Syria Refugee Crisis Response Update

Syria Refugee Crisis Response Update

A day clinic at a Lebanese Nazarene Church. Syrian
children play while their parents wait to see a doctor.

This Spring marked the third anniversary of the civil war in Syria. In June 2012 we received news from our churches in Syria that families were leaving war-torn cities and fleeing to safer areas. The families needed immediate help with food, medicine, and household items. Soon after, Nazarene churches in Lebanon and Jordan started ministering to the same needs of Syrian refugees that had taken up residence in their neighborhoods.  Each day we pray for peace, safety and an end to this conflict, but the situation remains the same and our support to families continues as long as we have resources to meet the needs.

•  6.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria
• 5 million are internally displaced in Syria
• 2 million Syrians are now refugees in neighboring countries....1 million are children.

I have written before about the response of the Nazarene Churches in the Middle East and want to take some space to update on the ongoing activities:

• 10 Nazarene Churches in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon are reaching out to 3,000 families with food, medicines, and household items. Winter is coming, so we will need to give out as many blankets and heaters as we can. Last winter, the Syrian families and students in our schools were so happy to receive a new blanket.
• Nazarenes who are serving Syrian families are visiting their "homes" with words of encouragement and prayers and have provided children and parents Christmas and Easter parties, gifts, English camps, VBS, and sports days.
• Three after-school programs are now running for Syrian children. In reality, they are education programs, because the Syrian children have no school to attend.  About 170 children are in our after-school programs, which run 4-5 days each week.
• Four Nazarene Schools are providing an education for 300 Syrian students, many of whom have missed two years of school.  If you want to help Syrian families and our schools with tuition support, go here

Since the crisis in Syria started, NCM has provided over $200,000 worth of aid through these ministries.  We feel so blessed by so many generous people who have given to our ministries, and we admire the way local Nazarene Churches have responded with help and the message of hope and redemption in Christ.

If you want to help Nazarenes in the Middle East reach out to their neighbors, please give here.