Rally offers prayers, support for Middle Eastern Christians

by Andy Telli, Tennessee Register

November 21, 2014

Marlen Eordegian speaks at the One Body in Christ prayer rally for the persecuted Christians in the Middle East.  The rally included prayers for and information about the Christian communities in the Middle East, several of whom have been the targets of violence by the Islamic State.Photos by Andy Telli

 

For Shayma and Adeeb Daniel, the plight of Christians in the Middle East is not just something they read about or see on television. For them, it is the story of their family.
 
The parishioners of St. Henry Church in Nashville are Chaldean Catholics who came to the United States from Iraq in 2007. Many of their relatives have been able to follow them to Nashville, but others remain trapped.
 
When fighters from the group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria took control of the Daniels’ hometown of Mosul, Iraq, earlier this year, members of their family fled to Turkey, Jordan and Baghdad, leaving behind their homes and businesses. They want to come to the United States, but they don’t have the paperwork they need to make the move, Shayma Daniel said. “They’re just waiting.”
 
The Daniels and several of their relatives living in Nashville were among the people who attended a prayer rally for the persecuted Middle East Christians, which was organized by the group One Body in Christ.
 
“We are gathered here today to remember our persecuted brothers and sisters … and to remind ourselves about the oneness of the Body of Christ,” said Marlen Eordegian, an Armenian Orthodox Christian from Jerusalem living in Nashville and one of the organizers of the rally held on Sunday, Nov. 16, at Vine Street Christian Church in Nashville.

Members of the Coptic Christian community in Nashville sing a liturgical song during the rally.

Although Christians in the United States and the West and Christians in the Middle East share a religious legacy and history, there is a “great distance” between them, Eordegian said. “We remain silent about the persecutions of the same body. How can this be possible?” she said.
 
During the prayer rally, organizers read letters from leaders of various Christian churches in the Middle East, such as the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church and the Syriac Catholic Church, describing the situation for Christians in the region and the need for assistance. Several Protestant ministers involved in relief efforts in the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Syria, also spoke about the needs of the people there.
 
The Middle East is the cradle of Christianity and many of the ancient Eastern churches, which trace their roots to the earliest days of Christianity, are still present in the region. As a minority, Christians have faced discrimination and persecution before, and the Islamic State, intent on eliminating Christians and other religious minorities from Iraq and Syria, poses a renewed threat.
 
When ISIS took control of Mosul, where a large percentage of Iraq’s Christians lived, more than 120,000 fled on foot to areas under Kurdish control. Leaders of the Christian churches, including Eastern Rite Catholic churches in union with the Roman Catholic Church, have organized aid for the refugees.
 

Dr. Marwan Odeesh, a parishioner at St. Henry Church and a native of Iraq, reads a letter from a leader of the Assyrian Church.

But finding accommodations for everyone who needs them has been difficult, and the need will become more urgent as winter approaches.
 
Among the Daniels’ relatives still in Iraq, there are 16 living in one house, Shayma Daniel said. “We don’t want them to stay there,” she said. “We want to help them to come here.”
 
One Body in Christ hopes to create awareness of the plight of the Middle Eastern Christians, Eordegian said.
 
“I believe if American Christians have proper information, they are doers,” Eordegian said. “They can stand in solidarity with us not only in words, but also in action.”
 
One Body in Christ intends to hold regular meetings so Christians from the United States and the Middle East can learn more about each other, Eordegian said.
 
“For almost 400 years the church was one. There were many languages, but the worship was the same,” Eordegian said. "But divisions among Christians make them vulnerable to persecution," she said.
 
Eordegian also hopes to visit Christian churches around the Nashville area to talk about the history of Middle Eastern Christians and their situation today.
 
For more information about One Body in Christ, visit www.onebodyinchrist.net.