Exemplary, Mosques And Churches Adjacent To Conduct Worship With Full Tolerance

Location of Joyodiningratan Javanese Christian Church (GKJ) adjacent to Al-Hikmah Mosque/Photo: Antara

SOLO - Al-Hikmah Mosque and the Joyodiningratan Javanese Christian Church (GKJ) which are located side by side on Jalan Gatot Subroto, Kratonan Serengan, Solo, Central Java Province, together maintain tolerance in carrying out Tarawih Prayers and Easter services, Thursday, April 14. According to the Imam of the Mosque Al-Hikmah Kratonan Solo Muhammad Soeqhodi Al-Hikmah Mosque regularly holds Tarawih Prayers during Ramadan along with Easter worship activities at GKJ Joyodiningratan, there is no problem because the residents of the mosque and the church next door respect each other. Eid al-Adha, which coincided with the worship service at the church, coordinated beforehand. The mosque activities are carried out first, the church events adjust the afternoon or evening. According to him, activities in mosques usually involve reading the Koran before the call to prayer, if in the church there is a worship event the sound is not raised to the tower. So the mosque raises its voice only during the call to prayer. Because everything is for the sake of maintaining togetherness between the residents of the mosque and the church. "We have been working with the church for a long time. For example, if the church has a worship service, parking vehicles to the front of the mosque and vice versa for a mosque event," he said, quoted by Antara. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in the Easter series in the afternoon along with Tarawih Prayers. So the mosque does not make a sound reading the Koran in the minaret, it is enough inside the mosque, so that all can be peaceful and not interfere with activities at the church. Meanwhile, Nunung Istining Hyang, Pastor of GKJ Joyodiningratan Solo, said that Easter activities at GKJ Joyodiningratan in Kratonan Solo did not technically coordinated, but his party knew that the mosque had Tarawih Prayers so that worship at the church did not leave the building. same worship at the same time," said Nunung.

According to him, the automatic celebration of the big day between the mosque and the adjoining church is already known. Except for Eid Al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the worship reaches the front yard of the church, so coordination is needed. "The activities at GKJ include Holy Thursday and Good Friday worship services and at the same time as Tarawih Prayers at the mosque, but they still walk together and there is no problem because they both respect each other," he said. The congregation at GKJ Joyodiningratan Solo, there are about 500 people and the church capacity is 400 people. During the pandemic, worship activities were divided into two sessions of 200 people each to maintain health protocols (prokes).