A SUNDAY CHRONICLED

Every Sunday we walk from the Learning Center to the EET (Eglise Evangelique de Tchad) church. The walk takes about 20 minutes. Services are in French and translated into Arabic, although this particular Sunday the speaker was Arabic and the translation was in French.

The building is made of concrete walls and a concrete ceiling about 10 feet high supported by two rows of 7 pillars which functionally divides the floor space into three sections. Each section contains about 20 benches (no backs) with about 8 to 9 people tightly packed on each bench. The room uncomfortably seats about 500 adults. Everyone comes dressed in their Sunday best included their very pointed shoes, and the beautifully colored dresses and headscarves of the women. There are few children in the service except for babies in arms or tied to the women's backs. Older children meet in another area because of lack of space in the main building.

Love those long pointed dress shoes

 At the front is a raised stage in the center section of the room with a large pulpit and a smaller pulpit for the translator. Pastor, translator, the person leading the service, speaker for the day etc... sit on chairs at the back of the stage. To the right of the stage are chairs where the church Elders sit facing the congregation,  and to the left of the stage is where the 35 or so mixed choir members sit in four rows facing the congregation. A band consisting of one, sometimes two electric guitars, a base guitar, drums, and keyboard face the choir. A sound board sits at the back in the center section and wires run along the floor to he front.

We enter the building from the open double-wide back door. The men go to the right of the sound board to fill the right side and center sections of the church, and the women go to the left and fill the left section of the church. Steel blue shuttered windows are open on both sides of the building and the back of the building, and two more sets of double doors on the right lead to a courtyard and various other buildings used as offices, washrooms, classes. Water jars for drinking are also found in the courtyard.

Band and Choir Abeche Church

 The service begins at 8 AM with the choir and band playing and singing songs. The church is nearly empty but people are slowly strolling in. Most are still talking in the street or in the courtyard and some are just arriving. The choir and band play on until 8:18.

At 8:18 the person who will lead the service announces a song to sing from the song book. Many know the song by heart and others have brought their songbook with them. The choir and band lead us. The church is about 1/3 full. After the song the leader prays. After prayer the leader announces that the choir will lead us in another song. The singing is loud and joyful and all seem to be involved. Some stand and move to the beat. The choir is moving in unison as they lead us. It is 8:30 and the church is now 3/4 full. Another song is led by a soloist joined by the choir and band. Some are standing, swaying to the music, eyes closed, singing and worshiping God.

At 8:38 we are called to Psalm 133.1-3. The leader chooses three groups to read one verse each out loud in French for the rest of the congregation, most who have Bibles open to the passage. Then the leader calls the tribe of the week to the front to sing two songs in their tribal language for us. This is always a delight for me as I turn to Revelation 7.9-12 once again and read of every nation, tribe and people and language standing before the throne of God and crying out loud, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" I believe each tribe will be before the throne of God proclaiming worship to God in their own language and God will be much pleased. This music from the tribes each week reminds me of the unity and diversity of God's people. These once antagonistic tribes are one and love one another in Christ. Only the Gospel of Christ can accomplish such things and unify diversity and make it beautiful. The church is now full with over 500 black adults with a few of us whites sprinkled in. Ushers are trying to fill every open space and the place is jammed full.

At 8:50 something unusual happens. It happens every Sunday. The blue shutters and blue doors are closed and the place becomes dark except for one or two lights that are on. It is time for worship. I have never had this shutting in activity explained to me but speculation is that we are shutting ourselves in with God from the outside world to worship Him. What have we been doing before??? We all stand and the choir and band lead us in worship. The first song is lively and many are swaying to the music. I am clapping. The song leads to a crescendo of prayer and clapping to God. Individuals are in communion with God. Then a second, much softer and slower song is played and sung by the choir to lead us to respond in worship to God.

9:08, the blue shuttered steel windows and blue steel doors are opened and the "worship time" is over. Another song by the choir and band leads to the time for announcements which are too many and too long. First, every visitor present is received by name and their church status is mentioned as converted, baptized, church member. This takes much time each week. After the visitors are mentioned and remain standing a song is sung and then prayer is made for them. This takes almost 15 minutes. Then church announcements are made, which takes another 13 minutes. So almost 1/2 hour of announcements. For me it is long and unnecessary for the most part, but for the Chadians it is part of the church service every week.

It is now 9:37 and time for the offering. The leader reads Matthew 5.23-24 and the band and choir start up with a song that will allow all 500 of us to proceed in an orderly fashion to the front to deposit our offering in the boxes provided. No one stays behind. Most Sundays there are two offerings, one general and the other for construction but this Sunday we only had one. This is a time of great exuberance, dancing as the line proceeds to the front to the tithing box. The women give out high-pitched squeals as yells of joy.

At 9:54 it is time for the preaching. Pastor Ahmat who is the Pastor of the Muslim Background Believer church in Abéché is preaching this morning from Matthew 7.7-11. The leader reads the portion and Pastor Ahmat preaches in Arabic on praying in faith. He only preaches for about 15 minutes. When he finishes there is a low rumble of talking among the people for about a minute. They are not used to such short sermons.

At 10:11 the leader comments on the message and our need to pray "in Christ", in faith, and with perseverance. Then he leads us in a song and a prayer for the message that we heard.

We finish the service off with more announcements giving the offering and attendance statistics of the day, along with prayer requests, and schedules. At 10:25 Pastor Ahmat is called up to give the benediction and the service is over. We are leaving early this week. Last week was communion and we did not leave until after 1:30. For communion church is dismissed and then reconvenes about 15 minutes later for those who are taking communion. A sheet is passed around to record all who took communion that day.

I was also privileged a few weeks back to attend the Muslim Background believer (MBB) church one Sunday. A number who attend here are converts from Islam and the church is completely different. It is much less formal, done on mats as in a Mosque, and more interactive. God has many expressions for the church.

MBB Church in prayer

I love the local church. I believe it is God's means to bring the Gospel of Christ to unbelieving people and to disciple believers to be light and love to their local communities and to the world. So often the church can become self-serving and blinded to its mission. Let us pray and do all we can to bring health and vitality to our local churches. Let us pray for courageous Pastors willing to lead their churches away from self-service and holy-huddles to love the lost. And let us as individuals be willing to pray, sacrifice and serve in the knowledge of what God has done for us in Christ. 2 Corinthians 8.9

After church last Sunday we went to an ice cream shop we heard about and ate real ice cream but this Sunday it was not open. We go as a team for lunch at a popular restaurant called "L'Ombre D'Afrique", The Shadow of Africa. I really enjoy the blendered juice drinks there. Then we head for home and relax Sunday afternoon.

Lunch a L'Ombre D'Afrique. Eating on mats or at tables.

A VISIT WITH THE NOMADS

Shortly after arriving in Abéché our team leader Jill took us for a day trip to visit the Nomads in Tabor Tabor. We traveled about 30 kms out of town by Ruckshaw on a paved road. Camels are particularly important to Nomads and as we approached the Nomad camp we began to see more and more camels grazing.

Camels grazing

The first extended family we visited are now semi-nomadic. They are settled in one place along with some other families but the men will travel with the animals according to the weather, going South in the dry season and then heading back North when the rains return. When they asked me (in Arabic through Jill our team leader) about my wife, and I mentioned that Gloria was still in Canada. They offered to give Gloria a camel saddle so she could travel with them to the South and then come back with them when the rains returned. I thankfully, with a smile, declined the offer on Gloria's behalf. Imagine Gloria traveling on a camel over many dry miles, with no bathroom but the place where you squat, and sleeping under a plastic tarp suspended over a rope bed platform about 2 feet above the ground. Definitely not Ishtar! (Sorry but I did not get a picture of their makeshift tents)

The family compound was fenced with dried branches about 5 feet high, had a main mud hut, another smaller mud hut, and cooking facilities outside.

Mud hut (from another location)

 Here one of the ladies is grinding the millet into flour. We all tried our hand at grinding with the stone. I did not do very well. My millet never seemed to get fully ground. Better leave the work to those who know what they are doing.

Grinding Millet

Young girl pounding garlic (from another location)

Before we entered the compound we went over to where all the men where gathered. They were putting up a fence which was to surround the area where they were going to build their modest mosque. After greetings we went back to the compound and into the hut. We were treated with loving hospitality. After I took a picture of them they insisted that they take a picture of the team with them.

Team with Nomads at Tabor Tabor

Before lunch we went across the paved road to another group of Nomads who had arrived and camped there a couple of weeks before with their herds. The men visited with the men and we were not allowed to go near to or meet the women. The men were gathered together having a community discussion. They gave us warm milk to drink and I had a sip. They also gave us a bowl of sour milk mixed with millet which is popular here. The ladies went to visit the women and were able to read some Scripture to them. I would love to have a picture for you of their colorful clothing, bangles and nose rings.

Milk for the guests

Then we went back to our host family and had lunch with the men in the hut and then made our return trip to Abéché. We were attacked by flying, biting ants as we were leaving and I got bit in the chest. Ouch did that hurt!

Children are precious in God's sight. God blessed me with this young boy who had made a molded mud motorcycle. May the true God show this boy that he is created in the image of God to live for Christ. Pray for the children of Tabor Tabor and that many of the Nomad children will come to know Christ above all else.

Motorcycle molded from mud, mirrors included

 During our time in the hut a number of visitors dropped in. Jill was able to share some short sermons with them from her phone and they in turn transferred these sermons to their phones through "Bluetooth". Jill has a number of videos and sermons and scripture on her phone and tablet for this very purpose. She also has some memory cards for phones which contain scripture and other evangelistic items which she can give or sell to those who are hungry to know more. Praise God for the use of modern technology in promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ. Pray for the Word that has gone out to these Nomads and for more Gospel seeding to take place. Pray that God, the Lord of the Harvest will send men to join the team for long term service to the Nomads in Chad.