By Susan Akyeampong, SIM International
When you first look up at a climbing wall, it’s not always obvious how to get to the top.
The route up can be hidden and some holds feel just out of reach. You have to learn new movements, trust the next step before you can see where it leads, and sometimes accept that falling is part of the process.
In one Middle Eastern city, climbers are learning that these lessons apply well beyond the wall.
A Christian-run outdoor climbing group has created a space where people from all kinds of backgrounds come together, including many who might never otherwise step into a church or Christian environment. The group welcomes everyone from children as young as four, accompanied by their parents, to people in their 60s.
“Climbing brings in people from all walks of life,” says Daniel*, a worker serving in the city. “You wouldn’t necessarily think that these people would come together, but they do.”
On the wall, age, background and differences become less important. Everyone starts in the same place: learning, struggling, falling and trying again.
“Everyone is a beginner on the wall at one point,” Daniel explains. “Everyone is struggling to climb, whether it’s the advanced person who has been doing it for a little while or the starter.”
That shared experience creates a unique kind of vulnerability. Everyone knows what it feels like to struggle, to face something they cannot overcome alone, and to need encouragement from those around them.
Daniel describes these challenges as each person’s “project”.
“Everyone’s got a project. Everyone’s got a beast they have to slay on the wall and personally as well,” he says.
For Daniel, that is where climbing becomes a powerful opportunity for ministry. The vulnerability of climbing creates an openness that often extends beyond the wall. As people share their struggles and personal challenges, Christians have opportunities to point those they are walking alongside towards Jesus by sharing the gospel and demonstrating His love through the way they listen and offer support.
If vulnerability opens the door, community is what people find on the other side.
The encouragement climbers offer each other on the wall quickly becomes the foundation for friendships beyond it. Daniel says, “We all come around and encourage each other to push past that part of exhaustion, saying, ‘You can do it. You have a little extra in the tank.’.”
Please pray
- For the climbing group to continue to be a place where people from different backgrounds find belonging, build friendships, and encounter the love of Jesus through the lives of believers
- For Daniel and the team as they continue to invest in relationships with people in the community. That God would give them opportunities and courage to share the hope of Christ
- For Thomas and others who are asking questions about Jesus, that God would continue to draw them to Himself
Could God be calling you to serve in the Middle East?
We’d love to help you explore what that could look like.
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