The city of Diyarbakir is situated towards the east of Turkey, with the river Tigris running through it.
To the south-west is Harran, where Abraham stayed on his way from Ur: further to the north-east is Ararat. Today, however, Diyarbakir finds itself on the front line of the conflict between the Kurds and the Turks. For 30 years the insurgency has taken a toll of many thousands of lives.
God at work
In the midst of this God has been working and in 1994 a church came into being in the city, with members from both sides of the political divide. Local pastors, supported by foreign workers, led a growing church until, in 2003, they were able to construct a building within the old city walls.
This place has been a centre of worship and witness, to the glory of God, for the past 13 years. Latterly, the foreign workers were not able to remain, leaving the local pastors alone. But this church was the first to respond to the refugee challenge (later supported by other churches in Turkey and beyond) and they have also been active in planting gospel outreach in other cities in the region.
In 2013 there was a very welcome ceasefire between the government forces and the guerrillas, but in July of last year the ceasefire collapsed, resulting in an escalating cycle of violence. The city has become a war zone.
Signs of stress
For months the church has not been able to meet for worship in its building but has met elsewhere, continuing with both its outreach and refugee work in increasingly difficult times. We understand from a brother who visited them that the believers are showing signs of stress but, by the grace of God, they do not give up
A recent email from someone who keeps in close contact said: ‘A few days back we heard distressing news from our church friends in Diyarbakir. As many of you know they have been undergoing a trial by fire since last summer. Sounds of gunshots and cannons have become commonplace, especially in the walled-in section of the city where the church is located. The government, in its efforts to root out local militias holed up there, have put that part of the city under curfew. Much of that part of town has been destroyed but thankfully our church building survived intact. However, just recently a new edict has been issued that will dramatically affect the church. I asked brother A to write it in his own words, which I’ve translated here: “Dear brethren, I greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As many of you know since June of last year the southeast of Turkey has been racked by ferocious attacks. Especially the city of Sirnak to the east and the walled-in section of Diyarbakir has suffered untold violence. Hundreds of people have died and many more continue to perish. Even though the last couple of weeks have been quiet we are always expectant of further clashes in our city.
Government seizes property
“On top of this the council of ministers of our government has recently issued a surprising edict whereby all property within the city walls of Diyarbakir will be expropriated. Among these properties there are mosques, churches, homes and other historical buildings. Naturally this decision has put people on edge.
“We have also been impacted by this. We have no intent of giving up our church to the government, because our church building is important to us for both spiritual and geographic reasons. Furthermore, it would be next to impossible for us to acquire such a church building again.
“Today we spoke with our lawyer and made a decision as to what course of action we should take. We need to appeal this decision by opening a court case right away. It appears that this will be a long struggle. On account of this we truly need your support spiritually and financially. I believe the Lord will give us the victory for his name’s sake. May the Lord bless you in increasing measure.” ’
Prayer requests
In view of all the above, we ask for fervent prayer. 1) For our brothers in Diyarbakir, as they worship and witness in this distressing situation. 2) For wisdom as they seek to prevent the expropriation of the building; which may well result in its demolition. 3) For the church in Turkey as a whole as it goes through the ‘fire’; on Easter Sunday there were warnings of Isis attacks on churches, thankfully not implemented. 4) For God to intervene and bring peace to the country. 5) For a great advance of the gospel to the glory of the risen Christ.
