Presbyterian Church of Rwanda - March 2024 Update

Stu Ross, Africa Mission Specialist for The Outreach Foundation, and his wife Annie were recently hosted by Rev. Dr. Pascal Bataringaya, President of the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda (EPR). During Stu’s visit, they were able to see three churches in the region. Gakenke Parish Church was the first they visited. This church has been closed for two years because it cannot meet the government standards for electricity and working toilets. Rev. Pascal noted that getting this church opened was a main priority. Money will be donated, and the church should be finished in the next several months.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMarch 12, 2024EPR, The Presbyterian Church of Rwanda

Musalaha in Israel and Palestine - March 2024

Hiba Allati, Project Manager with Musalaha, updates us on what they are currently going through in the Middle East. Read excerpts from her story below:

Israeli Military raids were a part of the reality I grew up in as a little girl in the West Bank during the Second Intifada. Today, these life-interrupting events continue to traumatize families and seem to be getting worse.

Middle East, Projects, PartnershipThe Outreach FoundationMarch 7, 2024Middle East, Musalaha

Safehouse Ministries - March 2024

The Outreach Foundation has been fueling Christ’s mission among the Persian-speaking community that lives in diaspora and Iran. We have developed several trusted partners and each year we are able to visit them in Europe and Turkey where they are providing incredible life-transforming ministry among Muslims and first-generation Muslim Background Believers. The following stories highlight the work of Safehouse, based in The Netherlands, under the direction of Dariush.

CCAP Zambia Community Schools - February 2024

Challenges start early for children in Zambia. Drinking the water may give you cholera and other diseases. Hanging out on the streets leads to trouble and abuse. Education can be a way out but the government schools are overcrowded and the private ones are beyond what they can ever afford.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 27, 2024CCAP, CCAP Community Schools in Zambia, Zambia

Sharing the Gospel in Pakistan through Social Media: A PAK 7 Story

Forbes (June 2022 and July, 2021) cited recent studies on the increasing state of anger in human society globally, noting that people tend to click on links that contain even violent expressions of anger. We emphasize that point above the others because “clicking” on links is one of the primary social media metrics that indicate interest. It’s like that fish that nibbles on the bait and ultimately, we hope, will take it hook, line, and sinker.

Asia, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 7, 2024Pakistan Partnership, PAK7, Pakistan

Together for the Family — January 2024 Update

Together for the Family cares for Syrian refugees through ministries including baby care for new mothers, medical and dental clinics, and educational classes for children. Executive Director Izdihar Kassis recently shared this news:

• In response to the 6.4 magnitude earthquake in February 2023, we set up three schools and classrooms in the affected areas to provide educational and psychological support to 61 students. This program will continue through 2024.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJanuary 24, 2024Together for the Family, Lebanon

Pakistan Christian Recording Ministries — January 2024 Update

The Outreach Foundation is pleased to announce that on December 14 our partner Pakistan Christian Recording Ministries welcomed a new director, Reverend Akash Emmanuel! Outreach Executive Director Mark Mueller sent a congratulatory letter to Akash and the PCRM board. This is a significant transition as the next generation of Christian men and women begin to step into leadership roles in ministries throughout Pakistan. Rev. Emmanuel, a Presbyterian pastor from Faisalabad, will build on PCRM’s legacy of witness among the majority Muslim population in rural areas of Pakistan. Akash has been with PCRM as an assistant director for several years and has earned the trust of his board and the staff.

Asia, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJanuary 10, 2024Pakistan Christian Recording Ministries, Pakistan

Ukraine Appeal: Small Churches on the Frontline of Relief

A typical day in Eastern Ukraine lately is marked by the sounds of artillery shelling, drones, and even ballistic missiles striking their targets. By the hundreds, civilians and military alike are wounded or killed each week. Adding to this the weather is not as forgiving as last year. Winter has just started to settle in and already temperatures are reaching low 20s. Snow and frozen ground are building where shelter is scarce in war-torn cities. Combined this has created a context of decreasing morale and an increasing sense of isolation. This is precisely where the Ukrainian Evangelical Church is showing up.

CCAP Zambia — Training Pastors at Chasefu Theological College

The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), Synod of Zambia was constituted in 1984 with four ordained ministers, six congregations, and two presbyteries. The church continues to preach the Gospel and provide education, clean drinking water, agricultural services, children's ministry, and many other services. Well-trained ministers are needed to keep these ministries going. Ministers were previously trained in Malawi but in 2007, the church started its own school, Chasefu Theological College, with 16 students.

With support from The Outreach Foundation, Chasefu provides training in diploma and certificate programs. More than 70 ministers have been educated and are currently serving in the CCAP Synod of Zambia, Harare-Zimbabwe, and Livingstonia-Malawi.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJanuary 8, 2024CCAP Zambia, CCAP

The Presbyterian Church in Rwanda (EPR) — Construction of the Temple in Nyarutovu Parish

The Christians of Nyarutovu Parish are looking forward to having a new sanctuary for prayer and worship! According to them, God is responding to their prayers by financial support given through The Outreach Foundation. Church members continue to help with construction by hauling stones, sand, wood, etc. Paint, electricity, water, and installing doors, windows, and toilets are among the tasks needed to complete the church/temple.

Nyarutovu Parish is a good place for evangelization. This temple will help conduct this noble mission of God, evangelize many people for Jesus Christ, and tell many people about the kingdom of God.

Bethlehem Bible College — We Wait in Hope

In our waiting and grief over our tremendous losses, sometimes we cannot help but cry out with the psalmist, “Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:13-14). Our hearts long for the joy and gladness of Christmas and the celebration of our Lord and King. We do live daily in a deep reverence for the wonder that is the Christ Child, that He was given to us here, even in our hometown!

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationDecember 28, 2023Bethlehem Bible College, Bethlehem, Israel, Palestine

Christmas Message from the Middle East Council of Churches and Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees

Their unwavering spirit fuels our determination to stand by them in their time of need.

Excerpts of a letter received from the Middle East Council of Churches and the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees:

Our hearts ache to convey this message during what should be a season of joy and togetherness. Amid strife and sorrow, we reach out to you, dear partners supporters, and friends, with heavy hearts. This Christmas, our usual celebrations are shadowed by turmoil and the tragedy of Gaza.

Israel/Lebanon/Palestine Emergency Relief Appeal — December 2023 Update

The Outreach Foundation has received a tremendous amount of support for the Israel/Lebanon/Palestine Emergency Relief Appeal. Here is the latest news received from two partners there — Nader Abou Amsha, Director of the Middle East Council of Churches Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR), and the Rev. Joseph Kassab, long-time partner in Lebanon and moderator of the Synod of Syria and Lebanon:

Middle East Council of Churches
Unfortunately, we have lost another colleague to the war. She was killed along with her husband and child in an airstrike on their home. In a separate attack, we lost our Center in Al-Daraj — the entire building including the clinic, physiotherapy unit, pharmacy, and dentist clinic — just flattened to the ground.

We continue our work in Gaza. Here is a summary of that work, often conducted under fire:

Refugees, Refuge, Hope — Nasir Church Year End Appeal

For decades, civil wars in South Sudan have forced hundreds of thousands to flee to camps in neighboring Ethiopia. The village of Nasir was particularly affected. But as the conflict has declined and security has returned, the request from these refugees is, “We just want to go back home. Please help us get back to our homeland.”

The Presbyterian Church of South Sudan (PCOSS) is eager to welcome them home. In addition to basic needs, the people greatly need sanctuary, a place to worship. Therefore, a priority is to complete the historical Nasir Church destroyed by war.

Pars Theological Center — Training Underground House Church Leaders

Pars Theological Center is a London-based virtual seminary that uses the internet, satellite TV, and conferences to deliver Farsi-language theological training to Iranian Christians both inside and outside Iran. Classes are taught by well-known Iranian pastors, Bible teachers, and theological instructors.

Europe, Projects, PartnershipThe Outreach FoundationDecember 1, 2023Pars Theological Center, Iranian Diaspora

PEB Celebrates 25 Years of Denationalization of Schools!

December 2, 2023
9:00 AM PST/12:00 PM EST

Join Friends of the Presbyterian Education Board (PEB) for a "Zoom Party" in honor of 25 years since the denationalization of PEB schools in Pakistan. Connect with PEB's Executive Director Veda Gill and other staff members of PEB as they share stories and pictures of the past and dreams for the future. Please join us and meet other PEB supporters from all over the U.S.

Asia, Important News, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationNovember 27, 2023Presbyterian Education Board, PEB, Pakistan

PARS Student Testimonials — Prayerful Support and Encouragement

Hassan and Sara

Hassan, a student at Pars, hails from Abadan, where he had once served in the Iranian police force. Raised in a traditional and devout Muslim family, he underwent a profound transformation when he embraced Christianity. For six months, Hassan fervently prayed for his family, resulting in the conversion of most of his relatives, including his brothers, sisters, son-in-law, and around 30 others.

Europe, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationNovember 20, 2023Pars Theological Center

John McCall — November 2023 Update

For the past month, I have been on the road traveling to churches and conferences all over Taiwan. Thankfully, the transportation here is amazingly convenient.

Taiwan is a small island about the size of Delaware and Maryland combined, but running all the way down the center of the island are tall, rugged mountains. The west coast is mostly a huge megalopolis running from the capital Taipei to another large city in the south called Kaoshiung. In the 1960s, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan started churches in areas that did not have churches, so now there is a church in almost every city neighborhood, town, and village.

Asia, Global Workers, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationNovember 16, 2023John McCall, Taiwan

Partner Updates

Their unwavering spirit fuels our determination to stand by them in their time of need.

December 2, 20239:00 AM PST/12:00 PM EST

December 2, 2023
9:00 AM PST/12:00 PM EST