Relationship Building in Muslim Community

I recently completed my third trip to Detroit Hamtramck to help our EPC mission partner Shakil K. in his mission to reach the Muslim population in the area. The first thing we did was add a bedroom in Shakil’s house. This will allow him to bring his mother to the U.S. which will help him continue his mission in the U.S. Next, to show love and kindness to the Muslim community directly, we began to renovate their mosque which is located in an old automobile service station. We moved walls to make the space larger and installed new flooring and doors. We know we are called to love everyone and that the Gospel is for everyone. If there is going to be an opportunity for us to build bridges with a different community, it must start with us. 

The Imam (spiritual leader) has been very appreciative of our team taking time to help them. As we were leaving one day, Shakil gathered our team together because the Imam wanted to talk to us. He expressed how grateful he was that we would be willing to do this for his community. One statement he made that struck me as the reason I was there is that working together shows that there is kindness in the world and that we need more examples of love and not hatred. This incredible opportunity allowed walls on both sides to be torn down, and we had shown the love of Jesus. A team member closed with a prayer. Pretty cool that a Christian prayer was spoken inside a Muslim mosque with the Imam present. I hope more people in our church will come on the August trip.

A humble servant of Christ,
Dale Alt