Good Shepherd Schools: Spaces for Hope

A ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Baghdad, the Good Shepherd School began with a vision to create a kindergarten to serve the community and provide a place where the Good News could be shared with children and their families, especially those who are not (yet) of “the household of faith.” The Good Shepherd School (which now has 94 children in its kindergarten and another 16 in the nursery) was beloved by the families whom it served and soon, those families asked Rev. Farouk Hammo, the pastor of the Presbyterian Church under which this ministry falls, to extend the school into elementary grades. The hard work of securing government permission, building out more classrooms (with gifts from The Outreach Foundation) and hiring qualified teachers was completed several years ago. Gradually adding classes, the elementary school now goes through grade 4 and has 60 little ones! And with a vision to serve autistic children – for whom few services exist in Iraq – the Good Shepherd School has begun preparing classrooms for this purpose. They are working with another Outreach partner, the Blessed School in Beirut, to train teachers for these special needs children. Outreach is honored to be undergirding this new endeavor, as well.

Iraq, over the past few months, has experienced a lot of protests, political upheaval, and even military action, as we all know from our news. The schools have continued on, despite it all, as Rev. Farouk reports that:

…during the last five months, even when most of the Baghdad schools stopped and closed their doors, we did not. The Ministry of Education, which supervises our schools, was happy for our action in the midst of all the difficulties and challenges, the unrest nationwide and lack of security. However, our prayers and your intercessions have made a difference. Our Good Shepherd staff are doing well in spreading the gospel among the kids and their families.

One of the spiritual disciplines taught at the school is prayer, which is modeled when food is served. Thanks is given along with remembering those who are hungry. A recent “Pizza Day” (captured in these photos) gave ample opportunity for this. Rev. Farouk reported that after the prayer, the kids “were hilarious” as they jumped up and down and sang and that for those who come from poorer families, “fast food is not within their reach.”

*Rev. Samer Karam, pictured here with his family, will pastor the new church in Erbil.*

Rev. Farouk asked for some specific prayers: for the license to operate the autism program and for permission, sought by the Presbyterian Church, to open a new church in Erbil. This will be the first Presbyterian Church to be founded since the 1950s in Iraq. The Synod of the Nile, at the request of Kirkuk Presbyterian Church, has sent a pastor, Rev. Samer Karam, to head up that expansion of ministry. Through your gifts, a car and a stipend have been provided for Rev. Samer.

In Iraq, the Light shines in the darkness, my friends. Thanks for holding the candle with us and with our family-by-faith there!

Joyfully,

Marilyn Borst
Associate Director for Partnership Development

Iraq Appeal - March 2020 Update