Syria Lebanon Partnership - December 2020 Update

Rev. Rola Sleiman (rt), Tripoli, Lebanon, with her sister, Reem, and elder, Paul

Rev. Jake Sabbagh, Fairouzeh, Syria with wife, Grace, and daughter, Celine

The author with Rev. Rabih Taleb, pastor in Aalma Ech-chaab, Lebanon, and Rev. Elias Jabbour, pastor in Yazdia, Syria

Rev. Joseph Kassab with a child named Christian whose parents are members of the church in Nabek, Syria

Arise, shine, for your light has come,                     

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

Isaiah 60:1

It is close to impossible, for many of us, to read this opening verse from Isaiah 60 and NOT hear Handel’s “Messiah” with its light and lilting chorus repeating those words in response to the alto’s aria of “Oh Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion”. [For all you choristers, I just implanted an “earworm” -- you’re welcome!]

Standing alone, the verse seems carefree, hopeful, and almost breezy, doesn’t it? But then the following verse grounds us in the context:

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples…

In this seemingly counter-intuitive life of faith (be it for 8th century BCE Israelites or 21st century Christians) we are told that, when oppressive darkness weighs us down, we are to arise…

I heard a very real echo of these words a few weeks ago when partners of the National Evangelical (Presbyterian) Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL) gathered on a Zoom call with NESSL pastors and elders to be updated on the extraordinary year through which the Synod’s 40 churches had just passed:  weighed down by collapsed economies, political instability, and the pandemic. Syria has the added burden of post-war recovery and Lebanon, the August 4 port explosion. Some of the pastors of those churches, seen here, “put a face on” those who are called to lead in the midst of this turmoil…

Rev. Joseph Kassab (NESSL’s General Secretary) “set the stage” for our conversation with this reflection:

A perfect analogy of the current position of the Church in Syria and Lebanon would be that of a boxing game, during which the church has to face a giant boxer with the confirmed awareness of the loss of every round under the repeated punches of its contender. The Church only hopes to survive each round without losing by knockout. At every loss comes a dose of strength that pushes us back up to stand again, that which is represented by our family-by-faith shouting “GET UP! GET UP!”

“GET UP!” says Isaiah…and get up we must. And we can help others to do the same---this has been the effect of your generous gifts this year, supporting the Church in Syria and Lebanon. They still need us. Together, we can do this…for our Light has come, yet again, in Bethlehem…

Marilyn Borst

Associate Director for Partnership Development

Read more about the Syria Lebanon Partnership HERE.

THE NEED

The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts totaling $50,000 to continue its support of our Presbyterian-family-of-faith in Syria and Lebanon during this difficult time. A small portion of this fund will assist related ministries in the region which care for refugees and other vulnerable segments of the society.