Our friends at the Pastoral, Outreach, and Mission Council (POMC) with the Synod of the Nile in Egypt, continue to do God’s work in the Middle East. POMC helps revitalize existing churches, plant new churches, and send missionaries across the globe to places where God’s hope and love are most needed. And now, a major portion of their outreach is helping those in Palestine as POMC addresses critical humanitarian needs for vulnerable populations in the region.
Read MoreTogether for the Family cares for Syrian refugees through ministries including baby care for new mothers, medical and dental clinics, and educational classes for children. Executive Director Izdihar Kassis recently shared this news:
• In response to the 6.4 magnitude earthquake in February 2023, we set up three schools and classrooms in the affected areas to provide educational and psychological support to 61 students. This program will continue through 2024.
Read MoreExcerpts of a letter received from the Middle East Council of Churches and the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees:
Our hearts ache to convey this message during what should be a season of joy and togetherness. Amid strife and sorrow, we reach out to you, dear partners supporters, and friends, with heavy hearts. This Christmas, our usual celebrations are shadowed by turmoil and the tragedy of Gaza.
Read MoreThe Outreach Foundation has received a tremendous amount of support for the Israel/Lebanon/Palestine Emergency Relief Appeal. Here is the latest news received from two partners there — Nader Abou Amsha, Director of the Middle East Council of Churches Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR), and the Rev. Joseph Kassab, long-time partner in Lebanon and moderator of the Synod of Syria and Lebanon:
Middle East Council of Churches
Unfortunately, we have lost another colleague to the war. She was killed along with her husband and child in an airstrike on their home. In a separate attack, we lost our Center in Al-Daraj — the entire building including the clinic, physiotherapy unit, pharmacy, and dentist clinic — just flattened to the ground.
We continue our work in Gaza. Here is a summary of that work, often conducted under fire:
Read MoreThe GROW Center is safe and continuing our important work of providing the best early childhood development, food support, and adult mentoring, all in the name of our Savior, Jesus!
Read MoreIn recent weeks, we have witnessed the intense suffering of people in the Middle East. We are shocked and deeply grieved by the horrific violence and loss of life in Israel on October 7, 2023. Our grief is only deepened by the continued suffering of an escalating war.
Many innocent people in Gaza have now endured countless days of tragedy with no water, food, or medical supplies. Attempts for people to leave Gaza have been thwarted. There appears to be no safe place to go.
In response to the war that is now expanding into parts of Lebanon, The Outreach Foundation is launching an Emergency Appeal. Our partners in the region will help aid the people in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon. All funds will be used to help the innocent victims of war.
Read MoreAs we seek to engage followers of Christ in His mission in Syria and Lebanon, The Outreach Foundation continues in partnership with the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL). This July three Outreach board members, Nancy Fox, Lois Andrews, and Lisa Culpepper traveled to Beirut to visit partners and attend the annual Women’s Conference in Dhour Choueir, Lebanon.
Read MoreThe Firm Foundation project has proven to be a remarkable initiative since its inception in March, following the devastating earthquake in the region. This program has effectively addressed the pressing need for education among individuals whose schools were either destroyed or repurposed as shelters for the homeless. Extensive efforts have been dedicated to implementing a wide range of activities, resulting in not only the continuation of academic pursuits for these students but also an enhanced educational experience.
Read MoreBelieving that our students have the right to be active members of Lebanese society, Blessed has launched the “I Deserve, and I Can” project, affirming their right to work, earn money, and secure their futures. Blessed School already has many students working as caregivers and office assistants and in data entry and catering.
Knowing that music is a major part of their joy, Blessed School has performed at many big events with famous musicians and singers. A Christmas Medley was published in 2022, enjoy it here:
Read MoreHaigazian University is part of the multicultural mosaic that is Beirut, serving students of diverse backgrounds, preparing them to face 21st-century challenges, as they serve in their communities. It intentionally draws in students from lower economic communities and seeks to prepare them for careers that emphasize service and leadership such as teaching, social work, and management.
Read MoreTogether for the Family’s Executive Director Izdihar Kassis recently shared this news:
Together for the Family currently serves more than 1,700 families who were affected by February’s earthquake. During our visits to devastated areas in Aleppo and Latakia, we noticed that many children have no shoes or toys. So, in addition to providing food and blankets, we decided to provide them with shoes and toys! It was also a great time to share and pray with children and adults.
Read MoreThe Philemon Project GROW Center provides Christian early childhood development programs for underserved and at-risk children in Beirut. Rev. Dr. Robert Hamd, the GROW Center’s founder, recently shared this update:
The ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon has affected the whole population. Those living at an acceptable level previously are now finding it extremely difficult to cover the costs of daily living and the essentials of health and education.
Read MoreWhen the Rev. Sally Azar was ordained on January 22, 2023, by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the Church of the Holy Redeemer, in the Old City of Jerusalem, was packed. Rev. Azar becomes the first Palestinian woman to receive that honor. She joins a small cadre of Protestant women in the Middle East ordained to Word and sacrament which was “founded” in 2017 with the ordination of Rev. Rola Sleiman of Tripoli, Lebanon. This small, but visionary group of women have an important thing in common: they are all graduates of the Near East School of Theology (NEST) in Beirut, which on November 11, 2022, marked its 90th anniversary.
Read MoreFounded by British missionaries in 1868 as the first school for the blind in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region, the Lebanese Evangelical Society decided to expand Blessed School’s mission to receive students with special needs including autism and Down syndrome. Blessed School spreads the Word of God not only to the Lebanese but also to people of many other nationalities who study there and learn and explore the God of Love during daily chapel services.
Read MoreFrom 1975 to 1990, civil war raged in Lebanon, causing enormous destruction. As a result, countless families were torn apart, and many children were forced to search the streets for food and usable materials. Increasing social conflicts and rising criminality among unprotected children eventually led to the establishment of Home of Hope (HOH) in 1999 as the first Lebanese institution to care for street children. HOH is part of the Lebanese Evangelical Society, which runs several schools including one for children with special needs.
Read MoreCrossing the mountains from Latakia brought us to the old city of Hama. A warren of tightly packed streets led us to the unobtrusive front door of the National Evangelical Church, founded in 1869. This was the first visit for all of us.
Stepping through the front door, we entered a courtyard where the ghosts of laughter and children playing seemed to surround us. The church operated a highly respected school here in Hama for many years until it was closed by the government in the late 1960s. The old classrooms are gathering dust today, but it does not take much to imagine this place filled with life.
Read MoreBy Lois Andrews, Trustee-elect, who was in Lebanon this summer and spent two days at Home of Hope
It was my privilege and great honor to spend extra days at the Home of Hope in Beirut, Lebanon during a visit of women from The Outreach Foundation attending the Women’s Conference at Dhour Chouier. This compassionate abode is the home of twenty-four children who reside full-time under the vision and direction of Rev. Linda Maktaby, run by the Lebanese Evangelical Society, and joyfully supported by The Outreach Foundation.
Read MoreThere is a place in Lebanon that always brings calm to my soul and where a woman of faith, who can be found at that sanctuary, has that same effect. Our team went to Hamlin Nursing Home, up in the beautiful pine-covered hills of Hammana and sat under a verdant canopy of green with its Director, Sana Koreh, to learn and reflect and exhale after our long journey here.
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