ISKANDERUN, Turkey – After the recent earthquakes and aftershocks devastated large areas of Turkey, the country’s churches began to help survivors. Although the quake knocked many church buildings to the ground, the work of the people continued.
Deliveries of supplies still pour in from different Christian organizations to St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Iskanderun.
Can Teymur, President of St. George’s Greek Orthodox Foundation, told CBN News, “We had a really big damage in this area of Turkey and the thing that warmed our heart is that our people in Turkey and also outside of Turkey, they helped immediately. This gave us hope.”
Ninve Lusiya, from the Syriac Christian Women’s Association and the Shai Fund said, “We are trying to gather as much as help we can to the people that survived in the earthquake which are still in need.”
It’s a moving reminder of how different parts of the Church can work together.
“We deliver the stuff to the church,” Lusiya said. “They’re distributing to the people because they know people better than us. We are from Marden. They are in Iskanderun.”
And church unity became a major theme heard by our news team, even in the midst of devastation.
Brian Orme of Global Christian Relief remarked, “It’s amazing. I think that’s – again – one of the encouraging parts, is that churches from different denominations, different backgrounds are coming together like there’s no divide and working together to do what needs to be done. You know the passage, ‘they’ll know us by our love’ – I feel this is exactly what it looks like, the Church being the Church.”
Turk Sat 7’s Senem Ekener came here to document what happened to the Church after the earthquake.
She said, “Many of the church buildings are completely on the ground. They lost, our brothers and sisters, they lost their church buildings, congregations which the Body of Christ actually spread everywhere as we speak. Some of them remain behind to help with the rescue efforts, distributing help, everything they can. And the whole Church in the country has been utilizing help, sending help, sending people to round wherever is in need of help and by praying.”
Ekener found a country in grief and a Church in one accord. “How God is actually showing Himself in people, being Christ to one another as the Body of Christ in unity, amazing unity and just functioning as His Hands, as His Feet reaching out to people. So I’ve been seeing that, I’ve been trying to console,” she said. “Words are not sufficient, of course, and it’s time to just cry with them over their loss and also just be Christ to people – that they’re never alone and we are in this together, because you can’t really detach yourself from what your brothers and sisters and country (are) going through (after) this devastating earthquake.”
St. George’s Church survived. Many did not.
So many churches were destroyed during the earthquake, including one in Iskanderun: St. Nicolas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, built in 1870.
St. George’s Teymur pointed out that “Church is meaningful with people, so the church in itself is just a building, so (if) we want to feel love and be meaningful, we need people.”
Global Christsian relief is in the region to tell the story to a larger Church body, especially in the U.S.
Orme explained, “It is critical, I think, for the church to be involved I think for us it’s one of those things where the media covers this for a short time and then slip away but we’re working to keep it in front of the Church in America. So, it’s not just a short blast of giving and prayer but it’s an ongoing support for the believers and everybody.”
After the earthquake, many looked to the Church.
Lusiya, from the Syriac Church said, “We hear a lot of people just running to the church – not away from it – to ask for help. We’re trying to be able to help people to believe there is another hope to survive to go with this life.” She added, “Christ said He is the New Life. We have to believe in new life, otherwise we cannot go on under this situation, with this depression, with everything going really bad in this country right now, in this area right now.”
CBN News also talked with Tuma Celik, one of only four Christian members of the Turkish parliament.
“And that is actually what is the Christianity gives us,” he said. “Christ told us, ‘Love your neighbor more than yourself.’ That’s why we see, especially among Christians, how do they really help each other, and that really gives me hope for the future.”
Many asked us not to forget the Church in Turkey.
Lusiya called for encouragement. “I want to say to any persons in the world, I would like to ask them really not to lose hope and don’t let us to lose hope. They can always support with prayers. They can always support with just a little bit help. Every little bit helps to just change lives in here and thank you so much.”
Celik offered a plea from a government leader. “Maybe the stones don’t speak. That’s why I need to say, we do need to rebuild those buildings. I do expect from all the world help, especially from Christians, to rebuild our churches, because we need Christianity to go on in Turkey.”
Ekener believes now, more than ever, it’s important to pray for a move of the Holy Spirit.
“They’ve been praying, thank God. But I would ask that they pray that there will be many divine encounters with Jesus. He can reach He doesn’t have to be broadcasted. We all know that,” she said. “He can reach to every human through His Holy Spirit with visions and dreams and indescribable consolations to the human heart. So just pray that people find comfort in God.”
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN