Your gifts to the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal are bringing hope…to Iraq

Thanks to your gifts for Outreach’s COVID-19 Emergency Appeal we have been able to send $5000 to the Presbyterian Church in Iraq. 

Three faithful Presbyterian congregations in Iraq - in Basra, Baghdad, and Kirkuk - give witness to the Good News in a country beset with much instability and internal strife, as well as outside pressures from powerful neighbors who aim to control Iraq’s destiny. Over the years, these three congregations have built effective preschool and kindergarten ministries which attract many non-Christians. In compelling and contextual ways, these schools have brought their students and the families of those students into a knowledge of the One who is Salt and Light. 

The recent country-wide protests, which preceded the current pandemic, put tremendous financial pressure on families and institutions, with many jobs suspended and periodic curfews enforced. As the pandemic hit, Iraq went into a full-blown shut down, like most of the world, and the three congregations were forced to stop operations at their schools, leaving a total of 80 teachers without income. Your gifts to the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal allowed us to quickly wire funds that could be used to make a small gift of encouragement to each of those dedicated teachers, many of whom are church members, and, in so doing, reinforce the commitment of the three churches to demonstrate their care for and commitment to those teachers.

This word comes from Rev. Farouk Hammo, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Baghdad and Chairman of the National Evangelical Churches in Iraq: 

We are living in uncertain times as a “micro virus” attacks mankind, world-wide, and is causing much disturbance and bringing the world to a stand-still. Our churches are standing in firm faith, as usual…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. May the Almighty bless you richly always…