Estimates are that more than one million people are currently displaced in Lebanon. Most are from southern Lebanon, having been forced to flee the latest hostilities. Many went to Beirut, but 50 miles north, people in the town of Tripoli saw waves of displaced people arrive.

The National Evangelical Church of Tripoli, one of the churches in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), sought ways to offer relief. At the same time, the Compassion Protestant Society (CPS), the diaconal arm of NESSL, discerned how local churches could respond meaningfully to the growing humanitarian needs of the crisis.

Lebanon, a country that has endured armed conflict and hostilities for three generations, experienced a sharp intensification of violence in the past two months. Beirut and other parts of the country experienced devastating strikes and intensified military activity, including repeated evacuation orders and widening geographic impact. It has triggered large-scale displacement across Lebanon.

Despite the difficult circumstances, Compassion Protestant Society, the diaconal arm of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), has courageously responded to the crisis in a manner that is both operationally realistic and faithful to its calling.

In the early hours of March 2, countless residents in southern Lebanon were told to evacuate. Within hours, highways jammed as people fled.

Early estimates were that more than 50,000 people were displaced in one day, and that number rises with each day as evacuation orders expand.

Where do those internally displaced people go? The simple answer, wherever they can find shelter.

Paul’s words to the church in Corinth echo true in this heavy and uncertain moment as war once again casts a long shadow over the Middle East. Violence, fear, and instability have a way of affecting everyone – families, churches, ministries, and the most vulnerable in communities. No one remains untouched.

In such circumstances, it would be easy to despair and to give up hope. And yet, our partners throughout the Middle East are responding differently. Below is a brief update on our partners who find themselves in the midst of uncertainty and upheaval.