A letter from Sadegh Sepehri serving in Germany
May 2015 - Annual Ministry Update, 2014
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:35-38).
Conference participants in Greece
Members of the Iranian Church dancing on Chaharshanbe Suri, the night before the Iranian New Year Celebration of Norooz
A youth from the church jumping over fires on Chaharshanbe Suri
Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell (far right) during his visit to Berlin. From left to right, mission co-workers Alan Smith, Alethia White, and Aziz Sadaghiani
Rev. Ryan White preaching while Rev. Sepehri translates to Farsi
Praise the Lord that even though there is great persecution and pressure upon Christians everywhere, by the grace of God Christian communities are growing every day both in the churches and home churches (underground church). We have seen this in Berlin as well as in Athens and other parts of the world. There are people who have left their home and family and are hopelessly wandering in the streets, looking for home or a place of rest! We try to invite them and listen to them and tell them they don’t need to worry because God loves them. We invite them to our Bible study classes and Sunday worship, and after a few weeks we see hope on their faces and smiles on their lips. When we ask them what has happened they answer, “After we came to the church and listened to God’s Word and received prayer we found peace and our depression has gone because we feel that God is with us and will save us from this situation.”
In 2013 the Iranian Presbyterian Church in Berlin hosted a conference in Berlin, Germany, for Iranian and Afghani refugees. This conference was a great success and well received by the refugees as it provided both a time of physical rest and spiritual nourishment. This past year as we thought of organizing another conference our attention was drawn to the situation of refugees in Greece. The refugees in Greece do not receive as much support and many are living in worse situations than those in Germany, so we decided a conference would be more beneficial near Athens. Our hope was to create a time of rest and fellowship with opportunity to share the gospel.
I initiated planning by creating a budget and soliciting fund-raising support. Upon receiving initial funding, Presbyterian mission co-worker Mr. Aziz Sadaghiani and I traveled to Athens to search for an appropriate location and discuss the conference with our friend Hamid, who has a Persian home church in Athens.
At the conference we had the opportunity to sit with people and listen to their stories. Each day we began with breakfast, followed by worship and prayer. Following morning worship we had two teaching sections separated by a rest time midday. The teaching focused on the effect of sin in our lives with an emphasis on the hope we find in Jesus as proclaimed in the Word of God. I provided the main teaching, with time for Aziz to share with people and listen to their individual immigration situations. Hamid and Rev. Ryan White, one of our new Presbyterian mission co-workers, spoke during the morning worship time.
Everyone was very happy and at the conclusion of the conference many expressed their thanks for the time of rest and hearing God’s Word. Most people shared that they felt strengthened both spiritually and physically. Some of their testimonies and words are given below:
• After the conference God inspired me to do the same things our Christian brothers have done for me. I’d like to be an encourager for those in need. (Brother D from Iran)
• I had so much stress before the conference. Taking care of my little daughter without her mother is difficult and I desperately needed rest. God heard my cry and gave me and my daughter such a wonderful opportunity to be in this conference. (Brother M from Afghanistan)
• This was the best trip I have ever had in my life. It was so sweet and full of love. (Brother M from Iran)
• During these three days I forgot about all of my difficulties in Athens. I was so happy. And I wish that other brothers could also join with us. (Brother R from Iran)
• When Rev. Sepehri prayed for my wife in Iran (who is a Muslim), something amazing happened. My wife called me from Iran at that very moment! And I saw the change of her attitude toward Christianity. It was a miracle of God. (Brother S from Iran)
• I enjoyed it so much. I wish I could stay longer. (A teenage girl from Afghanistan)
We are happy that the Word of God had an impact on their hearts that was evident by the mix of joy and sadness seen on the faces of the people as the conference ended. We are prayerful that God’s Word will continue to take root in the lives of the refugees and hopeful for future opportunities to partner in ministry in Athens.
The main activities of the church in Berlin were regular Sunday worship, where communion was celebrated once a month, and Bible Study/New Member classes. Throughout 2014 new people have come to the church and joined the community. Most of the people attended the New Member class for a period, where they learned the structure of the Bible and what it says in a condensed form along with the basic elements of Christianity. Many of these people come from a Muslim background and have questions about the difference between Christianity and Islam. It is always our privilege to be able to share the love of Jesus with them and the truth we find through him. Over the course of 2014 approximately 10 people were baptized and welcomed into the community of faith.
Outside of our regular worship some of the highlights from the year came during our special community gatherings. For Norooz (the Iranian New Year celebration on March 21) and Christmas we held special celebrations at the church for the church family. The Norooz celebration actually begins on the last Tuesday night before March 21, called Chaharshanbe Suri, when Iranians gather together to say goodbye to the previous year and look ahead to the upcoming year. One key element to this evening is the traditional jumping over small fires, taken from the Zoroastrian tradition. The red of the fire (suri) symbolizes the hope for good health in the new year. On the day of Norooz we gathered as a church community and shared wonderful Iranian food and celebrated Iranian culture and the coming of the new year. For many of the refugees these celebrations of traditional Iranian holidays are a way to stay connected with their cultural heritage.
For Christmas we also held a special gathering for members of the community following the worship service on the 4th Sunday of Advent. Again we celebrated with Iranian food and good fellowship. There is also another Iranian holiday near Christmas, Yalda, which is celebrated on December 21, the longest night of the year. Traditionally Iranians celebrate the coming of the sun, which we as Christians celebrate as the coming of Jesus, the Son of God. One theme of Yalda is humor, as a way to lighten the mood of the longest night of the year. For our celebration we enjoyed some humorous games and a skit by Rev. Ryan and his father. Toward the end of the evening Baba Noel (Father Noel) visited and presented gifts to the children. The adults continued to enjoy the evening with dancing late into the night.
Beyond these two community celebrations we also gathered together throughout the year for fellowship and fun together. These events were organized by my wife and consisted of picnics in the church garden and a local park, a day for the women to visit the Botanical Gardens in Berlin, and sharing Iranian food together both at the church and local restaurants. Through these fellowship events it was evident that the community grew closer together and felt more like a family to one another.
In May we had two very special events, a joint worship service with our host German congregation and a visit by the Director of World Mission, Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell. We are deeply grateful to the generosity and hospitality shown us by the Bethlehem Church community and it was a unique time to worship together. We sang songs in German and Farsi and Rev. Ryan preached in English while I translated in Farsi.
We recognize it is a rare and special opportunity to host a visit from Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell and we were blessed by his time with us. He was able to tour a refugee camp with our social worker, Mr. Aziz Sadaghiani, and join us for a worship service with the church community. We want to extend a special thank you to him for arranging his travels so that he could visit with us.
It has been a big year of adjustment for our new colleagues, Presbyterian mission co-workers Rev. Ryan and Alethia White and their daughter, Ariella, with the challenge of settling into the city and learning two languages and cultures, but we are happy to have them working alongside us. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to become more deeply involved in this ministry.
We are thankful for all the work God has done in 2014 and for the honor to be part of this work in Berlin and abroad. As we look to the next year we pray that we can continue to show the love and hope we find in Jesus to the refugees coming from Afghanistan and Iran. We also thank all the U.S. congregations and supporters for your prayers and gifts that make this ministry possible. Together we are sharing Jesus’ compassion for those who are harassed by offering hospitality to the refugees.
With thankfulness and hope,
Rev. Sadegh Sepehri
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 328
Read more about Sadegh Sepehri's ministry
Write to Sadegh Sepehri
Individuals: Give online to E200402 for Sadegh Sepehri's sending and support
Congregations: Give to D550175 for Sadegh Sepehri's sending and support
