Update from the Evangelical Seminary of Theology, Matanzas, Cuba

To SET partners and friends.

Dear brothers and dear sisters in Christ. “May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”. (2 Peter 1,2) We hope you are bearing up in spite of the manifold challenges that we all are facing with the new Coronavirus, COVID-19. We are reminded just how interconnected we are, our shared humanity and our responsibility for one another’s well-being. May the Spirit of life continue to breathe life into our every effort to affirm life in abundance for all!

As we address the impact of this new pandemic, we decided to close our Seminary as of yesterday (the campus in Matanzas and other related locations) until Tuesday, April 21, when we plan to meet again to assess the situation in the country and the Seminary. The Cuban authorities have ordered to close all schools and universities during this period and are urging people to stay at home in order to try to prevent the spreading of the virus.

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Dear Partners and Praying Friends,

I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones safe and secure in God’s love and care for us in this broken and health-challenged world. Who could have guessed that a month ago church doors would be closed with worship moved online, public schools shut down with parents becoming classroom monitors, and our nursing homes closed to family visitors? This COVID-19 pandemic has upended all that we regularly depend upon and gives us one more opportunity to trust in the Lord with all your heart. (Proverbs 3:5)

Just last week, Jim [Rector of FCC] and Beth Tebbe were ready to fly back to the US for our Spring FFCC board meeting; but on Monday Jim decided not to come. Good thing – Universities were closed by the government, and Pakistan closed its borders with Iran and Afghanistan to do its own work to flatten the curve of their citizens catching the coronavirus. With only a few hours warning, last weekend Pakistan also shut down all international flights. Jim and I have been in regular conversation; and he shared that while Chicagoland is smaller than Lahore in population (10 million vs. 14 million), it has 1,000 ventilators. Lahore has 40! Fighting the coronavirus will be a very different affair over there, so we need to pray.

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Taiwan has always been a mask-wearing culture. If people have a cold or are concerned about catching a cold, they will wear masks. So, this pandemic has just increased the number of people wearing masks in public to around 95% of the population. When you are in a public space and everyone is wearing a mask, you only see the eyes. We tend to study the mouth and its expressions, but with everyone's mouth covered, you learn to study eyes. And eyes communicate a lot. They communicate fear when someone close to you coughs. They communicate a smile when the smile lines show at the edges of the eyes. They communicate a greeting. We are learning to read eyes here. And it is wonderful how many eyes respond to a smile with another smile. In this age of fear, the eyes communicate that we are one family on this earth. The eyes make a connection one-to-the-other. I have been grateful for the many times each day, I see eyes which smile at me.

I have always liked a simple song by John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland where I have been an Associate Member for 35 years. Its words say "Don't be afraid, God's love is stronger, God's love is stronger than my fear. Don't be afraid, and I have promised, promised always to be near." (you can listen to it online) That is how I am seeking to accompany the Taiwanese people and the people of the world, as we together rely on God's strong and tenacious love and lean into God's promise always to be near.

Prayerfully,

John McCall

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Receive Christian greetings from Nairobi, Kenya.

The coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the entire world, and we are all gripped by its impact. Our church is responding to both the needs of their members spiritually and physically and seeking to cooperate with the strong measures taken to slow the spread of the virus to better care for the afflicted.

We are currently slow in our daily businesses and actually closed down all churches on Sunday and most of them were able to stream online services while the Church TV was able to air five services on Sunday i.e Children’s, English, Kiswahili, Kikuyu and Youth services. We are continually encouraging our members to “shelter in place” as we put our trust in God that the pandemic will finally slow down.

I would like to encourage you all as our partners during this time and reassure you of our prayers during this difficult time.

As people we are confident in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we proclaim that hope is the antidote to fear. Our prayer for the people of Kenya and the global community comes from Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Hope is not dependent on our circumstances; it is based on the faithfulness of God.

Thank you and God bless,

Best Regards,

Rev. Peter Kaniah,

Secretary General, Presbyterian Church of East Africa

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From Rev. Farouk Hammo, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Baghdad and on behalf of Rev. Haitham Jazrawi, Pastor, Presbyterian Church in Kirkuk, and Dr. Zuhair Fathallah, Elder, Presbyterian Church in Basrah

Greetings in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,

We are living in uncertain times as a “micro virus” attacks mankind, worldwide, is causing much disturbance and bringing the world to a stand-still. Our churches are standing in firm faith, as usual; however, our financial situations have been hit hard.

Our three church-run preschools and the one elementary school have been closed since mid-February which means no school fees are being paid by parents. At the same time, we have staff who need to be supported by their salaries: 30 staff in both Kirkuk and Baghdad and 20 staff in Basrah.

Also, many church families have lost their employment which, in turn, means that our church's income from tithes and offerings---which form a good part of our support---has been almost lost, as well. Yet, all our three churches feel compelled to keep our ministries running and pay their pastors, not to mention the need for fuel which runs the generators. It's a huge challenge that we are facing!

On behalf of the three congregations and their leadership, I lift up our needs to our friends at The Outreach Foundation--- first of all, we need your prayers and supplications for protection and wisdom to survive and minister during this hard time, and, secondly, we need your financial support to help us survive during this hard time. Thank you.

May the Almighty bless you richly always, Amen.

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Our seminary partner in Matanzas reports:

Given the epidemiological situation facing our country today, the management of the Evangelical Theology Seminary in Matanzas organized a conference with the invited doctors Dr. María Teresa Dihigo Faz, specialist in the first degree in Hygiene and Epidemiology, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences and Professor Dr. Leovaldo Núñez Valdés, second degree specialist in Hygiene and Epidemiology, Master in Infectious Diseases and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the city. During the conference, professors, students, and the seminary community exchanged various criteria about the COVID-19 coronavirus and the main measures to take into account to counteract it and prevent its spread.

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Bethlehem Bible College

#15thdayunderquarantine #StaystrongBethlehem #Coronavirus #Covid19 We bring you special greetings from the Holy Land and pray that you are all keeping safe in light of the Covid-19 pandemic that has hit the world in a way that none of us expected.

Bethlehem has not been spared this calamity, as you probably know. So far, over 40 cases have been reported in Palestine. When things happen globally, we tend to think that the problem is far from us. That illusion has been shattered. Several of the local cases are people we know personally, including one of our dear staff and a few of our graduates. That’s how close it is to us! We praise the Lord that they are all recuperating. Most of the staff and faculty of BethBC have been working from home or quarantine due to the commands of both governments. We are trying as much as possible to continue with the semester and deliver online classes to our amazing students who have been very cooperative.

Bethlehem has probably been one of the hardest-hit cities in terms of lockdown. Most of the entrances to towns within the Bethlehem governate have been closed by the Israeli military.

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Dear Brethren in Christ,

Please do receive the best greetings from the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda (EPR)/Kigali). I would like to give you an update on the situation in the EPR and in Rwanda in general at this time when the world is facing the pandemic of Coronavirus.

As you know, the EPR is in partnership with many Churches and Christian organizations around the world and in many countries where this pandemic has paralyzed life at all levels. We lift you in our prayers. […]

Dear brethren and friends, our faith in God does not shelter us from trials but reassures us that God Himself accompanies us. Consequently, even in the present time of distress, the Lord says: "Behold, I am with you all the days, unto the end of the world (Mt 28:20)."

May the Lord be with you, keep you and bless you.

With my best regards,

Rev. Dr. Pascal BATARINGAYA, EPR President

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From one of our partners in Egypt, the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo:

We want you to know that we are praying for you as you and your communities go through the stress and challenges of the coronavirus. May God guide you with wisdom, peace, and strength in the midst of these difficult times.

Here at ETSC, we are striving to be as faithful and proactive as we can in facing COVID-19. Last Friday, we sent our residential students home and announced a one-week vacation followed by three weeks of online learning for all of our students. Currently, we are working diligently to get all of our courses ready to finish the term online (though we have not communicated this to our students yet). In addition, we are taking unprecedented measures to work from home and reduce social interaction to ensure the safety and health of our seminary and the wider community. Please pray for us as we strive to reflect Christian faithfulness in the midst of a dynamic, confusing and chaotic time.

Rev. Atef Gendy, Ph.D.
President

Click here to read a Statement from the presidency of the evangelical community of Egypt

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The three schools that The Outreach Foundation partners with: Sureste (Tabasco), San Pablo (Yucatan) and Berea (Chiapas) will temporarily discontinue its classes following the directives of the General Assembly of The National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.

From Don and Martha Wehmeyer, serving with The Antioch Partners in the city of Merida, Yucatan: “It is said that the coronavirus does not do well in hot countries; time will tell. We have always prayed for the sick and health care workers. The church in Mexico continues to do so. We are sure that, all over the world, followers of Christ are praying for an end to the virus.

From Todd and Maria Luke, serving as mission staff in Xpujil, Campeche, “Everyone in Xpujil is fine, but they are already closing all the schools. I was going to lead a group from Memphis and Arkansas State students this weekend, but it was canceled. We are praying for you and all our brothers and sisters in every corner of the world.”

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The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has suspended church services and banned all church-related travel. In addition, all Presbyterian schools are closed down indefinitely. These decisions come after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo announced that all public gatherings, including conferences, workshops, funerals, festivals, political rallies, sporting events and religious activities, such as services in churches and mosques, are to be suspended for the next four weeks.

After the address by the President, the official Facebook account for the Presbyterian Church of Ghana posted, "let's all keep calm and continue to pray to the God of heaven until something happens. Jesus is still on the throne. It shall come to pass.”

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Pastor Roy Soto from Shalom Community Church canceled the “Servants Summit” scheduled for this week with participants from 11 countries. He reflects, “whether we like it or not, we depend on each other, the rich depend on the poor, the one who discriminates depends on the discriminated against, the fierce oppressor on the migrant, the religious extremist on the liberal. The positive side of COVID 19 is that we all need each other, united in loving solidarity.” He also calls for pastors and priests in the country to cancel gatherings and to focus on worshiping at homes with families and smaller groups to prevent possible transmission. The country has also closed its borders to foreign citizens and non-residents.

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The Christian organization with which The Outreach Foundation has been partnering - Amity Foundation - reports that as of March 12 it has distributed:

470 tons of disinfection supplies (disinfectant, hand sanitizer, etc.); 1,000 sets of powered air-purifying respirators (with accessories); 41,400 protective face shields; 14,000 pairs of goggles; 35,979 coveralls; 18,000 isolation gowns; 33,400 KN95 and N95 masks; 470,000 pairs of disposable inspection gloves; 55,000 pairs of shoe covers; 46 humidified high-flow nasal cannula devices; 250 air sterilizers; 23 ventilators; 250 air sterilizers; 50 patient monitors; 60 oximeters; 75 syringe pumps and infusion pumps; 10,000 coronavirus nucleic acid detection reagents; 4,000 bottles of compound iodine cotton swabs; 10,000 virus sampling test tubes; 66,000 comfort pants; 1,157 heating blankets; 130,000 meals to front-line medical workers and 8,400 packages of instant food (instant noodles, instant rice, and instant porridge).

The supplies were delivered to over 300 hospitals, medical centers, and more than 100 communities and township-level organizations in 14 cities, one autonomous prefecture and three counties in Hubei and Jiangsu Province

"We thank you again for all the support from The Outreach Foundation…Please take precautions against the pandemic by wearing masks in public areas and washing hands more often. If possible, try to stay out of the public places as much as you could."

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The number of new cases has decreased significantly over the four weeks of isolation imposed by the government. Churches continue holding services online. They believe that the positive trends are due to their adherence to emergency measures. In addition to the standard recommendations, they strongly encourage the use of masks anytime that we need to go out. They also remind us not to believe every piece of information that we see on social media.

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Rev. Joao Luiz Furtado from the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil calls its congregations to prayer, calm, and following the recommendations of the health care system. Many congregations have decided to discontinue its public services temporarily. Brazilian missionaries serving in other countries are concerned about the impact that the devaluation of the Brazilian currency will have on the support they receive. A congregation that received support through The Outreach Foundation has postponed its organizing date from march to the second half of the year.

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