Dave & Gloria's Story Part 3: We Have to Travel How Far to Get to Church?

Dave Furman Justin Buzzard on a 2013 trip to Dubai

Praying for a Meeting Place for Redeemer Dubai

It can be easy to celebrate the beautiful stories of God’s work while skimming over the seasons of hardship. Yet God uses all things, the good and the bad, to accomplish His purposes. 

Dave and Gloria’s passion to see the gospel reach the nations hasn’t been without challenges. Shortly after landing in Dubai, Dave developed a nerve condition in his arms that continues to cause excruciating daily pain. Simple tasks like buttoning a shirt, cutting food, or opening a door are impossible. This nerve condition has led Dave to rely on the Lord moment by moment for strength. “God wants me to know that He is the one who built this church,” says Dave, “It’s not by my strength but His alone.” This dependence on God leads to a faith that trusts Him to work even in the toughest circumstances. And in this last year, the church as encountered one of their biggest challenges yet.

Last May the hotel where Redeemer met every week unexpectedly shut down. Overnight the church of over a thousand people had nowhere to meet. To complicate matters, the law requires them to get location approval thirty days in advance. So Dave and his team began to pray for God to provide a location in a miraculous way. 

One hotel allowed them to meet for a short time, yet the church quickly discovered that they were only filling an empty ballroom and were asked to leave as soon as a conference booked the space. Many hotel ballrooms fill up quickly or their astronomical cost makes rent impossible for the church. They have explored the use of other spaces but regulations limit church use to certain buildings. 

While the Lord has continued to provide a meeting place week to week, it’s a logistical nightmare. Imagine if Garden City had to suddenly meet in San Francisco one week and then Gilroy the next. Now with shelter-in-place, Redeemer is meeting online similarly to Garden City. You’re more than welcome to join them for a Friday morning service.

As we pray for a location for our own church, let’s pray for our brothers and sisters in Dubai as well. We ask that God would give the leaders at Redeemer continued strength and perseverance as they search for options and explore creative solutions for a long-term meeting space. And we remember that what seems humanly impossible is possible for God.

Despite these challenges, the gospel continues to go forth. As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians, we see in Redeemer Dubai a church who has “received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1:6) whose “faith in God has gone forth everywhere” (1:8). As people come to know the Lord, we see opportunities for people to bring the gospel into some of the hardest to reach places. And we know that through the faithful witness of this church and many others around the world, God will bring a people from every people into His family to worship Him forever. This is the partnership we get to share with Redeemer Dubai. May we be imitators of our brothers and sisters and together enter into this “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3).