Like most churches at the start of the summer holidays, Cornerstone Church Luton (CCL) experienced a few more empty seats than usual during July.
This would not usually be a big matter for prayer. But the members of CCL have been praying for three men who recently disappeared for the whole of July. Their disappearance began in the first week of Ramadan and the church is praying that they will return again when their period of fasting is finished.
Visiting the mosque
CCL is a small, struggling, Bible teaching church which is trying to reach out into a needy town with little sign that its efforts will bear fruit. But the church has been encouraged by the presence of those three men. One of the church’s leaders regularly visits their mosque and a friendship has gradually developed. In return they decided to visit CCL, initially with their imam. According to CCL pastor Graham Nash, they came principally to undermine and rubbish the idea that one God could also be three persons, but the church is just delighted that they keep coming. They normally arrive late to avoid the singing but catch most of the sermon. After the meeting, they stay and chat over a cup of tea with a small group of the church’s men.
A remarkable thing
In the early days they would largely ignore the sermon and launch into many well rehearsed arguments against the Bible and the Trinity. But in the few months leading up to Ramadan a remarkable thing happened as the church’s men countered their arguments and tried to correct their misunderstandings. They started regularly picking up on things mentioned in the preaching and they have been challenged with gospel truth.
Graham Nash said: ‘There are likely to be few churches who are privileged to have three devotedly Muslim friends in the congregation on such a regular basis. As a friend pointed out to me recently, it might even be because we are so small, unprofessional looking and unthreatening that these Muslim men feel so at ease with us!’
The church is praying for their return after Ramadan and is looking to him for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts. Although the men are far from being saved as yet, this unusual friendship between a church and local Muslims is an encouragement to other churches (even smaller ones) to engage with their Muslim neighbours and others the Lord desires to save.
