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This is one of the stories on my fifth CD,
Learning about Muslims.
“Our community wanted a spacious place to pray and play,
to: host weddings, throw parties, gather on holidays, relax on weekends,
house a day care center and have activities for the elderly.
We had put a bid on a parcel of land, but were turned down
when the owner learned about our community. We found the second parcel a few
months later. It was the perfect plot of land in Cordova, on the eastern edge
of Memphis – 30 rolling acres with an idyllic pond. But it was on a road
nicknamed ‘church road’ because of the number of Christian houses of worship
that line it.
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We were nervous. Very nervous. We thought we’d have to work hard to show
that we are a peaceful community, that we’re just normal people.”
This was in 2010. The speaker was Dr. Bashar Shala , a
49-year-old cardiologist and chairman of the board of trustees for the
Memphis
Islamic Center.
Dr. Shala said, “Memphis is the buckle of the Bible Belt. And here we
were, Muslims, coming in to establish a community worship center right in the
middle of ‘church road’.”
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Meanwhile, directly across ‘church road’ from that perfect plot of
land, was
Heartsong Church , a United Methodist congregation. One morning,
Pastor Steve Stone was reading the newspaper and saw a headline at the bottom
of the front page: Muslims buy land for hub in Cordova.
The paragraphs underneath said that the Memphis Islamic Center was
planning to build a mosque and “a sprawling community center” in Cordova.
Pastor Steve thought, That’s interesting. I didn’t
realize there were that many Muslims in Memphis.
He read on: the Islamic center had purchased 30 acres. “Hmm.” Then he
saw where: directly across ‘church road’.
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Pastor Steve closed his eyes. His stomach turned queasy.
What should I do? he wondered.
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Pastor Steve went to Heartsong and sat in his office to think.
Lord, he prayed, what are we supposed to do?
Pastor Steve recalled the biblical parable Jesus told about the Good Samaritan:
There was a traveler, beaten and left for dead, who lay by the side of the
road, ignored by passersby. The one person who finally stopped to help was a
Samaritan. At that time, the Samaritans were a despised religious group who
only believed in some of the Jewish rules.
As Pastor Steve ruminated on this love-thy-neighbor tale that
challenged preconceived notions, he hit himself on the
forehead.
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We’ve got to find a way to love these people, he thought.
The next day, he called up a local company that manufactures
custom-made signs and placed an order for a six-foot-wide, bright-red vinyl
sign. When it arrived two days later, he affixed it on a patch of grass on his
side of ‘church road’, in full view of every passing vehicle.
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A few days later, Dr. Shala drove over to see that perfect plot of
land. That’s when he first saw the sign on Heartsong’s lawn.
Dr. Shala said, “The nervousness, much of it was taken care of by
that sign.”
Dr. Shala went inside to introduce himself.
Pastor Steve said, "We would be happy to have your community use
our facilities if you have a function or if you need parking,"
So initially, the church building was used solely as a meeting space
for the Muslims, not as a place of worship.
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As you might suspect, some members of Pastor Steve’s
congregation were not happy with their new neighbors.
Among the initial skeptics was Mark Sharpe, a painting
contractor who had been a member of the church for 10 years.
Mark said, “I was very uncomfortable. I didn’t like it at
all.” Mark and his wife thought about leaving Heartsong.
Before they did, however, Mark decided to talk to Pastor
Steve.
Mark asked, “What are we doing? What is going on here?”
Pastor Steve said, “I’ve met members of the Islamic center,
they are peaceful, educated people. It’s my Christian faith – not a deep study
of Islam – that was at the root of my decision to welcome our new neighbors. I
want you to read the first four books of the New Testament, the gospels. If
there’s anything we’re doing that doesn’t line up with those books, then you
come back and let me know.”
So Mark read.
Later he said, “I figured out it was a sickness in me. In a
sense, I was the problem. I was the problem, not them.”
Mark and his wife told Pastor Steve, “We’ll be staying at
Heartsong.” But others in the church were not persuaded. Although Pastor Steve
individually counseled everyone who was upset, about 20 members of his 800
member congregation, including some in key leadership positions, wound up
leaving the church.
Pastor Steve said, “We hated to see them go, but at the same
time, we realized that if that’s what they really believe, if that’s how they
really felt, then they weren’t meant to be part of Heartsong.”
The following year, Dr. Shala and other leaders of the
Islamic center found themselves racing the calendar. Their first building, the
mosque, was under construction. But they weren’t sure it would be completed by
the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast during
daylight hours and mosques hold special nighttime prayers.
A worried Dr. Shala approached Pastor Steve.
Dr. Shala asked, “We were wondering if we could use a small
room in your building for our prayers. Just for a few nights until our mosque
is done. We’ll be glad to pay you.”
Pastor Steve asked, “How many people do you want to bring
over?” “Maybe 100. Maybe 200. I’m not sure.”
“The only room big enough to hold that many is our main
sanctuary. You can use it. But there’s just one thing. You can’t pay us. We’re
not going to accept any money. We’re neighbors.”
The two men embraced, and both began to cry.
As he was leaving, Dr. Shala said, “I will be praying that
our mosque will be completed in time. We don’t want to cause Heartsong any
trouble.”
Pastor Steve replied, “Okay, you pray that way, I’m going to
pray a competing prayer. I’m gonna pray that you have to come in, at least for
a few days. I think that would be great for our people and it would be great
for your people.”
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In the end,
Pastor Steve’s prayer was answered, and then some: Members
of the Islamic
Center spent the entire month of Ramadan at Heartsong.
Heartsong
members came to their church every night at 7 p.m. to greet
their Muslim
neighbors. Pastor Steve said. “We wanted them to feel at
home.”
On the last night of Ramadan, the Muslim scholar, who was
leading the prayers, called Pastor Steve to the front of the sanctuary and
then addressed the Muslim congregation.
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“I know you have heard bad things about Christian people, just
like Christian people have heard bad things about Muslim people. But these are
what real Christians are like (gesturing toward Pastor Steve), and they’ve
gotten to see what real Muslims are like.”
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That Ramadan cemented an enduring friendship. Since then, the two
congregations have fed the homeless together and have held interfaith
discussions. Near the anniversary of the September 11th , they’ve
held joint blood drives. Two months later, they’ve celebrated Thanksgiving
together.
Mark said, “I never thought that I’d meet any
Muslims. I LOVE
it. It’s like my world has grown
larger.
Dr. Shala and Pastor Steve occasionally speak at Memphis-area schools
and community centers. When they do, they’re always asked,
“Has anyone from Heartsong has converted to Islam, or anyone from the
Memphis Islamic Center has become a Christian?”
They always answer, “No, no one has converted. But we’ve all become
stronger in our own faith.”
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Now Dr. Shala and Pastor Steve want to make ‘church road’ into a destination
to celebrate religious respect and camaraderie. Together both congregations
have developed plans to construct a large park, to be called
Friendship Park,
on BOTH sides of the road.
Dr. Shala likes to say, "We're making world peace, one friendship at a time."
They are one major donor away from launching a capital campaign to fully fund Friendship Park. And they are about to hire their first Executive Director. Since Friendship Park will be on land donated by each congregation, there will be a bridge across
‘church road’ connecting both parcels of land.
I view that bridge as another sign, not as explicit as that first big red
vinyl sign which had welcomed the Memphis Islamic Center to the neighborhood.
I view that bridge as a sign which will demonstrate “Good
Neighbors Live Here.”
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Copyright 2017 by Kathryn Eike Dudding. All Rights Reserved.
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