Christmas Appeal
The Middle East, wracked with violence
As Christmas approaches, Christians around the world are beginning to turn their thoughts to Bethlehem and to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. How sad it is that the Holy Land, where the Prince of Peace lived His earthly life, died and rose again, is now wracked by terrible violence and extreme suffering. Worse still, the violence and suffering are rippling out from the centre of action to affect the whole region.
News from Lebanon speaks of deepening hardship and growing fear. Some parents dare not send their children to school in case they never see them again.
Our Christian brothers and sisters are in the midst of it all, trying to survive.
And on earth, peace?
Many people love the old Christmas carol “It came upon a midnight clear”. It is a meditation about the angels who sang to the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” (Luke 2:14). How tragically apt now are the lines:
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring; –
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!
A Christmas gift for suffering believers in the Middle East
Barnabas Aid are so grateful to the Lord for our project partners across the region, enabling us to get help to suffering Christians. We have channels to send financial gifts for aid in the Holy Land, Lebanon and elsewhere. We are also funding interactive events for traumatised Christian children and young people in the Holy Land, where they can “escape the sorrow and focus on the love of Christ for them”, say our project partners. Through our food.gives programme, we can send containers of food, blankets and other items donated by our supporters, even to Syria.
Please prayerfully consider whether you could give an extra gift this Christmas to our Middle East Emergency Fund to help our brothers and sisters at this terrible time?
Above all, please pray. Ask the Lord Jesus to restore peace to the region where He was born and to comfort, strengthen and help all who are suffering there, especially His own followers.
