CIPC. Casablanca International Protestant Church. The place that has made this city feel so much like home to me- and the place that is probably the most difficult for me to be leaving in a few weeks.
Last night I was at CIPC’s worker’s appreciation dinner, at a local restaurant here in Casablanca, which of course involved lots of praise and worship before the meal. A guest pastor from the U.S. was there, and one of the first things he mentioned as he got up to speak, was that seeing our church worshipping and praising gave him a glimpse into what Heaven will look like.
Each week CIPC brings together people who grew up in a variety of different countries- America, Canada, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Phillipines, and more; people who speak many languages and come from so many different denominations and traditions; people who come together in Casablanca, Morocco each Sunday with the same purpose in mind- to praise and worship our Lord as brothers and sisters in Christ.
I feel so incredibly blessed to have been a part of this amazing church community. At times in the United States, we separate ourselves into groups as we worship- the Methodists have their churches, Lutherans have their churches, etc. Very often, you walk into a sanctuary in the States and the congregation will look very similar to one another. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with this, but living in a muslim country where there are few Christians to worship with, separating by denomination and ethnicity is not an option. And I would say, for me, in my spiritual walk, this has been such a huge blessing! It has opened my eyes to the reality that we have brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world, in every church, whether they share our denomination or not, and that the church that we each grew up in is not the only “norm” out there. As Pastor Mark, the guest pastor this weekend stated, walking into CIPC each Sunday, you get a glimpse of the awesome diversity of all our brothers and sisters in Christ who we will one day be dancing in Heaven with.
I want to challenge you this week. Wherever you are at, make an effort to get to know a fellow brother or sister in Christ who is different from you. You don’t have to leave the country, or even your city, to do this. Attend a midweek service at a church of a different denomination. Serve in a local soup kitchen run by another church. You don’t have to agree with every single belief of that church or denomination- it’s okay. I love in Tony Campolo’s and Shane Claiborne’s book Red Letter Revolution where they talk about going to church on Sundays at the church in the denomination of your choice, but fellowshipping throughout the week with Christians of all walks and beliefs. It may be uncomfortable meeting people who are different from you, but it’s amazing at what God can teach you when you experience a different way of worship and swap stories with someone from a different background. Stepping out of your comfort zone is hard, but sometimes, I think that’s how we grow the most!
Here is a video of one of my favorite songs we sing at CIPC. I would much rather get a video of CIPC singing it, so I’ll work on that if they play it again before I leave 🙂
