Needless to say the endless line of coffee shops is doing a good bit of business. (Remember, this is a coffee culture…Starbuck’s late night crowd doesn’t leave until between 12-1AM…when the store closes.)

I’m listening to one of my favorite Christmas albums…Christmas with Bing Crosby. That’s the way Christmas carols are supposed to sound. As much as I like Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra…Bing makes it feel like Christmas.
The odd thing about Christmas in Nicosia…is that even with all the Christmas displays – and they do real ones here, complete with nativities, and sponsored by the city no less – having the palm trees that line walls of the old city decked out in lights just doesn’t look like Christmas.
Ledra St. in the old city and along Markarios Ave. downtown looks like Christmas. The stores and the city put a lot of effort into decorating…and with the extended store hours and crowds of shoppers it feels like Christmas. Tonight it even seems cold enough to be Christmas (46F, drizzly and damp)…but those palm trees just don’t say “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”
Albeit, the street-cart vendors downtown and in the old city actually sell roasted chestnuts, along with roasted corn…and fresh popcorn…those are winter street snacks when you shop. Needless to say the endless line of coffee shops is doing a good bit of business. (Remember, this is a coffee culture…Starbuck’s late night crowd doesn’t leave until between 12-1AM…when the store closes.)
By next Wednesday the shopping and dining crowds will be even larger. The government (over 50% of the work force) shuts down and so do many of the larger corporations…and even some smaller ones. On the 23rd or 24th most of them will head to the village where their family is from…family gatherings at Christmas are almost as important as Easter – which is the biggest holiday on Cyprus.
Even with all the festivities there’s a sense of angst hanging over people. The island’s budgetary crises (too many civil servants…and not enough taxes, plus some really bad spending decisions) are coming home to roost. The deficit sits at around 4.5% and the EU requires that it’s no more than 3%…which means the next budget will have to contain “…austerity measures necessary to bring the budget within EU guidelines…”
The largest union on the island communist dominated PASDY, is threatening strikes and work slowdowns…I hate to sound like a smart aleck, but the way government offices work around here, that wouldn’t be very noticeable (you’ll see why later). They want the private sector to bear the brunt of whatever austerity measures are implemented…problem is, the private sector gets paid A LOT less. They could tax the wealthy…but there’s not enough of them to make up the short fall.
The biggest money problem is simple…few people actually pay their taxes…and the Inland Revenue Office doesn’t have the data to figure out who has or hasn’t paid. That and they don’t want to turn in family and friends…or probably even themselves in some cases. The Ministry of Economics and Finance estimate that if taxes were paid, there wouldn’t be a financial crises.
Speaking of government inefficiency: after 15-months here we still don’t have our residency visas – even though our residency has been approved. The last exchange went something like this:
Background: Permanent visas approved, but not issued (“in the mail”…for seven weeks?). We were supposed to go to Athens so we tried and end-around and applied for a temporary re-entry visa. It was approved, but the day we were supposed to pick it up…the one guy with the stamp (yes, a rubber stamp) and who could sign it was nowhere to be found. So our friend goes back on Monday (last chance before canceling the trip) and asks for our temp re-entry visas.
(This conversation is in Greek)
CL: Can I pick up the Burns’ re-entry visas.
Gov’t: Why do they need a temporary visa, the permanent one has been issued?
CL: They never received it…they don’t have it.
Gov’t: But we mailed it, it’s been issued.
CL: Well they don’t have it.
Gov’t: They must, it’s been mailed. What are they trying to pull?
CL: Nothing! They just don’t have it…do you think they’d be asking for the temporary one if they had the permanent one?
Gov’t: No, you’re right.
CL: Then can they have the temporary visa?
Gov’t: No, because we have to find out why they don’t have a permanent visa yet.
(Arrrrrrrgggghhhhh!)
Such is life when dealing with the bureaucracy here.
It’s been over a week since then…no visa…temporary or permanent. (That’s something you can pray for!)
But life is not always that frustrating. Met last night with a small group of people from our church, Nicosia International, New Life, and the Church of God to pray for the Pregnancy Care Center, the Mercy Center, several issues that affect the island (like human trafficking), for the churches on the island, and for local and national government. Interesting group: four women – a Pole, two Germans, and an Egyptian – and me. Had an interesting, but wonderful hour praying for the various ministries as well as for the city and Cyprus. Afterwards, we shared some hot tea someone had brought in a thermos, along with some homemade stollen (good!). Needless to say it took the edge off the chill
Had lunch with Rick today…he pastors a local church that focuses it’s ministry and evangelism on the area right around the old city. Because most of his congregants come from 3rd world countries, he runs into a lot of problematic theologies. His folks send him links to the Prosperity Gospel, Dominion Theology and so on. There’s now a new Sri Lankan pastor on the island that is telling all the Sri Lankans to leave Rick’s church because he’s remarrying and that’s a sin. He conveniently forgets to mention things like the denomination thoroughly looked at Rick’s case and said “OK.” This newly arrived pastor is also saying they shouldn’t go to his church because he’s not Sri Lankan…interesting nationalist tone to that one.
So do me a favor, along with praying for our church, keep Rick and his church in prayer as well. (They’re actually a larger church than we are…and very vibrant…but he repeatedly has to deal with crackpots that steal and hurt the flock. Eventually they come back, but then Rick has a LOT of repair & healing work to do. So remember…prayer for Rick Dugan and NIC.
Sunday night was particularly fun. It was time for our annual Your Only Young Once (YOYO) – League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG) bowling tournament. Everyone from the youth group came…but we old guys (LXG) could barely field a team (too many bad backs). Luckily one of our younger member’s (a 20-something) wives was willing to bowl…so we made her an honorary “gentleman” and part of the team. Besides a good bowling match there was some really good birthday cake (courtesy of one of the YOYOs). There were also some “fans.” Needless to say it went well…old guys won…barely.
Like most of your churches, we have a full slate of Christmas activities: Women’s Brunch, Cookies & Carols (a dessert/cookie potluck and sing-along), and our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.
After the first of the year we have the usual activities: membership class, a congregational meeting, planning for a jointly sponsored Alpha Course with another church, the LXG Orange Orchard Raid (a member of our congregation owns an orange orchard…we get the freshest oranges!), and a few other things.
The hardest part about having a church filled with folks from embassies, NGOs, and ministries is that they leave. We sad lunch with an American couple we’re losing. They’ve been serving with an NGO for several years. They leave on December 21st and head to Jordan to spend some time with their son (serving with an NGO), and then it’s off to the states and a new life in Colorado Springs. Their departure is not easy…good friends and she’s been leading our women’s ministry since the Fall. But hey, now we have some more people to visit in Colorado (along with my brother and Cindy’s sister)!

Things you can pray for:
o Visas
o Women’s Ministry Leadership
o Illnesses (we have three members suffering from various forms of cancer)
o That God would use the economic and social issues to turn people to Christ.
o Outreach
Kala Xpristouyenia (Merry Christmas)!!

Terry Burns is a PCA minister and member of the Presbytery of the Blue Ridge. He is ministering WAY out-of-bounds as the Pastor of the independent Nicosia Community Church in Cyprus. He writes an occasional dispatch for the folks back home. Email him at [email protected]