Partner Updates

Posts in Middle East

Musalaha - A Ministry of Reconciliation - May 2016 Update

Musalaha - A Ministry of Reconciliation - May 2016 Update

Do you like having fun with kids? I do. I love seeing the wonder on children's faces when they encounter something for the first time. One of my favorite recollections of wonder as a child was when I first saw oil poured into water. I kept trying to stir the solution faster and faster to see if the oil would dissolve, yet every time, the little bubbles of oil would push through the water to remerge in its previous state, a layer of oil. You just can't mix oil and water. Many times the same is true of Jews and Arabs, and even Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians. We don't mix. I am not saying that we don't attend each other's congregations or pray together at conferences. Of course we do. But we don't let our guard down, talk about the tough questions and bring each other into our lives.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMay 26, 2016Musahala, Is, Palestine

Syria Emergency Appeal

Syria Emergency Appeal

Despite an attempt at peace talks, war rages in Syria. But, the Presbyterian Church is faithfully bringing spiritual, emotional and physical relief to the people. They need our help.

Please CLICK HERE to learn more about the crisis and access resources to help your congregation better understand the situation in Syria. Together, we can help the Church in Syria to help its people.

Or, CLICK HERE to make an immediate donation to the Syria Emergency Appeal.

Middle East, ProjectsElizabeth CarterMay 19, 2016Syria, Syria Appeal, Refugee crisis

Philemon Project Preschool - May 2016 Update

Philemon Project Preschool - May 2016 Update

Dear friends and supporters of the Philemon Preschool,

The Philemon Project Preschool focuses on the (mostly Muslim) children of low-income immigrant workers and Syrians, providing quality care and an avenue along which Christ may be made known to the children and their parents. The Philemon Preschool is under the auspices of the National Evangelical Church, a sister-denomination to The Outreach Foundation’s principal partner in Lebanon, the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon.

Middle East, Projects, Vulnerable ChildrenElizabeth CarterMay 18, 2016Philemon Project Preschool

Syria Appeal/Refugee Crisis - March 2016 Update

Syria Appeal/Refugee Crisis - March 2016 Update

Located just 20 miles due east of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley stretches for 75 miles and lays claim to the richest agricultural land in the country where wheat, corn, cotton and an array of vegetables flourish. Its vineyards have given rise to a wine industry that is now world renowned. The Bekaa is also now home to over 370,000 of the 1.1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, many of whom have been living in tents in dismal camps for years – and most of them are children. In a country of only four million, the Lebanese public schools are able to accommodate only a fraction of these Syrian refugee children.

Important News, Middle East, Projects, Vulnerable ChildrenThe Outreach FoundationMarch 30, 2016Syria Appeal, Refugee IDP Appeal, Refugee crisis, Syria

Musalaha-A Ministry of Reconciliation-February 2016 Update

Musalaha-A Ministry of Reconciliation-February 2016 Update

Dear friends,

The first day of 2016 brought thirty women from the Bethlehem and Jerusalem areas together for a weekend at the Dead Sea. This was a brand new journey with Musalaha, one of discomfort, new obstacles, and the serious self-examination that comes with the work of reconciling oneself with her “other.”

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMarch 4, 2016Musahala, Israel, Palestine

Refugee/IDP Appeal - February 2016

Refugee/IDP Appeal - February 2016

As this new year begins, The Outreach Foundation celebrates your generosity in responding to our Refugee/IDP (Internally Displaced Person) Appeal. Your gifts of over $99,000 have allowed us to undergird the ministry of our partners in the Middle East as they work to renew hope and healing in Christ’s name, such as the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). The following story was shared by Ms. Wafa Gassous, Director of MECC in Jordan…

Important News, Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 11, 2016Refugee IDP Appeal

Palestinian Bible Society - February 2016 Update

The Palestinian Bible Society is an inter-confessional Christian Society committed to making the Word of God available to Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Here are some prayer requests from the PBS staff:

"Pray for the Palestine Bible Society as it carries the Word of God to our nations, to shine stronger and brighter in all the many dark places and people of our country. Pray for the team spirit to be high and for the unity to be our priority." Nashat Filmon

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 10, 2016Palestinian Bible Society

Evangelical Theological Seminary - February 2016 Update

Evangelical Theological Seminary - February 2016 Update

Dear friends,

The Center for Middle Eastern Christianity held its second international symposium in early December 2015. The theme this year was “Celebrating 150 Years of the Van Dyck Arabic Bible Translation.” In 1865, a team headed by the American-Dutch Bible translator, Van Dyck, finished the full translation of the Arabic Bible. This translation has become the most famous translation used throughout the Middle East. The Coptic Orthodox Church and the Protestant churches in the region and worldwide use the Van Dyck translation.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 4, 2016Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt

Syria Appeal/Refugee Crisis - January 2016 Update

Syria Appeal/Refugee Crisis - January 2016 Update

Even as Syria remains plagued by war and violence, the Church remains…and with hope and confidence prepares new leaders for its future – for God’s future. Your gifts to the Syria Appeal have helped to provide scholarships for some outstanding young adults who have answered a call to ministry….

Important News, Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJanuary 27, 2016Syria Appeal, Syria, Refugee crisis

Iraq Appeal/Refugee Crisis - December 2015 Update

Iraq Appeal/Refugee Crisis - December 2015 Update

In late January of 2014, a native of Mosul was consecrated as the Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk-Sulimaniya. Barely six months later, ISIS would invade his hometown resulting in thousands of Christian families seeking shelter in and help from the churches under his watch. In March of this year, I and a small team from The Outreach Foundation met in Iraq with His Grace Yousif Thomas Mirkis. We were introduced to him by the Rev. Haitham Jazrawi, who pastors the Presbyterian Church in Kirkuk. Both share the common burden of ministering to those whose lives were shattered when their homes, livelihoods and churches – not to mention their peace and security – were violently taken from them.

Important News, Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJanuary 5, 2016Iraq Appeal, Iraq

Syria Appeal - December 2015 Update

Syria Appeal - December 2015 Update

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned….

So begins Isaiah’s poetic, prophetic chapter whose words echo in song and in sermon at this time of the year – and which crescendos to a naming of the when and the what and the Who which Handel set so perfectly to music that now very few of us can read it with our eyes without actually hearing it in our ears:

For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders…

So why, you might ask, does this passage lead me to thoughts of Aleppo? Perhaps, because few places in Syria have been so hard hit for so long, so hammered by violent factions, so deprived of life’s basics, so seemingly stripped of hope and a future – its world-heritage sites decimated, its population significantly reduced…

Important News, Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationDecember 23, 2015Syria Appeal, Syria, Refugee crisis

Iraq Appeal/Refugee Crisis - November 2015 Update

Iraq Appeal/Refugee Crisis - November 2015 Update

Wiggly, giggly and mesmerized by the foreign visitors to their classroom in Erbil, Iraq, these precious little four and five year-olds seemed very typical for their age. But they were not. When our small Outreach Foundation team visited them in March, it had been about eight months since they and their families had run for their lives as ISIS marched upon their villages in the Nineveh Plain. 200,000 of these Assyrian Christians fled from their small, once peaceful enclaves: Bartella, Bashiqa, Batnaya, Karamlis. They found haven in safer towns deeper in the Kurdish-controlled areas of Northern Iraq and the big city of Erbil. Their young priests like Father Yacoub, whom you see here, shepherded and encouraged them along the road. And now those young priests, with no resources, work hard to create some sense of normalcy for these traumatized families. They have started a few kindergartens/preschools in which to nurture these tender young lives.

Middle East, Projects, Vulnerable ChildrenThe Outreach FoundationNovember 17, 2015Iraq Appeal, Refugee crisis

Musalaha-A Ministry of Reconciliation-November 2015 Update

Musalaha-A Ministry of Reconciliation-November 2015 Update

Musalaha’s Spring Youth Desert Encounter achieved another year of taking 30 Palestinian and Israeli teenagers and youth leaders to the desert as they embarked on a reconciliation journey. Few from this equally mixed group of guys and girls were acquainted with each other before boarding the bus, yet by the time we reached Chai Bar resort, where we were staying the first night, this group of youth were carelessly chattering away. It was clear to me that some of the girls regarded the prospect of spending three nights under the stars on desert dunes and going four days without a shower with apprehension, but that adolescent burst of energy was not lacking. The eight counselors were also not short on energy as many of them had participated as youths. It was so exciting to see a new generation of leaders coming up through Musalaha’s programs.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationNovember 4, 2015Musahala, Israel, Palestine

Syria Appeal - September 2015 Update

Syria Appeal - September 2015 Update

It certainly isn’t any coverage of Syria which you would see on CNN or read even in the New York Times. Bad news seems to garner viewers and readers – and there is certainly plenty of that to go around where Syria is concerned. But we Christians should seek an additional narrative, namely, what is happening with Christ’s Church in that place. And that has been the story which we at The Outreach Foundation have consistently and joyfully told over the past three years...

Projects, Middle EastThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 28, 2015Syria Appeal, Syria

Update for the Iraq Appeal: Solidarity with Christians of Iraq - September 2015 Update

Update for the Iraq Appeal: Solidarity with Christians of Iraq - September 2015 Update

Most of these Christians fled ISIS last summer with little of their worldly possessions. Most were middle-class. Finding no safe haven in Iraq, they made their way to Lebanon and headed to Beirut where they hoped that the bigger city might hold more options for their survival. With so many displaced Syrians “in line” ahead of them, their situation grew quite grim…but they knew that fellow Christians would help them...

Projects, Middle EastThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 24, 2015Iraq Appeal

Syria Appeal - August 2015 Update

Syria Appeal - August 2015 Update

At the end of July, seven women from Presbyterian churches around the U.S. made a unique mission-vision journey to the Middle East to meet, learn about and build personal relationships with women from Presbyterian churches in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Led by Marilyn Borst, The Outreach Foundation’s Associate Director for Partnership Development, they spent a week at the conference center of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon at Dhour Schweir in the mountains north of Beirut. A hundred sisters came together from difficult places for a time of learning, rest, fellowship and exuberant worship.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationAugust 20, 2015Syria Appeal

Update for the Iraq Appeal: Solidarity with Christians in Iraq - August 2015

Update for the Iraq Appeal: Solidarity with Christians in Iraq - August 2015

Last summer, a fast moving disaster struck Iraq: the Islamic State set its sights upon making Mosul its capital. Once home to the highest concentration of Christians in the country, Mosul and the dozens of Christian villages in the surrounding Nineveh Plain were terrorized, as was the vulnerable Yazidi minority. Within weeks, your generous response to our Iraq Appeal (to date, over $600,000!) allowed us to quickly send resources to the region: to the Presbyterian churches in Kirkuk and Baghdad who began to minister to their displaced neighbors and to partners in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon who, within months, were called upon to serve, in Christ’s name, refugees who had fled Iraq.

Projects, Middle East, Important NewsThe Outreach FoundationAugust 13, 2015Iraq Appeal, Iraq

Syria Appeal - July 2015

Syria Appeal - July 2015

The news media, this week, gave much airtime to the tragic statistics: 4 million Syrians are now refugees in other countries and 7.6 million are internally displaced. With a pre-war population of 22 million that makes for half of the population having left their homes and livelihood – the equivalent of about 150 million U.S. citizens, if this was our story. So who has stayed? Well, the Church has stayed. Or, at least, a substantial portion of the Church – still committed to its work and witness and worship, its mission and ministry.

Projects, Middle EastThe Outreach FoundationJuly 16, 2015Middle East, Projects, Important News, Syria Appeal