“Gaza Christians are praying,” is what the pastor of Gaza’s only Protestant church would like the world to hear in response to the question he has been asked frequently in recent days: “What are Gaza Christians doing during the current conflict?”
“Our situation at this point is similar to that described in Romans 8:26–27,” Hannah Massad told Voice of the Martyrs Korea CEO Pastor Eric Foley shortly after arriving in the United States from the Middle East. – “This is a time when we do not know what to pray for or how to pray, but the Holy Spirit prays in us and through us, taking away the inner agony and lifting it up to the Heavenly Father. And He responds according to His will and also according to our needs.”
Pastor Massad communicated with Pastor Foley via Zoom, a platform that has become the primary method of communication for members of his congregation, Gaza Baptist Church. This church reaches not only the one hundred Christian families still in the Gaza Strip, but also the one hundred Christian families in the West Bank, as well as the 700 families of Iraqi Christian refugees whom Gaza Baptists have cared for in Jordan since the First World War broke out in 1991. war in the Persian Gulf.
“Last Saturday should not have happened,” Pastor Massad told Pastor Foley, referring to the October 7 Hamas attacks. “Our hearts go out to the Jewish families.”
Pastor Massad told Pastor Foley that he believes Christians in the Gaza Strip and Messianic Jews in Israel have a special role to play during this time: “I pray that God will help us, His followers on both sides, to shine in the midst of the darkness, to reflect Him love and carry His presence with you in these difficult circumstances.”
Pastor Massad told Pastor Foley that his congregation continues to believe the words of Romans 8:28.
“Despite the pain and suffering, we believe that God is the only one who can turn the horrors that are happening into good. Our hearts as Christians are not only directed to our people or the Christian community in the Gaza Strip. When the Lord touches us by His grace, He puts love for the Jewish people in our hearts, even if we are Palestinian Christians.”
Pastor Massad told Pastor Foley that prayer allows his congregation to carry out its mission despite hostility from all sides.
“We live between three fires,” said Pastor Massad. – “Fire from Muslim militants on the one hand, Israel on the other, and on the third hand we, as evangelical Christians, are under pressure from traditional churches [Gaza’s Greek Orthodox and Catholic communities], who are not always happy with who we are and what we do. And the question arises: “How do you manage to practice your faith among these lights? How do you keep bitterness and hatred from controlling your life?”
The Sunday service, which the church held via Zoom on Oct. 8, the day after the Hamas attacks, included not only a 90-minute prayer for those on opposite sides of the conflict, but also the annual remembrance of Rami Ayad. He was one of the church leaders and worked as the manager of a Christian bookstore run by the church until he was martyred at the hands of Islamic militants on October 7, 2007. “If we allow bitterness and hatred to control us, we will become ineffective in the kingdom of God,” Pastor Massad told Pastor Foley. “What has God prepared for us? It’s much better than anything in this world. We don’t want anything to affect our intimate relationship with God.”
Meeting via Zoom limits the intimacy of relationships, so Pastor Massad continues to encourage members to gather in church whenever possible. During his visits, 50 to 60 community members can usually gather.
“They benefit from gathering together in the church building to encourage each other,” says Pastor Massad. “It’s better than being isolated.”
However, some members of the community have now been forced to leave their homes and move to an area near the Greek Orthodox Church. Pastor Massad told Pastor Foley that meeting at the Gaza Baptist Church building was not practical during these days.
“The church is located next to a police station, so it is not safe to meet there,” he said, adding: “There is no safe place in Gaza.” He told Pastor Foley that damage to the church building was minimal so far. “There was broken glass and a broken solar panel,” he said. The pastor suggests that the damage may have increased in recent days, but church members did not check the condition of the building due to the great danger to life.
Pastor Massad says electricity shortages in Gaza are making it harder for some church members to join Zoom calls. “Today we had a Zoom meeting on overcoming trauma. Come to us
a friend who works as a counselor joined in, but some participants were unable to join because there was no electricity, Pastor Massad told Pastor Foley. “As we talk to people, it turns out that their mental health is also a concern.”
Pastor Massad said the church’s connections with Christians outside Gaza are very helpful. In addition to the hundreds of West Bank families who participate in church meetings, the 700 Iraqi refugee families living in Jordan are a constant source of encouragement.
“The Lord brought us together through pain and suffering,” Pastor Massad said.
“That’s the beauty of the Body of Christ, seeing the family of God, how we are connected to each other,” Pastor Massad shared with Pastor Foley. – Realizing that we are part of a larger body, the Body of Christ, is really one of the main things that helps me personally, and perhaps other Christians who sometimes feel alone or isolated. And we continue to be inspired as the Lord brings wonderful brothers and sisters into our lives who inspire hope and encourage us with their compassion and care.”
Source: https://ieshua.org/pastor-edinstvennoj-protestantskoj-tserkvi-v-gaze-my-zhivem-mezh-tryoh-ognej.htm
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