Pastor of Church in Damascus: 40 Percent of Congregation Has Fled the Country

A Damascus pastor says 40 percent of his congregation has fled the country. Pastor Edward from Damascus paints a sad picture of the situation in the Syrian capital. "The situation is very grim," he says. "There is deep sadness and much stress and anxiety." According to the pastor, approximately 40 percent of the members of his church have left the country since the civil war in Syria started 2 1/2 years ago. Imagine if 4 of every 10 members of your church left in such a short period—a major loss for every congregation. That is the reality churches in Syria now face, as the example from Damascus shows. People that have financial means and contacts abroad often leave the war-torn country. Pastor Edward knows that in his church, some members still are waiting for the opportunity to leave Syria. "They are still trying to find a place to go," he says. However, all the people that left didn't leave the church services empty. "No, we see new people coming to church," Edward says. "Many of the families that we visit and help with a monthly food supply come to our services now." Although there is no fighting going on in the central area of Damascus, in several suburbs fighting is a daily reality. No one can escape the distant sound of explosions and shooting. "It seems that there is no end in sight," Edward says. "Christians are like all other people—concerned for their safety and the future of their children." In a way, life goes on for many people in Damascus. People who work in the public sector still go to work. "But their income is worth less and less as the Syrian pound lost 75 percent of its value, which has caused huge inflation," Edward says. "After 2 1/2 years, most people are suffering economically and are traumatized emotionally." The pastor also mentions a brighter side. He says, "Church people are closer to the Lord and to each other." "The relief work through our church is still going on," Edward continues. "It is becoming more difficult because of the higher risk and the unavailability of materials. In some cases it takes us a couple of weeks to get some of the items for the food packages. "But thank God we have committed people who are still doing the job, and the relief package is still one of the very few good things that many displaced families receive. The visiting teams are still doing their wonderful work in personally touching the pain of many families and offering some physical and emotional support." The pastor is thankful for the support for the relief work through his church in partnership with Open Doors. "Thank you so much for your prayers and concern; we as the church in Syria appreciate your help and support," he says. Pastor Edward wants to stay in Syria. "My wife and I have a deep sense of peace, and we both believe that this peace is a gift from God so we can stay in the country to encourage our people and to relieve some of the suffering," he says. "We strongly see the hand of God in the church and with the church, which makes us want to stay. We believe that God will help us overcome the challenges that come on our way. We have a strong sense of responsibility and see it as a privilege to stay at such times in the country. Although we go through low times and some struggles, we trust the sovereign hand of God and His goodness." Taken from Charisma News Service

Prayer from Within Syria

One of our sisters in Christ in Syria has sent the following prayer concerns. "Appreciate being in your prayers since we choose to stay here in our country and have a lot to do among refugees. We visit, help, support and share the Gospel with them. We have a home bible study once a week in addition to prayer meetings. Our prayer requests are: 1 Pray for the peace of Syria and special prayers of protection for those who hold the name of Christ in Syria and serving him in pure heart. 2 Pray to have courage to continue visiting those refugee families although it is dangerous. 3 Pray to have wisdom how to share our faith. 4 Pray for those who lost family members and for traumatized people as a result of all this violence, killing, bombing, and kidnapping, It is so frightening. Pray for both the children and adults." Additional prayer concerns from our office: 1 Please pray that the USA and other external powers will hold back and not get involved in the conflict there except for humanitarian purposes. There are too many possible unintended consequences. 2 Pray that the evil one and his principalities and powers of destruction, violence and death will be bound and that peace, calm and restoration will come to this conflicted land. Thanks for your prayer support! International Prayer Council