Electric Generator and Distribution Board Needed!

We received some encouraging news from our partners in Iraq this week – the church in Erbil is growing! As a result, they have outgrown their meeting space. These are the kinds of challenges we love being part of at The Outreach Foundation!

This church began as a joint venture between the Presbyterian Church in Kirkuk, Iraq, and the Synod of the Nile in Egypt. Pastor Samer was sent to Kirkuk in 2019 to help pastor the church there. His church began visiting families in Erbil who had been displaced by insecurities from other regions of Iraq. This outreach initiative led to Pastor Samer planting a church in Erbil in April of 2021. They just celebrated their third anniversary last weekend.

The church in Erbil then formed a partnership with Life Agape (Cru) and has been sharing space with them since then. However, over the past year, they have been experiencing growth and needed to relocate to a bigger space. Their heart's desire was to buy a property for their church, but real estate prices are extremely high in this region (think NYC prices). They found a building they would love to purchase, but don’t have the funds to acquire it at this time. The purchase price will be $550,000. The landlord has graciously agreed to allow them to rent-to-purchase over the next two years. The church believes this is the Lord’s provision for them.

They are expected to sign the lease for this property this week! When they do so, they will begin some basic renovations to enable them to occupy this two-story building. The extra space will allow them to expand their children’s ministry, as well as their adult discipleship ministries. It will also create more space on Sunday mornings to accommodate the growth they have been experiencing.

At present, they have around 50 people worshipping in their weekly service. They have also started a Friday “Sunday School” serving 40-50 children. This church is also actively involved in caring for about 20 Syrian refugee families in their city. Beyond engaging their local community, they have been reaching out to other cities in the Kurdistan region. This led them to plant a church in Duhok recently, which is about 60 miles north of Erbil. In two weeks, they will receive a pastor from the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo to lead this new church plant.

We believe the Lord is actively moving in this region of Iraq, and we are thrilled to stand with our partners there as they press forward into all that God is calling them to do. They urgently need $18,000 to purchase an electric generator with a distribution board and fuel tank for their new meeting space. Would you consider investing in what God is doing in this part of the world with a donation towards this cause? As always, we are so grateful for your partnership and generosity as we seek to fuel the global mission of Christ around the world together.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the mission and ministry of the Iraq Partnership. All gifts of any size are welcome to assist the Erbil Presbyterian Church as we help them purchase a generator and distribution board. You may make a gift in one of three ways: send a check to The Outreach Foundation; make an online gift at www.theoutreachfoundation.org

Iraq Partnership Update May 2024