Church

My parents would be proud that I found a church to go to on Sunday morning, my siblings would be more proud that I went to a good lunch spot after.

Two other students and I went to an Episcopal Church on Sunday morning. The service was in Arabic. However, since the Anglican Church is liturgical and English bulletins were provided, I could slightly follow along. I had no clue what the sermon was about though, but that is okay. I have only been in Jordan for two weeks, so there is time for my Arabic to improve.

After the service, there was time for coffee and snacks (My Church in Hinton will be very impressed by that). The congregation was quite welcoming and very kind to three obvious foreigners. That is also just a reflection of Arab culture. Locals have been wonderful hosts to me so far. Proof of that has come from needing to go into a neighbours yard to retrieve a volleyball and then being asked to come over for coffee some time. A much larger example would be being able to attend a Church in predominantly Muslim area.

Christians make up a very small population of Jordan, but they are generally treated quite respectfully. That was made evident when I was talking to a Christian about her experience growing up in Jordan. She said that she has never felt religiously discriminated in Jordan. Many of her friends are Muslim. She would invite her friends to come over for festivals and holidays such as Christmas. Her friends would repay the favour by inviting her over for Islamic celebrations.

And this is just one discussion I have had. Therefore, I am not going to draw conclusions about Christians living in Jordan after talking to one person. However, I can say that I have felt incredibly comfortable so far talking about faith with locals. That makes me excited to continue this semester learning about how faith shapes people’s lives.