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.