Pastors and evangelists

“I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge” – Jeremiah 3:15

Your sponsorship of a pastor or evangelist through Living Streams will help them to build God’s Kingdom in places of persecution and pressure round the world.

Thanks to donors’ gifts, Barnabas supports 40 church planters working to establish and maintain congregations on Java, Indonesia’s largest island.

These pioneering pastors often experience intimidation and hostility from extremists among the Muslim-majority population, as well as from followers of traditional religious practices.

The financial aid given through Barnabas helps to meet the pastors’ practical needs. Equally important to the pastors is the knowledge that Christians from other continents are praying for them.

“There are many examples of pastors who are able to stay on and hold on in an utterly hostile environment because of the sponsorships,” explained our project partner.

Great Answer to Prayer

Regular giving has also been crucial in Algeria, where the authorities have closed down many churches, leaving the small Christian community in desperate need of pastoral care. In 2023, Barnabas provided financial support for 30 pastors.

“The support we are receiving from Barnabas is a great answer to prayer,” said Pastor Ahmed following the closure of his church. “We have started six house groups and visited many believers for pastoral care, training and discipleship. Thank you.”

Project references: 00-477
(Pastor support fund); 00-478 (Evangelist support fund)

Family feeding

“He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry” – Psalm 146:7

“The happiness we felt was indescribable,” said 71-year-old Christian widow Khursheed from Pakistan as she recalled the moment her family received their first monthly food parcel.

Khursheed relies on her son, but his work is irregular and he struggles to support her along with his wife and four-year-old son with the little he earns. “I was deeply grateful to God for this gift,” continued Khursheed. “This lifeline of assistance is not just about food; it is about the power of faith to overcome adversity.”

Pakistan’s Christians are an impoverished and marginalized minority. Their situation has been made worse by soaring inflation that has pushed up food prices.

Ray of hope for families

Monthly food parcels contain staple items like rice, flour, sugar, lentils, cooking oil, salt, spices and tea. Families use the money they save on food to meet other basic needs such as school fees or medical care.

“Barnabas Aid is a ray of hope for all the poor families under debt and poverty,” said brick kiln worker Shahzad, another recipient. “Thanks to Barnabas Aid for all the favor and kindness.”

Project reference: PR1500
(Family feeding sponsorship fund)

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Bibles and scriptures

“Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light on my path” – Psalm 119:105

“After 49 years of praying, God has amazingly answered my prayers. Praise the Lord!” exclaimed “Mima”, a 64-year-old Karen Christian living in a remote village in Myanmar on receiving the precious gift of a Bible – the first one she has ever owned.

“Reading the words of God is my favourite thing in life,” she added.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, Barnabas funded the transportation of 94,000 S’gaw Karen Bibles to believers in Myanmar, who continue to suffer violent persecution from the country’s military. Many of the recipients had prayed for decades for a Bible of their own.

There are many reasons why suffering Christians around the world such as these are unable to take comfort and strength from the daily reading of the Word of God. Some are too poor to afford a Bible. Some live in countries where the authorities seize the Christian Scriptures. Others lost their Bibles while fleeing violence or disaster.

Precious gift

You can support our brothers and sisters in their faith through Living Streams and the precious gift of a Bible.

On the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar, Christians are a tiny and persecuted minority, and few believers or church leaders have a Bible to call their own.

Through your generosity, Barnabas has funded 100 Bibles in the native Kiswahili language for a Zanzibar church. These will be a blessing to churchgoers and help in training new pastors.

Sponsor a schoolchild

“All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace” – Isaiah 54:13

“Education is a vital need and an important tool for the creation of a bright future,” says ten-year-old Ayesha, a young believer from an impoverished Christian family in Pakistan.

Ayesha is among more than 9,000 Christian children who study at one of 109 Christian schools in Pakistan funded through Living Streams.

Ayesha hopes that, with God’s grace, she will become a doctor and “help the poor people like us”.  She prays that God will use Barnabas Aid to help even more children to get an education and grow in their love of the Lord.

In countries where Christians are a despised and persecuted minority, Christian children can be victimized in state-run schools. Many Christian children do not go to school at all because their parents are too poor.

Cycle of Poverty and Illiteracy

Barnabas-supported Christian schools enable Christian children to learn in a safe environment, where their faith is nourished, and they are taught by teachers who are Christians.

These Christian schools help to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy that trapped previous generations.

“I am thankful to God for Barnabas Aid who made education possible for needy children like me,” says eight-year-old Awais in Pakistan, who hopes to become a police officer and support his family. “May God bless Barnabas Aid.”    

Project reference: 00-514
(School place sponsorship fund)

 

Become a hope-giver and provide an essential, continuous life-flow of support for Christians in need...

£5 a month* could provide a Bible to encourage and strengthen the faith of a Christian living under pressure and persecution.

£18 a month* could sponsor a child living in poverty so that they could attend a Christian school and grow in body, mind and spirit.

£20 a month* could provide a food parcel to help sustain a suffering Christian family in Pakistan.

£30 a month*  could support an evangelist or pastor sharing the Gospel with those who need it.

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Please note that we cannot normally arrange for the exchange of letters between a sponsor and those they are sponsoring. This is because of security issues in areas of persecution and to keep down administration costs, so that we can maximize the help given to needy Christians. *Suggested amounts are based on typical costs. But you can join Living Streams by regular donations of any amount.