STANDING ON HOLY GROUND PHOTO COURTESY OF WESTON BENNETT
People living as refugees create a global church By Brandon Sipes
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bout halfway between Greece and Germany lies Croatia. When the border passages to the rest of Europe shut, people fleeing violence and persecution found themselves stuck there, stranded between their landing point in Greece and their destination in Germany. And so it is there that they now try to make a life for themselves, many living in old buildings repurposed into refugee camps. The Nazarene church in Zagreb, Croatia, is ministering to individuals and families stuck in that middle space, providing clothing, food, educational programs, assistance with residency, and spiritual support. Two of our main hosts on a recent visit were Mahdi* and Amira, who are refugees themselves. They had arrived in Croatia like the rest, but connected with the Nazarene church at a crucial time. The Scotts, Nazarene missionaries in Croatia, were praying for leaders to connect more deeply with people living as refugees. It turned out Mahdi worked with a Christian ministry previously and had taken coursework for pastoral licensing. When we visited makeshift camps in the old buildings, Mahdi and Amira guided us into many rooms and we spoke with families who told stories that were all too familiar. Some had had to leave behind family members. Some had experienced the loss of loved ones or the pain of not knowing what has happened to them. All had fled violence and persecution.
We had met other residents the night before at a church service held in a storefront in the city. The place was a beautiful mess of activity, with people kindly maneuvering their way through crowded spaces to set up food, prepare music, or just talk with each other. There were several foreign volunteers in the rooms and a few who were local to the Balkan region. The vast majority were refugees. The city seems to be the middle point, a layover in a long journey. But what became clear while we stumbled through multilingual singing in the church service was that this was holy ground. In the midst of songs in six languages, we sang one in English, “No Longer a Slave.” We heard people sing of God’s deliverance from their enemies and the abatement of their fear. We heard those who had been cast about in inflatable rafts, desperate for solid ground, sing about the God who split the sea for their safety. We saw people lifted from a middle ground to holy ground. This country was not the chosen landing place for many living as refugees, and being stuck there feels like a burden. It’s not a life they chose. But at least some have found a healing and a place of rest in our church: a holy ground where they’ve found new life.
*Names are changed for protection and security.
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