March 26, 2008

  A long Holy Week  (by Debbie Kelsey)

The only thing I remember about Holy Week when I was a child is Easter Sunday:  no Maundy Thursday, no Good Friday, no hopeless, nameless Saturday.  But, as an adult, I have appreciated worship services on the different days of Holy Week.

Some of the weekly Sunday services we have attended in Italy have made me think about this phenomenon of Easter Sunday with no Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.  I do not mean to be critical of these churches.  We need to experience often the joy of Easter.  And I understand that it is healthy for people who feel oppressed Monday through Saturday to celebrate, as children of the King, on Sunday morning.  Believe me, they know how to celebrate! 

But, as I get to know these congregations, I wonder how to encourage them to make space within their church life to talk about the crucifixions in their individual lives, dreams that have died and any cold dark caves in which they find themselves. 

Take last Sunday, for example.  We worshiped with a Ghanaian Baptist congregation of almost 200 people.  There was lively music, and men and women took turns dancing in a circle in front of the congregation.  Clearly, people were praising the Lord. 

Even as announcements were made and as the choir shared a song, there was a sense that the congregation was engaged in a celebratory dialogue.  They were not being entertained; they were worshiping.  Then, later in the service, Jim and I were asked to tell the people about our work in Italy .

As I expressed my appreciation for the joyous worship that day, there was clapping and smiling.  But when I said: “”We all know that here in Italy many of our sisters are being used in the streets,” a hush fell over the congregation, and the eyes of the women fell toward the floor.  Apparently this statement spoke to the experience of immigrant women in Italy .  Whether they have worked in prostitution or not, these are women who know Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and hopeless, nameless Saturday, but who have few if any places to talk about it. 

Praise and Worship - Perugia

A pastor in another church affirmed the need for churches to address the women’s situation in redemptive ways.  He talked about the need for rehabilitation and suggested that one way to begin to address the problem is to begin to teach women their value.  The director of an Italian Christian refugee and immigration assistance agency talked about the need to teach women in prostitution to speak Italian so that they can get other jobs.  Both of these teaching settings can become places where women can talk.

Pray for us as these ideas percolate in our heads:

- teaching women their value is celebrating Easter.  We will develop Bible studies which I can use in women’s groups to help them explore their God-given value.  This will include a discussion of the place of resurrection in the lives of each of us.

- learning Italian can seem to be a hopeless, nameless Saturday for women who can only study a few hours a week.  Language-learning takes hard work.  It requires that we make ourselves vulnerable to making mistakes and feeling at times that we will never be able to express ourselves in Italian.  It will require the loving sacrifice of time from Italian volunteers.  It will not be easy, but it is a cornerstone of building a new life in Italy .

- places where women can talk will sometimes be dark Good Fridays.  These ongoing support groups, whether formal or informal, could evolve out of Bible study groups and Italian classes.  Individuals in local churches must also be trained to support these women on an ongoing basis. 

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, unspeakable Saturday - Easter is coming!  The Lord is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Hallelujah!

Please join us in thanking God for:

- strong new friendships for Luke and Ben.

- the encouraging progress of Jim’s mom in the rehabilitation center.

- our brothers and sisters from many countries who help us to glimpse the Kingdom of God . 

Happy Easter!

Debbie (along with Jim, Luke and Ben) Kelsey