We tend to pray hardest for those people and situations with whom we have a personal connection. It’s only natural.
In spring 2017, I was blessed to visit Lebanon and Syria, and I still have prayer partners living there. And they are shaken today.
Not only are they our siblings as God’s children, they are also our denominational siblings: Najla and Rola and Hala and Hadi and Sanah. And there are many more.
How many of us realize that there are Presbyterian Protestants in Lebanon and Syria? And being The Church there is not easy sometimes.
Our clergywomen colleagues have struggled to be ordained and called to professional ministry positions in countries with limited opportunities. Our congregations in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL) deal with being Protestant Christian minorities in countries with a long history of civil war. There are more refugees in Lebanon per capita than any other country in the world.
And today they are grieving deep loss. Please pray for this beautiful country and for the individual friends who live there today.
If so moved, please consider making a donation:
- here for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in Syria and Lebanon, or
- here to the Near East School of Theology in Beirut which suffered damage yesterday, or
- here to support Presbyterian Mission Co-Workers Scott and Elmarie Parker who have served in Lebanon since 2013.
Thank you.
Images from top to bottom: The Rev. Rola Sleiman, and The Rev. Najla Kassab and Hala Bitar (who’s been ready to be ordained for several years.)
A Church for Starving Artists 
Thank you, Jan, for lifting these dear sisters and brothers in Christ up. These are friends who have endured so much for their entire lives. FYI, The Outreach Foundation will also be sending out an emergency appeal to support those impacted by this (www.theoutreachfoundation.org).
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