Some notes on sharing your faith in Moria & Greece -
1. A non-refugee cannot bring a Bible or any religious material into Moria on penalty of imprisonment. Of course, most of the Christians have it on their phone, LOL. I guess that’s ok as long as we don’t use it while there.
2. We can tell our own faith story or answer questions if asked, but we’ve been implored by EuroRelief to use the Holy Spirit’s guidance and discretion. All NGOs working with refugees ( and many are faith-based) cannot speak of faith matters freely. They can direct folks where to go for answers outside the camps and NGOs if they ask.
3. It is against the law to proselytize a minor in Greece - not just refugees, but Greek citizens. Even if you are a Greek citizen. Minors are off limits for any teaching of faith matters (surely parents are exempt, but I haven’t been able to confirm this). There are many beautiful churches, and I don't doubt that some there have genuine faith, but they don't reach out to refugees. We even heard of a refugee in Athens who had converted to Christianity and was turned down by 26 different Greek Orthodox churches when he asked to be baptized. He finally found his way to a Syrian church.
4. Evangelicals of all kinds are considered a cult. Anyone seen reading a Bible in a coffee shop is assumed to be in a cult. They don’t really read the Bible much in the Greek Orthodox Church. Certainly not outside church.
5. The evangelicals working on Lesvos and the refugees who are believers (including some who have believed since arriving here), all meet together for worship. No denominations. All nationalities. The church is called Oasis. We worshipped there Sunday. It was wonderful! [We all removed shoes on entry and sat on mats. Sitting on a mat for one hour gave me empathy for the refugees who have no chairs. My back was killing me! I’m getting too old for that.]
6. There is also a center outside of camp sponsored by the Greater European Mission (GEM). They are not an NGO, and folks can share freely there. The women on our team worked at this center on Saturday. The center is called “Ephraim” - which stands for fruitfulness in the land of affliction. I think that’s a beautiful and fitting name.
