Haigazian 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 MorePars Student Spotlight
Reza became a Christian in 2004 when he learned about Jesus through his father. When his father initially shared the Gospel with him, Reza rejected it. However, he did not want to ignore his father, so he decided to do some more of his own research. He wanted to compare and contrast the Bible with the Koran. This took him about a year, and during this time of seeking, Reza had a dream. In his dream, there were two groups of angels, and they were singing, “Arise, this is the time to worship Jesus.” Jesus was standing between these two groups of angels. He reached out his hand and invited Reza to worship. Reza woke up from this dream with peace in his heart that Jesus is the true way.
Read MoreIt was an honor to welcome Shapoor Ahmadi to the Outreach office in Franklin, TN today. Shapoor fled from Iran when he was 22 years old. He sought asylum in England and waited for two years for his case to be heard. He was provided a one-room apartment and 35 pounds ($45/month for all living expenses). He could not work during this time. He knew no one and had to wait for his case to be processed. At the end of the two years, his case was denied. Shapoor appealed and waited another two years. By the grace of God, his case was overturned.
Read MoreOn February 6, 2023, the world woke to the news of a devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey. We all watched reports from the field indicating the region was in dire need of help. The Outreach Foundation responded quickly (within 24 hours) by establishing the Middle East Earthquake Relief Appeal which has generated widespread support from our donor base.
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 MoreOn February 6, an earthquake in Turkey and Syria measuring 7.8 magnitude was followed later that same day by an aftershock of 7.5.
The numbers are staggering:
the area of destruction is equal to the size of the state of Texas
the death toll in Turkey and Syria has reached 46,000
5.3 million have lost their homes
12.4 million people in Syria are now food insecure
The mobilization of the Church in Syria was swift.
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 MoreIn November, a team from The Outreach Foundation made a trip back to Egypt (the second one in 2022) and traveled to the south of the country, not far from the border with Sudan. This southernmost Presbytery of the Synod of the Nile is geographically large, but the Presbyterian churches are few — but not for long, as a vibrant church planting initiative is on the rise here. Rev. Kimmy Briggs (on her fourth trip with Outreach), reflects on a day of visits to a country rich in culture and history — and in opportunities for the Good News!
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 MoreThank you to our friends with The Antioch Partners who are living and working with Shapoor in the UK. This story is just one example of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit among the Persian-speaking community, and we are glad to share it with you. Also, thank you to the congregations and donors who are making stories like these possible!
When we first met Mohammed, Parham, Soheil, Pouya, Artum, and Jabal back in February, their warmth, friendship, and desire to learn more about Christianity and Christ were evident. Soheil was already a believer and had fled Iran after his house church had been broken up by the religious police.
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 MoreSharona Island is a medium-sized village in Upper Egypt that is actually an island in the Nile River. With a majority Christian population, the Presbyterian Church was established in 1898. The ministry of this church grew rapidly in recent years under the leadership of Rev. Mahrous Ayed, a graduate of the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo (ETSC), an Outreach partner.
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.
Read MoreOur visit to the Philemon Project GROW Center, which provides Christian early childhood development programs for underserved and at-risk children in Beirut, was a reminder of the redemptive ministry to which Christ calls us when we pour ourselves out to serve “the least of these.” With 80 children ages 1-4 under their care, many of them children of domestic workers from Ethiopia and Sudan, they also focus on parent education and embrace the welfare of the entire family.
Read MoreBlessed School, tucked away in a poor area of Beirut and founded by English missionaries in 1868 as a school for the blind, now primarily serves those on the autism spectrum and with mental challenges. Our short visit with Rev. Linda Maktaby, who directs this faithful ministry, and Tony Haddad, who runs the Lebanese Evangelical Society which oversees this tender place, was a reminder of Christ’s call to serve “the least of these” whom He loves.
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