. Despite the situations that many of those we met were caught up in, they exhibited much more willingness to serve than many who have security in the necessities of life.
How often do we as believers get caught up in looking for a church that fulfills our needs, or a place that caters to our preferences and our interests? How often do those things take priority when there are active ministries in need of support all around us? It is a great reminder to stop looking at churches that can serve us, and start looking for churches that we can serve.
Even though we were there to serve the refugees and the church for a short time, what the ministry there really needs are people willing to simply be a part of the church. When asked what we could pray for, the pastor replied, “If you could pray for more families to join our congregation. We really just need some families who can create consistency and stability within the church.” They don’t need full-time missionaries or pastors to serve, they just need permanent members. Our team put on events and served food, fixed bikes and taught people skills, but the best thing we did while we were there was to make the church bigger and full of active Christians for just a little while. The most meaningful work often takes different forms, and the work of the church in Larnaca exhibits that sometimes the most effective thing we can do is just participate in a struggling church body.
Ellyn Newman is a sophomore at Geneva College where she's involved with the music and English programs. This was her first trip with RP Missions but she's looking forward to working with them more in the future.