Mali - ACI2000 Corps

This morning we went to church. This is not unusual for most, and certainly not for us. Even as we walked past the new turkish mosque on the way nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But having said that, church here is Mali is out of the ordinary for a number of reasons.

In the first place we are worshipping as a minority group. While Malians, especially in the south, are a moderate people and very tolerant, they are primarily a Muslim people. Around 95%, in fact. Compared to 2% Christians. Most of the time you don't really notice the difference - except on a Friday when our driver vanishes for two hours to go to Mosque. Or on a Sunday when you raise some strange looks as you walk to church with a Bible in your hand.

Secondly, there is no permanant home for our church here. The Corps did have a building but it was so badly built that the foundations gave way and it is unsafe for them to use. For the last few months the Corps has been meeting under a tin roof (very hot when it's over 40 degrees anyway) propped up behind the RHQ offices. It leaks in the rain; not that it matters - you can't hear anything under the roof while it's raining anyway.

Church is a lot longer than at home. Usually between 2.5 - 3 hours, of which at least 1 - 1.5 hours is the sermon. And it's not a story telling time like at home. Sermons here are loud - usually yelled - and the speakers are turned up so that there is very little that is clear, even to people that understand a lot of French! But it's effective - there are new people at church every week. This week they had a new lady who came for the first time after hearing the new radio show that the Region have started broadcasting. And there are people responding every week to the message. Even today, three people put up their hand to say that they want to become Salvation Army soldiers.

So amid the heat, the flies, the smell from the rubbish dump down the road, and the unique speaker system, we worship. There are some rules about worship here. You must dance. You must jump. You must bring your offering to the altar. You must respond hallelujah every time that the leader calls out (which is around 20 times per worship service). You must clap. It's all very different compared to Marion... but perhaps it wouldn't hurt for there to be a bit more dancing, calling out and jumping at home...