Mission Outpost to Muslims Launches Public Services

The Northern Light, May/June 2008

By Jackie Bussert

The service begins in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From there it is sensitive to seekers, aimed at connecting with the Middle Eastern guests who are now making their home in DuPage County. They are primarily Muslims and Sabians, but there are also converts to Christianity. Muslims follow the prophet Mohammad in their devotion to Allah; Sabians follow the teachings of John the Baptist. The speaker is Hicham Chehab, himself a Lebanese, once a Muslim and persecutor of Christians, now a zealot in taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who share his heritage.

The service continues with readings from the Bible in both Farsi (the language of Iran) and then classical Arabic, common throughout the Muslim world though dialects differ. A song is sung, and most in attendance join in enthusiastically. It is the 23rd Psalm text sung from an Arabic hymn book. The Muslims and new converts alike know the song. The message follows with many visuals.

Another Psalm text is sung, and Chehab invites a Muslim seeker to help him lead the tune that, again, is familiar to most. She does so with a smile. Chehab met this woman on the street as he handed out food baskets. She has introduced him to her neighbors and friends. She has also prepared the Middle Eastern feast that is shared by the group after the service, delicious dishes of chicken, rice, fruit and unknown spices that taste of flowers.

The meal is a time for sharing conversation and stories. A young girl speaks of her biggest challenge here, to begin attending high school in Wheaton. After a year and a half her greatest joy is now her English-speaking friends. Her older brother is now below her in grade level because he has not picked up English as quickly as she has. A lawyer from the Sudan expresses his anger. He lives very poor here; sometimes he=s homeless. A 16-year-old is intrigued by the similarities he sees between Christianity and Islam. Another=s father is a tribal chief, which makes it difficult to cross the line to accepting Christianity.

Chehab is a missionary in Northern Illinois through a partnership of POBLO (People of the Book Lutheran Outreach) and the Northern Illinois District. He has an office at Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, leads student ministry to the Muslims at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, and plies the streets of West Chicago, Wheaton, Lombard and points in between to meet those who are so evident in their head coverings and broken English.

That=s who is here today: people whom Chehab has met and witnessed to, some now here to explore more about what he is telling them, some who have already been baptized in the last year since he=s been working. They are now the core of this new mission outpost which launched on March 1, 2008. They come from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and the Sudan. All are refugees, some political, some religious. They have come to the U.S. seeking a better life and safety.

The name of this gathering is Salam Church (Peace in both Arabic and Farsi), a fitting name for people who have known turmoil and are coming to know the Prince of Peace. Please pray for this new start and the new believers already there as well as the Holy Spirit's work among those touched by this mission outpost.