Guest User
A Halal Christmas

A network member writes about a Christmas time when they invited a group of Muslims to their home.

A Halal Christmas
FAQs
Mahabba Network
Can I give Christmas presents to Muslim friends?

Some helpful responses to an important question, this Christmas season.

Can I give Christmas presents to Muslim friends?
Guest User
Why should we love all Muslims?

What do you picture in your mind when you think of Muslims in the UK? Whatever the image in your mind, God tells us to love all Muslims! But what does that look like in practice?

Why should we love all Muslims?
Guest User
Hallowe’en in the English Conversation class

Many churches with Muslim communities on their doorstep offer English language classes or English Conversation groups and find that these activities open the door to engaging with their neighbours. Find out how to use Halloween topics as a springboard to talking about Jesus.

Hallowe’en in the English Conversation class
Network update
Mahabba Network
Ramadan - A time for opportunities

The Islamic month of Ramadan runs from 10 March to 8 April this year (2024). Ramadan is a great time to start conversations with Muslim friends and colleagues and to focus on praying for Muslims in our local community and across the UK. These next few weeks are full of opportunities!

Ramadan - A time for opportunities

Lovefast

Lovefast 13: Fractured Families: 'young, black and Muslim'

Image Flickr

Image Flickr

Day 13 of 30

By Ted from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him....”
— Acts 8:31

Thought for the day

Fractured Families: 'young, black and Muslim'

I was totally wrong-footed. It was 1990. I was visiting a Baptist Church in London to talk about the work I was doing among Muslims in Africa. I expected to explain what Islam was and how it conflicts with the message of the Gospel.

“My son has become a Muslim,” said one middle-aged lady, clearly working hard to keep from showing her emotions. “So has mine,” said another. For them, Islam was not something distant. It was a stressful part of their family lives.

This church was almost entirely made up of Afro-Caribbean people. It was led by a fine young pastor in his 30s, but otherwise there were no young men. Migration causes enormous stresses especially where there is a strong racial divide. So often, it is the children of respectable migrants who cannot find their way. Many drift into gang culture and crime. In this particular case, for many young men the first step for getting order back into their lives was to embrace an Islamic identity that made sense of the feeling that they did not belong. For some it was a phase, for others it was a beginning. This continues to be a live issue.

Prayer for the day

Pray for young black men - often of Afro-Caribbean descent, many of whom are becoming Muslim in prisons and in wider society. Pray for the witness of Black 'diaspora' Churches, and that they will be able to share in mission, and Mahabba love, especially to young black Muslims.

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

"In the last two decades, Islam has arguably become the fastest growing religion among Black people in Britain." Richard Reddie (author of Black Muslims)

Watch this YouTube video by Richard Reddie about black converts to Islam.

Read this article in the Guardian

and if you want to go deeper. read this NPR article 'Muslim Twoness'

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 12: Woman to Woman; Heart to Heart

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 12 of 30

By Phil from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet ...... She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”
— Proverbs 31:20-21,26

Thought for the day

Woman to Woman; Heart to Heart

Women’s Interfaith engagements provide unique opportunities for sharing memories, hopes, dreams, and longings for future goodness. In a Northern UK city, Christian women and South Asian Muslim women, and their daughters, gather together frequently, building strong relationships and support networks that go beyond faith tradition and family ties. Recently, with some simple creative writing, discussion, and workshop tasks, this group completed a 6-week journey together into the world of the Bronte sisters and back into their own century, exploring the Bronte story in a new, modern light. Discovering similarities and differences for creative women then and now brought out deep insights, probing the creativity in each woman and her daughter and within the gathered group. Visiting the Bronte Museum and contributing to an original play, I Am No Bird, written by the creative host, Sophia Hatfield, formed essential aspects of this journey. Capping the journey by watching the film, Walking Invisible, together set the stage for almost two hours of authentic and vulnerable sharing. All gathered felt the presence of godly wisdom and grace through and to one another.

Prayer for the day

We thank you, Great God in Heaven, Creator of all life and peoples, for bringing together Christian and Muslim women in authentic friendship and creative pursuits. We ask You to continue inspiring women to come together, dream together, and work together for peace and care within communities across this great nation. Pull down all barriers, lead women to form bridges and pathways for one another and their daughters – to “walk together, visible”, visibly bringing godliness, peace, encouragement, and joy while forming spaces in which others can thrive.

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

If you are a girl or woman, become involved in grassroots interfaith endeavours. If there aren’t creative initiatives around you, consider how God might inspire and lead you to form them. Support the interfaith endeavours of women in your area and city. Shine the light on how the relationships that women share provide safe spaces, not only for themselves, but for their communities and the good of the city.

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 11: Arab Women - finding true freedom

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 11 of 30

As told anonymously to Gillie from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
— John 8:36

Thought for the day

Arab Women: finding true freedom

I have been privileged to get to know many Arab Muslim women both in the UK and overseas over the last 18 years but my first Muslim friend, Samira, was a lady from Saudi Arabia whose husband was studying in Edinburgh. I was studying Arabic and she wanted to learn English so we agreed to practise on each other. I was the first British person that she had connected with even though she had been in the country for several months and it was a fascinating cultural experience for both of us.

She used to feed me huge meals of rice and chicken at three in the afternoon, and we would sit on the floor together with her children, eating with our hands as she told me about her life in Saudi. I invited her out for coffee and discovered that she had never been in a coffee shop before. Every outing turned into a journey of discovery and we turned a few heads as we shopped together in Edinburgh, me in my standard student attire and Samira in her black burqa.

The thing I remember most about Samira was her fascination for all things Western, and her desire to know more about a life that was so different from her own. She was searching for freedom and hoped to find it in Western society. I hope I sowed a few seeds of the gospel and the liberty that Jesus offers us in the time we spent together, although at the time she was more interested in the freedoms that living in Britain gave her. Let’s pray for Muslim women that are seeking freedom to find it in the only One that can truly release us from all our burdens.

Prayer for the day

Father we thank you that you offer us your free gift of salvation. We pray for Muslim women all over the world that their eyes would be opened to the truth of who You are and that they would find the true freedom offered through Jesus Christ.

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Initiate a conversation today with someone from a different culture. Ask them about their home country and enjoy listening to their stories.

NB if social distancing is in force then it can be over the garden face (6ft distance), by text, mobile, Facebook, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Skype. Let’s use our imaginations.....

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 10: Minorities - The Daudi Bohra

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 10 of 30

By Ted Bearup from Mahabba’s team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”
— John 17:15-16

Thought for the day

Minorities - The Daudi Bohra

Have you ever felt you were in a minority? A misunderstood, misrepresented minority? You are not the only one.

The Shi’ites are a minority in the Muslim world and the Daudi Bohras are a minority among the Shi’ites. Like all such minorities they have the satisfaction of knowing that they are the ones that are right, of course, and being of the faithful few is key to their identity.

In the UK, they are a small group, maybe 6000 in number, and most have roots in India but came to UK via East Africa. They are usually prosperous and highly educated with strong sense of community.

Mohammad is a bright young man, pursuing doctoral studies. He has family members all over the world; they are highly mobile and professional yet maintain their connections across the miles.

Mohammad has always known he is in the minority; the more so now that he follows Christ.

Prayer for the day

"If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is 'thank you' that would suffice." - Meister Eckhart

Give Thanks for Muslim minorities in UK; for the opportunity to interact with them, for all they contribute to our society; for what we can learn from them and our faith that we can share with them .....

Why not find a prayer quote that inspires you and share it with us in Mahabba

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Read this article on the man who blesses Scottish Salmon! 

Watch this video of a Daudi Bohra's event in "Noor Masjid" in Levenshulme, Manchester. Dawoodi Bohras hold Interfaith celebration in Manchester (9 December 2017)

Have you ever attended an Interfaith or Civic event like this? Tell us about it

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 9: Ahmadiyyas - Islam's 'JWs'

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 9 of 30

By ABC (Applied Biblical Christianity)

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
— Matthew 11: 28, 29

Thought for the day

Ahmadiyyas - Islam's 'JWs'

Blog written by ABC (Applied Biblical Christianity) aboutabc.org

The Ahmadiyya Muslims are named after Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad who started the movement in 1889 in India. The followers are also known as Ahmadis.

Today they have grown to an estimated 10 million in over 200 countries. Most orthodox Muslims consider the Ahmadiyyas to be a 'sect' like Christians do with JWs. They have numerous aspects in common with the Jehovah Witnesses, such as central leadership, tight rules for members, expected to take an active part in the community, called to share their faith, not accepted by other Muslims.

Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad claimed to have been the promised Messiah through a spiritual second-coming of Jesus. This and many other of their unique teachings are explained and questioned from a Christian perspective in an evangelistic way at: christianityexplained.net/Ahmadiyyas/

Ahmadis are very open to discussions with people of other faiths. They like taking part in “Meetings for Better Understanding” (MBU) initiated by Christians. God is at work among them and some have become Christians: e.g. Nabel Quereshi (nabeelqureshi.com) and Foozie (youtube.com/watch?v=LWqHxEaUXyk&t=23s).

Someone who prays for Muslims encouraged us:

In a vision I saw you drilling holes in the foundation of the mosque. One day it suddenly collapsed! Keep on drilling by sharing the Good News with these precious people. Your work is not in vain!

Prayer for the day

Lord we ask that through the Meetings for Better Understanding taking place across this country your light would shine on the hearts of people from an Ahmadiyya background.

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Find out more about Ahmadiyya's here and read about MBUs here. And think and pray about starting them in your area.

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 8: Reading Holy Books

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 8 of 30

By Phil Goodchild from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
— Hebrews 4:12

Thought for the day

Reading Holy Books

‘Let’s meet together and see what our Holy Books have to say about God, us and everything.’ From this starting point, several groups of Muslims and Christians around the UK are looking at what the Bible and the Quran have to say, without anyone ‘interpreting’ the words, just letting the text speak for itself. The important questions are, ‘What does this tell us about God, what does it tell us about people and what am I going to do about it?'

Our little group of women, half Christian and half Muslim, have enjoyed getting to know each other. A couple of the Christian women had never really met a Muslim, and for some of the Muslim women it was the first time they had met a real follower of Jesus. It has been a great joy to see ladies who have only just met sharing deeply about their joys and their difficulties, and then discussing together what we learned about God from the stories of Jonah, Joseph and Noah. We have talked, among other things, about what it means to trust God in difficult circumstances, being obedient to God, and the power of forgiveness in families.

Another group was looking at the story of the calming of the storm. In retelling the story a young Muslim lady referred to Jesus as ‘this man.’ How poignant – at the end of the story the disciples say ‘What manner of man is this?’ As she and others read more of ‘this man’ may they come to see who he is.

Prayer for the day

Pray that as Muslims read the Bible they would meet Jesus, the living Word of God.

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

  1. Find out about Holy Book Club or Prophets stories

  2. Here is an example of text from Quran and Bible that people have looked at together

  3. Or simply ask a Muslim friend if they would like to read the Bible with you and pray together

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 7: Muslim missionaries

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 7 of 30

By Ted Bearup from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.”
— Mark 6:6-7

Thought for the day

Muslim missionaries

Ask around and you will find key people active in churches who did some short-term mission in the past. In the 1960s, Operation Mobilisation and Youth With A Mission led the way getting young people into radical mission trips. Before that, short-term missions were just not thought of. But these were not the first.

Back in 1926, a short-term mission was founded in India. It is called the Tablighi Jamaat and is an Islamic movement, the biggest mission in the world today. The HQ for Europe is in Dewsbury. TJ calls nominal Muslims to an engaged and missional life style. It is extraordinarily low-tec. No social media, no publicity, no audio-visuals, just face to face contact.

Many British Muslims, mainly men but also women, have been on short mission trips. There is something about setting aside the norms of daily life to put into practice the things you have always believed with a motivated group. When it comes to doing getting mission done, our minds tend to turn very quickly to tools, media and technology. Those things are good, but more can be achieved with a simple message, a clear intention and face-to-face contact than we realise.

Prayer for the day

“Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.” Edward McKendree Bounds

Pray for those who spread their message of submission with zeal and passion. Pray that they too may encounter Isa al Massih in a dream or vision and seek to follow Him with a new zeal and passion.

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Read this article on Tablighi Jemaat: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/sep/08/religion-islam-tablighi-jamaat. Islam is also a missionary faith so if you see a Muslim missionary be prepared to engage with them relationally with "a simple message, a clear intention and face-to-face contact."

Remember the mnemonic: ISLAM = 'I Sincerely Love All Muslims'

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 6: "Watch out for Wahabis"

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 6 of 30

By Ted Bearup from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:16

Thought for the day

"Watch out for Wahabis"

We have ten mosques or more where I live, but if I talk to my Muslim friends about mosques they say “Watch out for that one. They are Wahabis.” The guys who meet there reject the title and call themselves Salafis. They are the guys who reject centuries of Islamic scholarship and say real Islam is only to be found amongst the very first Muslims. Others have added or taken away stuff, they say, you have to get back to the founders.

Such talk sounds scary. Didn’t it all start with war and barbarity? The imam of that mosque is someone I regard as a friend. I don’t see him very often but when I do, it is always a pleasure. He appreciates the freedom he has in the West and denounces terrorism at every opportunity.

Many years ago, I led a Wahabi to Christ. He had left the ways of his fathers and joined the Wahabis in search of truth. What he read in the Quran prompted him to read the Bible and came to Christ. Already used to verbal abuse, rejection and persecution, he was a great help to other believers. Let's watch out for Wahabis.

Prayer for the day

Help us Lord to watch out for these who would do harm and to pray for our enemies; Help us to watch and pray that we do not enter into similar temptations to judge others and Help us watch out for one another in Love... that we would all be able to follow you as disciples...

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen.

Prayer of Saint Richard of Chichester

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Find out about the mosques in your area - Choose one ... See if they have a website. Get their address. Go and have a look-see. Pray for those who are praying there. Be friendly. See if you can start a conversation with someone who attends. Take it from there.....
https://www.visitmymosque.org/find-my-mosque/
https://www.halaltrip.com/find-mosques-near-me/
https://mosques.muslimsinbritain.org

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 5: Ultra Islam

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 5 of 30

By Steve Bell from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples…who he took as prisoners…As he neared Damascus…suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”. Saul asked, “Who are you Lord?”; “I am Jesus who you are persecuting.”
— Acts 9:1-5

Thought for the day

Ultra Islam

‘Wahabbism’ is an Islamic ‘movement’ that was founded by the Saudi Qur’anic scholar, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It is an ultra-conservative doctrine, which is puritanical and often linked with Islamist ideology.

The Wahabbi movement has a disproportionate influence. This is due to the fact that it is endorsed by the Saudi royal family as the religion of state. Oil-money is made available to propagate this strict form of Islam worldwide; this includes scholarships for Muslims to study in Saudi Arabia, funding for the worldwide building of mosques, subsidising of the publication of the Qur’an, funding Muslim missionaries and propagation of literature and online material. There is also a lot of evidence of Wahabbi influence in the more devout and radical elements of the Muslim community in Britain, which it is propagated by assertive Muslims.

Wahabbi doctrine is a significant driver, which is causing the internet-savvy younger generation of Muslims to reject it. They see it as ‘backward-looking’, which aspires to return to a perceived ‘golden age’ of Islam, rather than being relevant to the present and future.

Prayer for the day

‘Father, thank you for your authority in the spiritual realm and that you are at work at the heart of human movements and ideology, such as Wahabbism. We recognise your loving interest in the most strident of religionists and ask you to intervene in the hearts and minds of the most prominent Sheikhs, Mullahs, Imams and speakers. Do among them, what you did for Saul of Tarsus we pray. In Jesus’ name we pray. – AMEN

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Research and read more on Wahhabism in UK. For example, this article from 2017 https://www.theweek.co.uk/87832/wahhabism-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter. Check in your own heart and mind, whether you are ‘in faith’ (or not) that God is both able and willing to arrest radical Muslims as he did Saul of Tarsus.

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 4: Ebb & flow

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 4 of 30

By Steve Bell from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the [Nubian] woman he had married: for he had married a [Nubian] woman.”
— Numbers 12:1

Thought for the day

Ebb & flow

As well as ‘movements’ of Muslims who choose to follow Christ, God is involved in the social movements of Muslim communities.

A classic example is the ‘ebb’ and ‘flow’ of the gospel history of this tall and slender Nubian people.

Things ‘flowed’ when Nubians embraced Christianity to form one of the early African churches.

Things ‘ebbed’ after the arrival of Islam, which caused Nubian Christians to shrink to just 1% of the 2 million-strong people group today.

Things ‘flowed’ (a little) as some explore Sufism in search of a personal experience of God, making them more receptive to the gospel.

Things have ‘ebbed’ again as thousands of Nubians seek work in the Gulf States to help provide for their families back home, become exposed to ultra-conservative Wahhabi Islam, making them more resistant to the good news about Jesus.

Prayer for the day

Father, thank you for your unseen involvement with Nubians throughout their history. While some are racist against them, they are still a nation on your heart. Cause them to be on the heart of others. As their lives are intertwined with the people of Upper Egypt, please call Egyptian believers to reach out to them. Although fewer Nubians come to Britain, would you follow them when in diaspora in the Middle East and also in the territory of Nubia. Amen

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Check out Nubians in the book Operation World or equivalent or else online. What was Nubia called in Bible times and see if there are any promises which include them.

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 3: Influential Muslims

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 3 of 30

By Ted Bearup from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
— John 17:3

Thought for the day

Influential Muslims

Each year, a body with Jordanian royal sponsorship publishes a list of the most influential 500 Muslims and ranks them in order, ‘Top of the Pops’ style. The top 20 positions are dominated by kings, presidents and heads Islamic bodies numbering millions, but in among them, at number 9 in the world, is the director of a school in Yemen.

His name is Habib Umar bin Hafiz. His school attracts people in from all over the world to learn Sufi Islam. Habib Umar and his associates reach out across the world via the internet. I know a band of his followers who meet weekly in a large room over the dry cleaners ten minutes’ walk from my home.

They meet each week to recite a liturgy that celebrates the birth of Muhammad, to sing and to eat together. They seek to raise their awareness of God through meditation and recitation. They are part of a lively and growing network across the UK, seeking a deeper life. Pray for these men and women as they search after God that they might find him.

Prayer for the day

I am in the House of Mercy, and my heart is a place of prayer - Jelaluddin Rumi


A person is where their heart is…so be sure to place your heart accordingly - Habib Umar bin Hafiz


Pray for Sufis, men and women, as they search after God that they might find him, perhaps in a way they did not quite expect…

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Read up about Sufis - you can read about Habib Umar here (http://www.ghazali.se/artiklar/personligheter-i-islam/shaykh-al-habib-umar-bin-hafiz/) including his direct line from the prophet (his religious pedigree)
Watch this video on many shades of Islam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KmlI0bb_H4

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 2: Windmills of our minds

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 2 of 30

By Phil Simpson from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.”
— Psalm 149:3-4

Thought for the day

Windmills of our minds

One part of the Turkish community in Britain is in exile due to the political situation in the country. Muslims, many of them have a Sufi influence on their faith with its emphasis on seeking a deeper spiritual awareness of God. People are keen on questioning and this includes seeking after greater knowledge from the Christian Bible. While we have much in common, seeing Jesus as the source of salvation is a fundamental point of difference to discuss.

Our group has met many times during the last two years to discuss the lives of prophets, consider issues of concern such as 'fasting', 'hospitality', 'education' using passages from the Bible and the Qur'an. We are not theologians, so we all share from our understanding and experiences. As a result we have had some deep discussions about difficult issues and all of us have learnt a lot. Turkish / Middle Eastern culture brings fresh perspectives on biblical passages and meaning. Christians bring a fresh expression of God as merciful and in essence love.

Recently, friends from another town have joined us and if we grow much larger we will have to split into smaller groups!

Alongside our monthly meetings we join together to share in each other's festivals. They have given us opportunities to explain more about the significance of Christmas and Easter, as well as learning about Ramadan and Eid.

Prayer for the day

Pray for Turkish people uprooted and now living in the UK and for the situation in Turkey especially the social stress due to the conflict in Syria. Give thanks to God that so many want to engage in the community and want to learn and share their experiences. Pray for Christians to be welcoming towards others.

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Look for further opportunities for meeting others to discuss faith issues and for Jesus to be revealed through Scripture.

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 1: People movements

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 1 of 30

By Steve Bell from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“Jesus called [his disciples] over to him and began to speak in parables: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand”
— Mark 3:23-25

Thought for the day

God moves in ‘people movements’

A ‘people movement’ has been defined as either 1000 baptisms or 100 congregations planted over a 20-year period. (*) To date, such movements have been identified in an estimated 29 out of the 49 Muslim nations. This indicates an estimated 2 to 7 million believers. Clearly God is moving within ‘people movements’ and the movements have emerged in parallel with global prayer initiatives such as the 30 Days of Prayer.

The Arabic word “ittahariq” means to ‘move with’ and many Muslims naturally ‘move’ with a movement; just like Christianity’s 21,000 denominations. (**) A helpful way to characterise a local church is to ask which Bible Week they promote. British Muslims are also characterised by their preferred ‘movement’. These include Sunni, Shi’a, Sufi or Ahmaddi; and can be ‘traditional’, ‘progressive’ or ‘Islamist’. Each have their own preferred teachers and spokes people. We can research who the key Muslim voices are – nationally and locally – and pray for them and those who follow them.

While some Christians embrace Paul’s description of being one ‘body’ with a common purpose (1 Corinthians 12:12), some Muslims can look like ‘a house divided against itself, which cannot stand’ (Mk.3:23-25).

(*) David Garrison, A wind in the house of Islam
(**) Dr David Garrett, Encyclopaedia of Christianity (OUP, 1982)

Prayer for the day

‘Father God, thank you for your involvement in the affairs of people in the Muslim communities of Britain. We ask that nothing will resist the access of your Holy Spirit to the various groupings of British Muslims. As you did with the Apostle Paul, please arrest key people of influence who influence the thinking of people in British Muslim communities. In Jesus’ name we pray - AMEN

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

Think of ways of finding out what the groupings of Muslims are in your area and the recognised voices of influence.

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 0: Welcome

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day 0 of 30

By Phil Simpson from the Mahabba team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning…”
— Joel 2:12

Thought for the day

Introducing Lovefast

The overall theme for this years 30 days of prayer is people groups 30 days represents an opportunity to pray for Unreached people around the world.

And there seems to be a direct link between this global prayer movement and the rise in interest of followers of Jesus within the house of Islam

LoveFast is about rooting this to our experience in UK. We will be looking at the same themes, but applied to Muslims in Britain

The 30 days of Ramadan are a great opportunity to meet Muslims friends as they are desperately seeking Allah, as they fast and pray to draw nearer to God

You can sympathise as they take ‘nil by mouth’ - no food or drink from sunrise to sunset, and then the joy of breaking their fast with dates and an Iftar meal

You may be invited to an Iftar meal yourself at a local mosque, or an event run as part of the Big Iftar, but use this opportunity to reach out to your Muslim friends

Prayer for the day

Let this quote inspire you and turn it into a prayer:

“We are in the midst of the greatest turning of Muslims to Christ in 14 centuries of Muslim-Christian interaction. More than 80% of all the Muslim movements to Christ in history have occurred in the past two to three decades, a time period that coincides with the modern prayer movement for Muslims. At the heart of this modern prayer movement is '30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World.' Come, join us, and be a part of shaping salvation history!" David Garrison, author of A Wind in the House of Islam

Daily action

Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.

If you want to you can read a lot more about movements to Christ among Muslims here.

Activity

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast -1: Introducing Lovefast

Image Unsplash

Image Unsplash

Day -1 of 30

By Phil Simpson from Mahabba’s Network Circle team

Introducing Lovefast, based on the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”
— Hosea 12:6

Thought for the day

Introducing Lovefast

Lovefast 2020 starts on 24 April 2020, again alongside the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World initiative.

Every year, following the lunar calendar, Muslims around the world fast and pray, earnestly seeking revelation from God and to become closer to him - this is the holy month of Ramadan.

Since 2014, Mahabba has run a prayer initiative to help Christians engage with Ramadan positively in prayer and action.

The aim of Lovefast is to couple prayer with action; that Jesus be unveiled to Muslims through practical acts of kindness by Christians in their communities.

The campaign is designed to complement and run alongside the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World booklet. It was inspired by Stewardship’s 40Acts challenge during Lent.

Join us again for prayer, action and encouragement in 2020 from 24 April to 23 May.

Prayer for the day

Make a list of your Muslim contacts(Taxi-driver, doctor, local mum etc) and friends to pray for over the next 30 days Join in praying for them during LoveFast and share your story like this previous participant:

Lovefast has helped me to notice more Muslims in the crowd each day and I have felt prompted to pray for them during Ramadan. It’s great to be part of a community of people who are reaching out with God’s love and praying together. The daily email helped me not to forget! I have learned a lot more about Islam, and think more people should know about Lovefast!

Daily action

If you’ve not done so already, order your booklet from 30 Days of Prayer and sign up to Mahabba’s Lovefast, so we can pray and act together as a Network for our Muslim friends.

Each day of Ramadan you will receive a short ‘thought for the day’ directly in your inbox. This will also contain ways to pray for Muslims and engage practically.

Once you’re done, share your interactions on social media!

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment below, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter!

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Eid 3: Love

Lovefast prayer and action campaign from the Mahabba Network

Day 33 of 30

By Chas from Mahabba’s Network Team

Daily verse

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
— John 15:9

Thought for the day

Love

Do you remember how you first began to love Muslims? There are many ways we may have begun. How can this love be sustained in the coming year? Firstly, love comes not from ourselves rather ‘love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God’. (1 John 4:7-12) So we need to remain very close to the source of love - ‘Abide in my love.’ (John 15:9) Secondly, we need to live from His love in all our relationships -‘They will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ (John 13:35) Then we can carry this love out into the world by sharing our faith verbally or by giving a Gospel to read; through our practical action and by inviting them into loving relationships; and through prayer leading to signs and wonders.
Let our love be genuine.

Prayer for the day

What has God been saying to you during Lovefast? Note two action points (in your prayer journal) for your future involvement with Muslims and resolve to keep on praying for them.

Daily action

Watch this video of UK Christian leaders addressing our Muslim friends. Consider joining the Mahabba Network as a way of keeping connected with your Muslim neighbours… Maybe you can become a Friend of Mahabba and support the ministry.

Eid 2: Pray

Lovefast prayer and action campaign from the Mahabba Network

Day 32 of 30

By Phil S from Mahabba’s Network Team

Daily verse

“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Thought for the day

Pray

We have now been praying for 30 days during the Ramadan fast.

This has focused on both the global through the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World guide (promoted in UK by Interserve) and also our own Mahabba Lovefast prayer and action campaign, which has had more of a local focus.

Muslims have ben fervently praying during this period.

They generally follow a pattern of five daily prayers (one of the five pillars of Islam), similar way to the Christian monastic tradition.

The Muslim call to prayer is called the adhan.

I have experienced it as incredibly beautiful when sung acapella in the mountains of Pakistan but also as a cacophony when played through loudspeakers in a mega-city.

But this Lovefast has also been a call to prayer. And we want to continue. To ‘pray without ceasing’.

Join in the Jumaa Prayer campaign every Friday at 12noon to continue praying for your Muslim friends and neighbours. We will be posting more look out for the hashtag #JumaaPrayer.

Prayer for the day

Join in the Jumaa prayer campaign every Friday at 12pm to continue praying for your Muslim friends and neighbours.

Daily action

Find out a good time to visit a Muslim friend and take them a gift, maybe some dates, or something halal. And don't forget to continue to pray. It makes all the difference. One way to continue is to join in with our Mahabba Jumaa prayer initiative.

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment below, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter!

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Eid 1: Eat

Webp.net-resizeimage (16).jpg

Day 31 of 30

By Phil S from Mahabba’s Network Team

Daily verse

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
— Matthew 11:19

Thought for the day

Eat

Muslims end Ramadan with the feast of Eid-al-Fitr, which is a time for Muslims at the end of the 30 days of fasting to dress up and celebrate with family. (Like Easter at the end of a long Lent or Christmas after the anticipation of advent.)

Maybe some of you were able to take part in an Iftar party at the time of breaking the fast. (We love to hear any stories from you.)

Why not take the opportunity to invite your Muslim friends (along with others) for a meal in your home, or in your community.

Eating together always builds community.

‎Lovefast, which has been running during the 30 days of ‎Ramadan is now over.

The daily blogs will stop at the end of Eid. Now it’s party time and the opportunity for us to start wishing Happy Eid to all our Muslim friends – learn to say the appropriate Arabic greetings: 'Eid Mubarak and Khair Mubarak'.

Prayer/ACTION for the day

Send a text message to any Muslim friends you have wishing them ‘Eid Mubarak’ (blessed festival) and telling them you're praying for them, that God would bless them.

Daily action

Get hold of a copy of "Simply Eat: Everyday stories of friendship, food and faith” and think about inviting some friends to your home for a shared meal (you can try out one of the recipes in the book).

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment below, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter!

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 30: Offering hospitality

Lovefast prayer and action campaign from the Mahabba Network

Day 30 of 30

By Phil S from Mahabba’s Network Team

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“And the Lord appeared to him (Abraham) by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favour in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on...”
— Genesis 18:1-5

Thought for the day

Offering hospitality

St Francis of Assisi and a companion, Illuminato, crossed enemy lines and entered into the Sultan's camp during the 5th crusades 800 years ago

He met with Sultan Malik al Kamil (and Sufi adviser Fakhr al-Farisi) in 1219 in Damietta, Egypt.

He came with a simple message, ‘Peace be upon you,’ which echoed the Muslim greeting, 'Assalam Walekum' and the response 'Walekum Assalam.' Maybe that is why he was accepted and given an opportunity to proclaim his faith in Jesus to the Sultan himself.

St. Francis never spoke against Muhammad or his Message or said that the sultan was wrong in his beliefs. The sultan was therefore willing to listen to Francis speak of why he followed his Saviour, Jesus Christ.

That space of kindness, respect, and new friendship was maintained throughout their time together. St. Francis of Assisi is warmly remembered by Muslims as “The Monk” who came to visit.

Gentle conversation, mutual respect, being honourably received, and eating together. These were all hallmarks of the encounter. Francis even brokered a peace agreement, resulting in a ceasefire (although it was not long lasting it nonetheless prevented bloodshed).

This encounter between Sultan and Saint represents a vibrant model of interfaith engagement and faith-sharing that is highly relevant in these times of conflict. And it is symbolised in the act of meetings and eating together.

Prayer for the day

St. Francis of Assisi's prayer in praise of God (probably influenced by his encounter with Al Kamil) given to Brother Leo:

You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful.

You are strong. You are great. You are the Most High. You are Almighty.

You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.

You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.

You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true.

You are love. You are wisdom. You are humility. You are endurance. You are rest. You are peace. You are joy and gladness. You are justice and moderation. You are all our riches, and You suffice for us. You are beauty. You are gentleness. You are our protector. You are our guardian and defender. You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope. You are our faith, our great consolation.

You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty, Merciful Saviour.

Daily action

ind out more about the Sultan and the Saint by watching the trailer to the film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OOLOD8tQ8U&t=19s. and read more about it www.sultanandthesaintfilm.com

Known as Dolmas in the Middle East, this is a dish that Sultan Malik al-Kamil may have actually offered to St. Francis of Assisi. Vine leaves, filled with spiced meat or grains and vegetables.

Try making 'Dolma', stuffed vine leaves, to serve to Muslim guests. Then you can invite them to your home and host them for a 'peace-meal', or take as an Eid gift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUCgBaQe1g8

You can read more about it here..... https://saintsandrecipes.com/st-francis-of-assisi-and-the-sultan-stuffed-grape-leaves/

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment below, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter!

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Lovefast 29: Language of hospitality

Lovefast prayer and action campaign from the Mahabba Network

Day 29 of 30

By Jonathan from Welcome Churches

Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!

If you’ve not signed up to receive the daily prompts to your inbox - see here →

Daily verse

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
— Matthew 25:35-36

Thought for the day

Language of hospitality

The door opened into a sparsely furnished room. Some nervous and curious faces greeted us as we said “Hello”. They invited us in, giving us the best seats, then there were smiles and laughter as we tried to communicate with Ahmad and Fatemeh; using simple English and hand signals while they did their best to respond.

The shy kids clung to their parents, eyeing up the strangers who had just arrived. They gratefully received the little gifts we had brought in our Welcome Box, thankful that someone cared enough to visit them in this strange land.

They were soon serving us hot sweet tea from small glasses along with a side serving of nuts and dried fruit.

Here was an opportunity to speak the language of hospitality that they know so well, that has been part of the rhythm of Middle Eastern life since the time of Abraham.

As we drank tea with them, they received our visit as an honour. Hospitality is such a deeply held value in Middle Eastern Culture, and a way that Muslim asylum seekers feel able to give back to their Western hosts.

We can learn much about hospitality from people like Ahmad and Fatemeh, even if they have had to flee and leave everything behind, if we will only take the time to sit and drink tea with them.

Prayer for the day

Prayer for Refugees (Church of England):

Almighty and merciful God,
whose Son became a refugee and had no place to call his own;
look with mercy on those who today are fleeing from danger,
homeless and hungry.
Bless those who work to bring them relief;
inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts;
and guide the nations of the world towards that day when all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and of peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Daily action

Welcome Churches vision is for every refugee to be welcomed by the local church. This year, we are building a Welcome Network, a national network of churches committed to welcoming refugees and asylum seekers into their communities, reducing the isolation of thousands of refugees each year.

Your turn

Let us know how it went! Leave a comment below, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter!

Resources

Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?

There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:

  • Pray Together as a Congregation

  • Small Group Session

  • Night of Power Prayer Meeting

  • Prayer Walk Guide

What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.

Partners of 30 Days of Prayer

Want in?

Get our latest news, thoughts and events directly without the need to return.

You can unsubscribe at any time. For more info, see our Privacy Policy →