A Gathering in Turkey

November 10 - 19, 2011

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Mission Coworkers from Europe and Central Asia gathered in Antalya, Turkey for a retreat led by staff from the World Missions office of the General Assembly Mission Council headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Thirty people gathered for worship, fellowship, and presentations. The theme of the retreat was “Refresh, Renew, and Proclaim.” Dr. Darrell Guder, Henry Winters Luce Professor of the Theology of Mission and Ecumenics and Dean of Academic Affairs at Princeton Theological Seminary led four sessions entitled “Proclaiming the Gospel in Europe in a milieu of ethnic diversity, religious pluralism, and secularism.” The participants read three articles by Dr. Andrew F. Walls from “The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission and Appropriation of Faith” prior to the event as a foundation for Dr. Guder’s presentations. His presentations were very thought provoking and generated a lot of conversation.

In addition to “reflecting” on Dr. Guder’s presentations, we had time for “renewal” through worship and fellowship. We had daily Bible studies and attended worship in local congregations on Sunday. Half of us attended an English service for expats living, working, and visiting Turkey. The other half of the group attended a Turkish service at which Dr. Guder preached, in German with translation. I was privileged to plan and help in the leadership of our closing worship service which included the Lord’s Supper. We also had some free time to enjoy the beauty of Antalya and the Mediterranean Sea, at least when it wasn’t raining. Our Mission Coworkers in Turkey were gracious hosts and prepared a cultural day for us when we were able to visit many of the ancient sites of Turkey including Perge. Sadly it rained all day but it was a great experience led by a local guide.

We also had time to attend to business matters related to our service with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We went over our World Missions Strategic Directions, received training about our new process in funds development, and reviewed policies related security, sexual misconduct and other policies of the PCUSA. One of the most interesting components of our time together were presentations given by each mission coworker regarding their ministry It was really interesting to hear the diversity of our ministries and our various settings.

We packed a lot into a brief time. It was a great time of renewal and reflection which will enable us to be more effective in our proclamation. Following the Retreat a few of us took the opportunity to explore Istanbul for a few days. It has been a long time since I had travelled in a predominantly Muslim country and it was a great experience. In addition to experiencing some of the wonders of the world, like the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Topkapi Palace (home of many of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire), I was reminded of the incredible diversity of our world both religiously and culturally. People often comment on how friendly the Turkish people are and I found it to be true. It was a great experience!

Karen R. Moritz