One person at a time:
Field personnel share gospel with Berbers of North Africa
*Editor’s note: Due to security concerns, names of field personnel have been changed and specific locations will not be publicized.
The predominant religion in North Africa is Islam, and it is illegal for a Muslim to convert to another religion. CBF photo
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In the bustling North African market, Jane Moras* walks with purpose. She’s careful to dodge the donkeys carrying large loads, children bounding about after school, and the occasional tourist looking for a bargain. During this hour-long stroll with a few friends, she’ll pass hundreds of people – children with worry-free smiles, older men working in the same food stand they’ve worked their whole adult lives, and women with their heads covered as is the Islamic tradition in this country.
Odds are there are only a handful of people in the market who’ve ever heard the story of Jesus, and one of them is the woman walking beside Moras – her friend Karima. They’ve been friends for years, and in this Islamic country, Karima has heard the gospel in one of the most common ways it’s shared – through relationships with Christians like Moras.
In North Africa – where sharing the gospel in public settings is illegal – Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel like Jane and her husband, Sam, can’t hand out Bibles on a street corner, project the Jesus Film on the side of a neighborhood house, or invite people to attend church. But they can love people.
“We share the lives of people during their struggles, we share the lives of people during their celebrations, and through that we hopefully share God’s love,” Sam said.
In North Africa, very few have heard the story of Jesus Christ and even fewer have responded. CBF photo
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“Jesus helped others with a hands-on approach. We don’t have to pass out Bibles to teach others about Jesus. Our call is to love others, take care of the poor, the needy, the widows, the orphans and to let others see Christ shining through us,” Jane said.
That’s exactly what the Morases do among the Berber people, the original inhabitants of North Africa, who are often nomadic or disconnected from the larger Arab population. For one group of Berber women, the Morases purchased sheep whose wool is providing a much-needed source of income. For homeless children, the Morases partner with an organization that provides food and showers and exchanges clean clothes for dirty. The Morases also give away medicines in rural villages and help ensure people with mobility impairments have wheelchairs.
But ministry doesn’t stop there. Sharing the gospel through meeting human need only goes half way. The Morases believe they must speak the words of Christ.
“How else will they hear?” Jane said. “We hope for opportunities to speak the words of Jesus Christ, to speak of the hope that is within us, and share information whereby people can choose … to receive Christ.”
Often, it takes years of sharing and dialogue before a Muslim will choose to follow Christ. In North Africa, it’s a costly decision. Sometimes Christians lose their job or are shunned by their families. So disgraced by the decision, families will even report their Christian relatives to police since converting from Islam is illegal. The Morases know North Africans who have been imprisoned, beaten or even raped because they have turned from Islam. And yet many stand firm, believing in the depth of their soul that following Christ is something they must do.
As Jane and Sam Moras live and serve in North Africa, they form relationships with North Africans and are able to share the Gospel. CBF photo
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When Hasan first became a Christian, he remembers being so scared. He didn’t know who he could tell, where he could go to find other Christians, but he couldn’t deny that Christ had spoken to him. “Follow Islam or choose to follow me,” he remembers hearing.
Hasan chose Christ and, years later, is part of a secret church for other former Muslims. Each time they meet, they willfully break the law but feel it’s necessary to worship with the only other followers of Christ they know. They meet in homes, changing locations each week as to not be suspected or caught for meeting as Christians. They sing and worship – but they do it quietly. They read the Bible, pray and disciple each other.
The Morases have worked with underground churches like Hasan’s for years. Instead of leading a church themselves, the Morases connect new believers with these indigenous churches, allowing North Africans to disciple, support and lead their own.
“We walk besides them, support them, encourage them, love them and do what they feel is necessary to see their part of the world reached for Christ,” Jane said.
In North Africa, reaching Muslims with the gospel comes one by one. One follower of Christ invests in a friend, loves them and answers questions that friends naturally ask each other – What do you believe? Why aren’t you a Muslim? Will you tell me about Christ?
“If you’re in contact with people, they want to know who you are and they want to know about God,” Sam said. “I can’t even tell you how many times somebody might say to me, ‘I’ve never met a Christian before and I’ve never understood what it is that you really understand and believe.’”
After nearly 10 years of living and building relationships in North Africa, the opportunity to share Christ occurs daily for the Morases. And although it takes years of friendship, love and conversation, North Africans are choosing to follow Christ. It may be only two or three people a year, but the church is growing.
Like other field personnel around the world, the Moras are supported by the CBF Offering for Global Missions, which provides for their salary, ministry and living expenses. Gifts to the Offering enable the Morases to live in North Africa, build friendships and continue sharing Christ’s love in word and deed.
“Without your participation and support for the Offering for Global Missions, the opportunity for these people to hear the Gospel message wouldn’t be there,” Sam said. “We love the people who are around us. We love our friends, and we couldn’t do what we do without the Offering.
“Thank you for your gifts to the Offering. Thank you for helping us embrace the world.”
By CBF Communications