A local Anglican minister is using his cross cultural ministry expertise to help resource those reaching out to Middle Eastern Sydney-siders.
Evangelism Ministries have employed the rector of St David's, Arncliffe, the Rev Moussa Ghazal to research and develop material that will assist workers and churches who are engaged in ministry to those from a Middle Eastern background.
The one-day-a-week role has been created specifically for Mr Ghazal after conversations the Syrian-born minister had with the CEO of Evangelism Ministries, the Rev Jim Ramsay.
"I was speaking to Jim about three months ago and he asked me if I would like to focus on Middle Eastern ministry across the diocese," Mr Ghazal says.
Mr Ramsay says this year's CMS Summer School raised issues regarding ministry to those from Middle Eastern backgrounds.
"There are ministers and parishioners in our churches who want assistance in understanding Middle Eastern culture and religion, particularly Islam and how it relates to the Christian faith," Mr Ramsay says.
Mr Ghazal has a particular heart for those from Middle Eastern backgrounds.
"I am from that background myself I have a particular affinity to the community. My natural inclination is to reach out to people from my culture," Mr Ghazal says.
Mr Ghazal became a Christian as a youth after his family was invited to an Arabic evangelical church.
He says Christians need to reach out to their Middle Eastern neighbours and love them as they would anyone else.
"People from Middle Eastern backgrounds seem to have a negative stigma attached to them and I think some people fear them," Mr Ghazal says.
"That fear stops a lot of us from befriending and sharing with them " we put them in the "too hard' category."
Mr Ghazal and the team at Evangelism Ministries want to change this attitude.
"These people need to be loved and helped to understand the gospel just as much as anyone," he says.
"Above all we just want to see people engage lovingly with those from a Middle Eastern background irrespective of their religious background," he says.
Mr Ghazal aims to develop strategies and resources to help churches in Sydney Diocese reach out to Middle Eastern people.
"We want to encourage and facilitate ministries across the board and put together information for those people who want to get involved," he says.
"We want to show that it's not beyond them " that they don't need to be specialists."
The parish of St David's have graciously given Mr Ghazal an additional 52 days annual leave to allow him so pursue this role and Evangelism Ministries is financially reimbursing the church for that time.
Mr Ramsay says this project is new territory for Evangelism Ministries.
"It's the first time we have done this sort of cultural specific ministry," he says.
"We would like to continue to identify particular niches for ministry and obtain more resources so we can continue to explore them in the future."
