barnabasaid
barnabasaid.org JULY/AUGUST 2019
BARNABAS AID - RELIEF AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH - BRINGING HOPE TO SUFFERING CHRISTIANS
TREE OF HOPE
Bringing hope and relief around the world
FEEL, PRAY, SPEAK, GIVE
What you can do to help your persecuted family
YOUR LEGACY
Earthly treasures are of no use in eternity
Fruits of Love to the one in ten Christians around the world facing discrimination and persecution
® hope and relief for the persecuted church
The Barnabas Aid Distinctive We work by: ● Directing our aid only to Christians, although
its benefits may not be exclusive to them (“As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:10, emphasis added)
● encourage, strengthen and enable the
existing local Church and Christian communities - so they can maintain their presence and witness rather than setting up our own structures or sending out missionaries
● Channeling money through existing
structures in the countries where funds are sent (e.g. local churches or Christian organizations) been developed by local Christians in their own communities, countries or regions
● Acting as equal partners with the persecuted
Church, whose leaders often help shape our overall direction
● Acting on behalf of the persecuted Church, to
barnabasaid the magazine of Barnabas Aid Published by Barnabas Aid Inc. 6731 Curran St, McLean, Virginia 22101, USA Email usa@barnabasaid.org © Barnabas Aid Inc. 2019. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above.
partners and beneficiaries
● keep our overheads low
We believe: ● we are called to address both religious and
secular ideologies that deny full religious liberty to Christian minorities - while continuing to show God’s love to all people
● in the clear Biblical teaching that Christians
should treat all people of all faiths with love and compassion, even those who seek to persecute them
the aspects of the Islamic faith and other ideologies that result in injustice and oppression of Christians and others
● in the power of prayer to change people’s lives
and situations, either through grace to endure or through deliverance from suffering
● inform and enable Christians in the West to
● Considering any request, however small
Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org
● safeguard and protect our volunteers, staff,
● tackle persecution at its root by making known
● Using the money to fund projects which have
International Headquarters The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030 Email info@barnabasfund.org
the persecuted Church by providing comprehensive prayer material
● meet both practical and spiritual needs
Christians to Christians (we do not send people, we only send money)
USA 6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101 Telephone (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525 Fax (703) 288-1682 Email usa@barnabasaid.org
be their voice - making their needs known to Christians around the world and the injustice of their persecution known to governments and international bodies
We seek to:
● Channeling money from Christians through
How to find us
What helps make Barnabas Aid distinct from other Christian organizations that deal with persecution?
respond to the growing challenge of Islam and other ideologies to Church, society and mission in their own countries
● facilitate global intercession for
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
You may contact Barnabas Aid at the following addresses UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718 From outside the UK Telephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email info@barnabasfund.org Registered charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 04029536 For a list of all trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above. Germany German supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe für Brüder who will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for “SPC 20 Barnabas Fund”. If you would like your donation to go to a specific project of Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund office in Pewsey, UK.
To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted. Thank you for your understanding. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used in this publication. Barnabas Aid apologizes for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®.
Account holder: Hilfe für Brüder International e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart IBAN: DE89520604100000415600 BIC: GENODEF1EK1 Singapore Cheques in Singapore dollars payable to “Olive Aid Trust” may be sent to: Olives Aid Sdn Bhd, P.O. Box 03124 Subang Jaya, 47507 Selangor, MALAYSIA Singaporean supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund online via Olive Aid Trust: Beneficiary: OLIVE AID TRUST Bank Name: United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad Swift Code: UOVBMYKL Location: KUALA LUMPUR Account Number: 140-901-654-0 New Zealand PO Box 276018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Front Cover: A Pakistani Christian girl
Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland Office address: Office 113 Russell Business Centre 40-42 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 6AA Please send post to our UK office address. Telephone 07875 539003 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org South Africa Office 301, 3rd Floor, Eikestad mall, 43 Andringa Street, Stellenbosch 7599 Telephone +27 21 808 1668 Email bfsa@barnabasfund.org
To donate by credit/debit card, please visit the website www.barnabasaid.org or phone 703 288 1681 or toll free 1 866 936 2525
Editorial
Contents
The trees of the Lord are full of sap
4
Compassion in Action
The goats that keep on giving for South Sudanese refugees
(Psalm 104:16)
A
towering tree grows from a tiny seed – thanks to the Lord, who creates and sustains it. A work of God may do the same. Twenty-six years ago, Barnabas Aid was a tiny seed, just beginning to germinate. No one expected it to grow big. Only the Lord knew what, in His graciousness, He had planned. We are humbled, overwhelmed, thankful and utterly amazed at what the Lord has done. The little seedling has kept growing, has survived storms, pests and hungry animals. It has been pruned into shape and productivity. It has become a Tree of Hope bearing Fruits of Love to nourish and strengthen the Lord’s suffering people. The nutritious soil from which the Barnabas Tree of Hope grows, and which holds it firm, is the love of God Almighty. The love of our Father always gives us hope. His power protects us. He is the ultimate source of the life-giving water and nutrients without which we would first wither and then die. The roots of our tree are the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our firm foundation. And the sap that flows through our tree is the Holy Spirit, bringing life, encouragement and guidance. The Holy Spirit invigorates the trunk, branches and twigs of the Tree of Hope, which is the worshipping community of Barnabas supporters, who trust the Lord. They are like the tree planted by the water in Jeremiah 17:8, a tree of hope that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. A tree full of sap is a blessed and flourishing tree (Psalm 104:16). The branches and twigs of the Barnabas Tree of Hope are Christians reaching out in love to other Christians, offering hope and practical help, all infused with the love of God. They bear a multitude of fruit – the practical help for persecuted Christians, funded by Barnabas supporters all around the world. This fruit, in its turn, brings forth a new generation of believers. So a tree is not just for one generation but for future generations too. A legacy gift to Barnabas will bless believers yet unborn. As Jesus said, a seed that falls into the ground and dies will bring forth much fruit (John 12:24). Without the love of God through Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit the tree would not exist. But it does, and the continuing harvest of fruit is proof of the nourishing blessings that God continues to shower on this world.
5 6
In Brief
8
Tree of Hope
Aasia Bibi and family safely resettled in Canada
Barnabas’ work, sustained by God, bears abundant Fruits of Love thanks to our supporters
9 13
Wonderful fruits of compassion
Around 104,587 Christian victims of violence have been helped by Barnabas in the last five years alone
17
What can I do?
How you can feel and pray for, speak about, and give practical help to your suffering brothers and sisters
20
What will be your legacy?
22
In Touch
After you have gone to glory your gift will continue to minister to the next generation of your persecuted family
New Zealand youngsters learn about the persecuted Church
how barnabas is helping Church building repairs in Uzbekistan keep out wind and rain In Uzbekistan, it is illegal for Christians to meet for worship or prayer in private homes. Church buildings are the only place where they can legally worship the Lord together. Congregations are often small and poor, so they cannot afford to cover the costs of repairs. Barnabas assisted five churches to finance major repairs. The improvements to the buildings encouraged believers to stand strong in their faith as they saw that others care. Two church buildings had damaged and leaking roofs. Two others had poorly fitting windows, letting in the bitterly cold wind in the winter and letting out the noise of singing, which drew unwanted attention to the worshippers who were mainly converts from Islam. One also provided much needed accommodation for homeless Christians.
Goats multiply and sustain South Sudanese refugees Christians from South Sudan who fled from violence and hunger face the challenge of self-sufficiency in refugee Camp Rhino in Uganda. With no employment comes no income. Peace in their homeland is uncertain, so for many returning is out of the question. Barnabas Aid is supporting a livelihood program among refugees aimed at providing sustainability for 2,400 Christians from 35 congregations in the vast camp. One female goat is given to a refugee who must give away its first kid to someone who has none. On average goats produce one to three kids twice a year. Pastor Scopas said, “May God bless Barnabas Aid. Our children will have meat and milk. This will contribute to eliminating malnutrition among the children and breast feeding mothers. It is amazing that many of our Christians that had lost all their animals in South Sudan have some animals to graze.”
Project reference: 00-637
During the eight-year Syrian conflict, Christians not only endured the horrors of war but also found themselves specially targeted by the Islamist rebel groups who kidnapped, murdered and bombed them. Children in Syria suffered beyond our imagination. They saw family and friends die and homes and schools destroyed. Many are distraught at not being able to go to school. “The psychological toll of living through eight years wondering if today will be their last is enormous. Research on the children’s mental health and wellbeing during the war revealed horrible accounts of terrified children, and the majority show signs of severe emotional distress,” Barnabas’ partner reported. To bring a little joy to these children last Christmas, Barnabas provided gifts to 1,000 Syrian Christian children. Each received a school bag with school supplies ($21), a hat, scarf and gloves ($3 for each item) for the intensely cold Syrian winter, various hygiene items and a Christmas gift.
A traumatic life of war and persecution is all many Syrian Christian children have known so Christmas gifts brought much needed joy
Before and after the repair work to a church roof
$6,807 for repairs and improvements to five church buildings
Christmas comes to Christian children in Syria
$19,761 for 420 goats Project reference: PR1403 (East Africa Hope – self-sufficiency)
$41,038 for gifts for 1,000 children Project reference: 00-1032
Compassion in action
Strengthened and encouraged. This is what we often hear from Christians who have received support from Barnabas aid. Thank you for making this possible. Here are just a few examples of the many ways we have recently helped persecuted and oppressed Christians.
Relief for poor Christian families in the bitterly cold Armenian winter Shirak is one of the poorest regions of Armenia with 46% living in poverty and an unemployment rate of 64%. Thousands live in temporary shelters without basic amenities. Barnabas Aid helped a local church provide winter relief for extra vulnerable Christian families, such as 86-year-old Lida, who is deaf and lives with her daughter Gayane, 64, who has been blind since birth. Eighty families received a fuel allowance ($200) as the temperature can drop to below -22°F. Two hundred families received food baskets ($49). Gayane expressed her thankfulness for the help, remembering how she had been diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and broke her leg in 2016, which the doctors refused to treat. “God cured me from cancer, restored my broken bones and did not leave me alone. Thank you to those who are compassionate towards our needs.”
Lida, who is deaf, with her blind daughter Gayane (left)
$26,050 for winter relief for 280 families Project reference: 79-719
New church halls replace makeshift tents in Indonesia The earthquake and tsunami that hit Central Sulawesi, Indonesia in September 2018 caused massive destruction of church buildings. Congregations resorted to meeting in home-made tents but these were not large enough to provide cover for everyone and many were discouraged from going to worship. Barnabas has so far funded the construction of 14 multi-purpose halls for churches affected by the natural disaster, as well as providing emergency food and rebuilding homes. Yunus, a church elder, testified, “When they [the church members] saw the new building just starting to stand, their spirit to worship the Lord has returned. Before we didn’t believe we can build a new church building in a short time. We needed 20 years to build our previous church that was destroyed by the tsunami. This is truly a miracle from the Lord.”
One of the multi-purpose halls constructed as a church building in Central Sulawesi
$104,130 for 14 multipurpose halls Project reference: 00-634
Barnabas Aid July/August 2019 5
“Easy to Read” New Testaments sent all over Thailand Barnabas has funded the distribution of 65,000 Thai “Easy to Read Version” (ERV) New Testaments from the northern border to the far south of Thailand to believers who have no access to the Bible. Khonprisit, a church leader from Chiang Rai, said, “The Bible is really something that is needed in Thailand, because it is so expensive for most people and it is difficult for people to get as in most areas it’s not even available.” Bibles are obtainable in cities like Bangkok but it can still be a struggle to find one. The Thai Standard Bible is very hard for an uneducated person to understand. The ERV New Testament has been translated so that ordinary people can read it with ease. Ritmaha, 22, a Christian from the impoverished north-east is thankful, “The New Testament you sent is easy to read and it is an understandable Bible … Thank you for creating this version and for giving them away freely.”
Khonprisit with the Thai Easy to Read New Testament
$8,797 to cover the distribution of 65,000 Thai New Testaments Project reference: 00-362 (Bibles and Scriptures Fund)
In Brief
6 July/August 2019 Barnabas Aid
Aasia Bibi and family safely resettle in Canada
PAKISTAN
Disappointment for Christians as Sudanese military says sharia law should remain
SUDAN
Aasia Bibi and one of her daughters Aasia Bibi, who was acquitted of “blasphemy” charges by Pakistan’s Supreme Court on October 31, 2018, has resettled with her family in Canada. This news was made public on May 8, but Barnabas Aid had been aware for some time that Aasia Bibi and her family had left Pakistan and were safely resettled in Canada. At the request of Pakistani Christian leaders we did not publicize this information for her safety and to avoid the possibility of violence on the streets of Pakistan. Stringent secrecy had been maintained over Aasia Bibi’s whereabouts since her release under government protection on November 7, 2018, amid threats on her life from hardline Islamists. The Christian mother of five had angered Muslim co-workers on June 14, 2009 by drinking water from a shared cup when she fetched them a bucket of water as they picked crops together on a sweltering summer’s day. The Muslims considered that her action made the water “unclean.” An argument ensued, and Aasia Bibi was later accused of “blasphemy.”
In a blow to the country’s Christian and other minorities, the military council in control of Sudan has affirmed that legislation will continue to be based on sharia (Islamic) law. Lieutenant General Shamseddine Kabbashi stated on May 7, the military rulers accepted in general terms the proposals in a declaration put to it by protest leaders, but lamented that sharia law was not among them. “The declaration failed to mention the sources of legislation, and the Islamic sharia law and tradition should be the source of legislation,” he said on behalf of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), which took power following the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in April. TMC was negotiating with Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition of activists and opposition political groups, which at the time of writing, was continuing to stage a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum.
Police order closure of church building in Egypt
EGYPT
Christians in Egypt were ordered by police on April 23 to stop holding services in a building they have been using as a church, amid reports of local Muslims being stirred up to attack it. Christian families in Mit-Nama, north of Cairo, had only recently bought the building. Their previous attempts to build a church on land they bought in 2001 had to be halted twice because of Muslim extremist attacks at the site. The Christians remain sceptical about police assurances that construction of the new church would be allowed to go ahead provided they agree to leave their present building.
Islamic State claims responsibility for Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka
SRI LANKA
Children enjoying Sunday school at Zion Evangelical Church in Batticaloa on Easter Sunday. Minutes later many of them were killed when an Islamist suicide bomber detonated his vest in the church grounds The Islamic State said it carried out the Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka that killed 253 people and injured at least 500 others. Three churches and three luxury hotels, where Christians were known to meet, were targeted in a series of coordinated suicide attacks, focused mainly on the capital Colombo. The death toll at Zion Evangelical Church in Batticaloa would have been far higher had it not been for the actions of church leader Ramesh who became suspicious of a stranger entering the crowded church and escorted him outside. There the bomber detonated his device, killing Ramesh and at least 28 others, including 14 children.
In Brief
Barnabas Aid July/August 2019 7
Court frees four Christians detained by police while training pastors in Nepal NEPAL
Four Christians accused of committing “an act of religious conversion” were released on April 29 after a court hearing in Nepal, in a case victory celebrated by local Christian leaders. The two Nepali men and one Indian national were working with a US woman to train local pastors in Dang district, midwestern Nepal, when they were arrested by police on April 23. The police accused them of trying to “lure conversions” with enticements of money and medical care. The Nepali Christians and Indian
national were in police custody for six days, while the US woman was held under house arrest. A new law came into force in Nepal in September 2018 that makes it an offense to “involve or encourage in conversion of religion” or “hurt religious sentiment.” While the constitution already prohibits proselytization, the new law is very vague about what an “attempt” to convert someone might involve and means any public Christian activity is potentially illegal.
BURKINA FASO
Six Christians including a pastor were shot by Islamist gunmen in Burkina Faso on Sunday, April 28
Iranian pastor and family “watched and wiretapped” while awaiting prison sentence appeals IRAN
An Iranian Christian has spoken of the surveillance ordeal her father, mother and brother are enduring as they wait for an appeal hearing against lengthy prison sentences imposed for “acting against national security.” Dabrina Bet Tamraz said her father Pastor Victor, her mother Shamiram and brother Ramiel have been freed on bail in Iran pending a further joint hearing. Dabrina, who has taken refuge in Switzerland, said, “They are living with constant anxiety, powerless, not having safety even in their own home … They are watched, controlled and wiretapped.” Victor was pastor of an Assyrian church in Tehran before it was closed for worshipping in Farsi. Historic Assyrian and Armenian Christian minorities who have their own languages, not spoken by the Muslim majority, are usually allowed to worship freely in those languages. However, Christian worship meetings in Farsi, the national language, spoken by the Muslim majority, are often targeted by the Iranian authorities, in their efforts to discourage conversion
Islamist gunmen carry out four brutal attacks on Christians in Burkina Faso
Dabrina’s brother Ramiel (pictured), father Victor and mother Shamiram live under the pressures of constant surveillance as they await their appeal hearing of Muslims to Christianity. Pastor Victor and his wife held meetings in their home prior to their arrest. They have been given sentences of five and ten years, respectively. In July 2018, their son Ramiel was convicted and imprisoned.
Four people were killed in an attack on a church in northern Burkina Faso on May 26, in the fourth deadly assault by Islamist militants on Christians in the region in four weeks. A heavily armed gang attacked in the town of Toulfe, 150 miles northwest of the capital Ouagadougou, while the congregation worshipped. Local sources said the attack “caused panic in the village and many residents sought cover in their homes or in the bush.” The latest attack brings the total death toll to 20. The militants’ murderous rampage began on April 28 in Silgadji, when gunmen rounded up the pastor, the pastor’s son and four of the congregation and demanded they deny their Christian faith and convert to Islam. When they refused, they were taken one-by-one behind a building where they were executed. On May 12, a gang of between 20 to 30 terrorists stormed into a Sunday service at a church in Dablo where they herded together the pastor and five church leaders and shot them. The terrorists then set fire to the church, before torching a shop and looting a health center. The next day militants shot and killed four people taking part in a church parade in Zimtenga. To view our most current news scan this with your device
8 July/August 2019 Barnabas Aid
Fruits of Love Barnabas Aids’ work sustained by God through you for 26 years is bearing wonderful fruits The seed of Barnabas Aid’s Tree of Hope was planted in 1993
From the seed planted 26 years ago, when Barnabas Aid began, our Tree of Hope is steadily growing bigger and producing abundant Fruits of Love, thanks to the grace of God, and the prayers and generosity of our supporters.
Fruits of Love are harvested and distributed to persecuted Christians the world over
These Fruits of Love, grown through the generosity of Barnabas supporters, have enabled us to feed, clothe, heal, educate, equip, train, free, resettle, rehouse, empower, and protect hundreds of thousands of persecuted Christians across the world. Barnabas not only responds with large-scale emergency relief or help to those who face sudden severe and often dramatic persecution, we also meet the simple, everyday practical and spiritual needs of our Christian brothers and sisters who are discriminated against and harassed, often on a daily basis; Christians in places where the mere act of worship can incur severe punishment, or even death.
The future of the Church
Children are always at the forefront of our thoughts at Barnabas Aid. We support many projects to help Christian children in peril worldwide and those affected by persecution and poverty. Children are the future of the Church, and often the most vulnerable in times of hardship and persecution. Little Cyrus from Nigeria (see facing page) is an excellent example of this and of how Barnabas can help. In the past 26 years we have sent relief to 107 countries – and that’s only been made possible because of the prayers and donations of you, our supporters.
Barnabas: a unique tree in the garden of grace
Our relief is delivered from Christians, through Christians and to Christians, although others may benefit, too. Our model answers the apostle Paul’s call in Galatians 6:10, “As we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” We always work with the persecuted Church as equal partners, whose local leaders guide our direction, and we listen to their ideas rather than impose our own.
Barnabas Aid July/August 2019 9
The future is Cyrus and brave Christian children like him
Unlike many other international charities, we do not send people to implement projects. We simply send money, making grants to local Christian agencies, churches and ministries on the ground to enable them to run projects that they have developed in their own communities and regions. This way of operating keeps our overheads down and also makes it possible for Barnabas’ help to be “invisible” in places where obvious outside relief could bring down greater persecution on the very people we want to assist.
Careful pruning yields abundant fruit
Our help is sent with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of generosity, making every penny of your donation count. Barnabas maintains very low overhead cost of just 12% globally, which covers the costs of education, raising awareness, prayer materials and advocacy, as well as general administrative and running costs. This means that 88% of every $1 that you, our supporters, donate goes directly to help persecuted Christians. For donations to specific projects, 100% of the sum you give is used for that project and its costs: nothing is deducted.
Just as Jesus loved the little children, so do Barnabas Aid supporters, and very much so. Sometimes, in areas of persecution against Christians, a father or mother or even both are not there to help care for a child. The parents may have become victims of violence or may be away earning money to support the family or absent for other reasons. Just as Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me” (Matthew 19:14), Barnabas especially welcomes these little ones, guided by other Christians, to approach the Tree of Hope and take of its nourishing fruit. Take the case of Cyrus (pictured below) from Nigeria, who was cared for and schooled at the Barnabas-supported Agape children’s ministry after his father, and other relatives, were shot by Fulani militants. His home was burned down and his mother was struggling to make a meager living after losing most of the family’s land on which they had grown food. Barnabas supports Agape, which helps provide education and care for more than 100 primary and secondary school-aged children who have been displaced by antiChristian violence.
Tree of Hope
10 July/August 2019 Barnabas Aid
Fruit is harvested each day from our tree’s many branches
Dijen watched his home being burned down by persecutors. “Now I have a real place to live,” he said after Barnabas paid for a new house for his family
Fruits essential to life: He ... fills the hungry with good things Psalm 107:9
Food
Many Christians from around the world are hungry because they are poor, and they are poor because they are discriminated against, because they are
Christians. They may be failed in their exams, given lower wages or refused employment altogether because they are Christians. This is why relief for Christian people through long-term Barnabas Aid feeding programs is so crucial. So too is emergency relief delivered
in times of natural disasters, war or famine, especially in places where Christians may be discriminated against when other relief is handed out. In Pakistan, we are supporting 1,530 struggling Christian families with food parcels distributed through local churches. “It is beyond our imagination that people across seas and hundreds of miles away can send us help, but we also know that anything is possible with God,” said Kashif, one of the recipients. One of our biggest feeding programs has been at Camp Rhino in northern Uganda, where more than 100,000 Christians from South Sudan took shelter after fleeing conflict and hunger. Barnabas Aid provided food relief to save countless lives at the camp. Edina, a blind Christian refugee bedridden for three days through hunger, said, “If you had not brought this food today, many of us would die.”
Barnabas has helped to feed about 830,000* people in 27 countries in the past five years
Tree of Hope
Barnabas Aid July/August 2019 11
Fruits of shelter: For you have been my refuge Psalm 61:3
Houses
If you have food and water, the next fundamental need is shelter, which not only protects you from the elements, but also gives people, and especially those persecuted for their beliefs, added security. However, the experience of the Santal Christians in the Gaibandah district of Bangladesh shows how quickly persecutors can take that away. Many impoverished Christian families in Bangladesh, including
Santal people, live in flimsy shacks made of clay and sticks. Armed police,helped by local Muslims, marched in to evict a desperately poor community of Santal Christians from their homes in November 2016. Three Christians were killed and at least 5,500 left homeless as their homes were deliberately set on fire. Dijen Tadu was shot in the chest but survived. When local church leaders told him that Barnabas was building brick houses for the Santal victims and he would get one of the first,
he was very doubtful that such an amazing thing could happen. Dijen said, “Every day when work was progressing I came to see. I prayed and waited … I saw a small light that is from Jesus Christ that I will get a place to live. I don’t know where this money came from, but I bless them who helped me and my children.” Barnabas Aid also stepped in to build new houses for families who lost everything during the notorious anti-Christian violence in the Kandhamal district of India’s Odisha state in 2008-9 that left around 60,000 Christians without a home.
In the past five years, thanks to Barnabas supporters, we have built 1,391 houses in eleven countries where Christians have lost their homes through anti-Christian violence or due to disaster, often where they are already a persecuted minority
Fruits essential to life: I will pour water on the thirsty land Isaiah 44:3
Water
Water goes hand-in-hand with food as the two fundamental necessities for human life. Unfortunately, it is not difficult to deprive people of water in some regions. Christians living where they are a hated minority are sometimes denied access to water as a form of persecution. Their water sources, for example, could be poisoned or access could be cut off. Women walking long distances to fetch water may also risk harassment or violence.
“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” Isaiah 12:3 In northern Cameroon, Barnabas helped 229 Christian families in three villages, whose
homes were burned and looted by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Water pumps were installed to assist the irrigation of the fields so that crops can be grown and the people can become self-sufficient. “While we have suffered great losses, you have consoled and upheld us in the whirlwind that is the sect of Boko Haram … Even though we are in danger, we are moved to joy because God and your gifts lift us up,” said Pastor Pierre after the pumps and other relief were provided. The young men in one village composed a special song of joy about the water pumps. Barnabas funded the installation of ten hand pumps and 250 Nadi water filters in 15 Christian villages in Sindh, Pakistan. Nadi water filters are a
low cost technology made from local materials, consisting of three mud pots, one having eight layers of stones and sand. The village hand pump saves time and energy – a double blessing for women. Mariyam, 28, is thankful to God for the clean drinking water, “My children are totally well and stomach pain is also gone.”
Saul enjoys a refreshing drink of clean water beside his family’s new Nadi filter, Pakistan
From 2013, Barnabas has provided 152 wells and 252 water filtration systems in twelve countries, giving about 300,000 people access to clean, fresh water
Tree of Hope
12 July/August 2019 Barnabas Aid
Fruits of understanding: For the LORD gives wisdom Proverbs 2:6
Schools and education
Education is a vital part of our work to build up persecuted Christian communities. In 2018, Barnabas enabled 14,279 children in twelve countries from impoverished Christian families to attend Christian schools where they could gain the education to allow them to escape the cycle of illiteracy and poverty endured by previous generations, as well as be built up in their faith. Many children from Christian families face hostility when attending regular schools such as pressure to convert to the majority religion or being deliberately marked down in exam results. Some are so poor they cannot go to school at all.
Barnabas has assisted 51,324* children to attend schools in 17 countries over the past five years
Fruits of compassion: comfort in natural disasters
Disaster relief
A natural disaster can rob people of food, water, shelter and schools in an instant. The fruit of compassion from Barnabas’ Tree of Hope is the urgent relief sent swiftly to Christians at times of natural disasters through our worldwide network of church partnerships. In 2004, a 9.2 magnitude earthquake west of Indonesia created a devastating tsunami that hit 14 countries in south and south-east Asia. Within a couple of days Barnabas Aid had sent our first grant to help Christian minorities in the affected region, where they were often discriminated against when relief from other sources was distributed. Many further grants followed, first providing emergency relief and then funds to help restore Christian lives and communities including rebuilding 235 homes and 38 churches, funding 1,714 income generation projects, providing 17,212 Bibles and hymnbooks and supporting 5,325 children, including those orphaned. Again, when the Indonesian island of Sulawesi was struck by a powerful earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami in 2018, at least 2,256 people were killed, while more than 70,000 homes and at least 84 church buildings were destroyed or badly damaged. After receiving requests from Christian survivors, food, water, medicine and electricity generators, school supplies and, crucially, baby milk powder (not available locally) were provided.
Jesus Christ just as they do. One of our local partners told us, “It is important for the recipients to find out that fellow believers have gone at great length to buy, transport and distribute the relief goods and to know that God is looking after them.” When on May 2, 2019 cyclone Fani devastated India’s Odisha state, a Barnabas Aid staff worker who was in the area said, “It was heart-breaking to see the suffering of Christians in Odisha, already some of the poorest and most persecuted in India. Their simple homes and their few possessions were at the mercy of the destructive winds and rain. But their faith and hope in the Lord remain unshaken.” Barnabas was quick to send relief to around 20,000 of our brothers and sisters in Odisha, mainly to repair flimsy homes seriously damaged by the terrible storm.
Christians who are already dealing with severe persecution because of their faith in Christ were provided with fruits of compassion through us, but from you. Shahid Slum, in the heart of the state capital, Bhubaneshwar, is mainly inhabited by Christians who were displaced by severe anti-Christian violence in the Kandhamal district of Odisha in 2008-9. As tribal people they are oppressed and marginalized, and being Christians too makes their plight even worse. Most work as “daily wage laborers” in jobs such as street sweeping or cleaning the sewers or as domestic servants. If there is a day they cannot get work, they have no income. These are the Christians who were helped by Barnabas after cyclone Fani.
Help sent by fellow Christians brings hope The emergency relief received by survivors was critical, not just in keeping them alive but also lifting spirits and giving them hope because it came from you, who love the Lord
Many children from Christian families were provided with school supplies and temporary education by Barnabas Aid in the wake of the deadly Indonesian earthquake and tsunami of 2018
Barnabas sent life-saving relief and helped to rebuild the lives of 415,021 disaster victims in the past five years alone
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Fruits of compassion: consoling victims of violence
Victims of violence
Disasters are often natural, as we have seen, but also they can be man-made. Violence is a man-made disaster. Robbery, murder, war, genocide … all kinds of violence spring from human sinfulness. In Sri Lanka on April 21, 2019 a wave of anti-Christian bombings carried out by Muslim extremists targeted Easter Sunday worship services and Easter breakfast buffets at hotels for Christians who had completed all-night vigils, killing 253 and injuring more than 500. One of the churches
attacked was Zion Evangelical Church in Batticaloa, where at least 29 worshippers including 14 children were killed. Barnabas already had a close relationship with this congregation and had been helping war widows at the church for several years. Zion Church, whose congregation is mainly poor and needy, asked Barnabas Aid to assist the bereaved families with funeral costs. We also helped with medical care for the injured at Zion Church and in other parts of Sri Lanka. To the north-east of Sri Lanka across the Bay of Bengal, Kachins and other mainlyChristian ethnic minorities have faced brutal repression
by the military in Myanmar for over four decades. “Because I am Christian, they made me imitate Jesus on a cross like the crucifixion. We were treated like animals because they look down on Kachins,” said one who had been humiliated for his faith by soldiers. Ten thousand Kachin Christians fled from aerial bombardment in April 2018. Sky news reported other relief agencies were unable to operate in the region, but Barnabas was already getting practical help to displaced Kachin people, working through our local Christian partners. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters we provided rice, dried fish, tarpaulins (for shelter), sleeping mats, medicine and other needs for approximately 5,400 Kachin people fleeing attacks.
Around 104,587 victims of violence have been helped by Barnabas Aid in the past five years
Fruits of deliverance: setting the captives free
Brick-kilns
Debt, just like violence and oppression, can spring from greed, which leads to inequality. Debt is not just about running up big credit card bills due to gluttony or covetousness. Many families are caught up in a never-ending cycle of debt through no fault of their own. Debts are passed down generation to generation and it is sometimes forgotten how they actually began. But they are here, and they are real, as bonded Pakistani brick-kiln workers will testify. “You are like Moses, leading us out from slavery!” said Jamila, a bonded brick-kiln worker set free when Barnabas paid off her debt.
Thousands of Christian brick-kiln families in Pakistan are bonded laborers, tied to their brick-kiln by a debt they owe its owner, borrowed long ago in a time of emergency need. Many Christian families are effectively “enslaved” in this way, unable to pay back the loan and barely able to survive because of the interest deducted every week from their meager wages. Another Christian brick-kiln laborer, father-of-two James, said, “When my wife got sick I had to take a loan to look after her, for her check-ups, but eventually she died and I couldn’t pay back the amount in full. “We were trapped in a swamp but thanks to Barnabas Aid we are now free.”
Mr. Mushtaq, a 39-year-old Christian, was a bonded brick-kiln worker, burdened by a cycle of debt that was not his fault. Then Barnabas supporters paid off his debt. Now everything he earns can be spent on supporting his wife Nazia, 39, and his four children, Sonia, 13, Sana, 10, Swera, 8, and Saira, 6 Now he receives his full wages each month, and he is delighted that he can afford to send his daughter, Naila, 10, and son, Aftab, 9, to school for the first time.
791 Christian brick-kiln families have had their debts paid by Barnabas. That’s almost 4,000 individuals set free from the misery of bonded labor
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Fruits of deliverance: He delivers them from all their troubles Psalm 34:17
Refugees
Some persecuted Christians feel the only option is to leave their beloved homeland and find somewhere safer to live and bring up their children. They ask us to help them escape, and we do. Take “Dina” from Syria as an example. “It began in a bakery,” recalled Dina. Two of her brothers were in line to buy bread when they were killed in a drive-by shooting. The occupants of the car that had sped past, firing at the bakery, were terrorists from the Jabat
al-Nusra rebel group. They drove on to the village where Dina lived with her husband and two children. Shooting and plundering as they went, the terrorists entered every home, gathered the Christians together and told them to leave and never come back, or they would be killed and their children raped. Barnabas Aid’s Operation Safe Havens (OSH) helps thousands of persecuted Middle Eastern Christians escape from the man-made disaster of violence. We cover their flight costs to Australia and some other countries,
where they have been granted visas to settle. Arriving in the safety of Australia in March 2017, on flights paid for by Barnabas supporters, was “like a dream we never thought would come true” for 74-year-old John. The Christian family fled the violence in Aleppo after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. “We suddenly realized we don’t have to fear anymore,” said John. In a forerunner to OSH, Barnabas laid on three convoys of buses and three flights in 2012-13 to transport 8,429 Sudanese people from the Islamist North to their homeland in South Sudan. They had been displaced by the manmade disaster that is civil war.
Barnabas has paid for the flights of 2,574 Syrian and Iraqi Christian refugees, facing violent persecution in their homelands, to Australia, including 94 since the beginning of 2019. Another 248 have been enabled to resettle in Canada, Brazil, Poland, and the Czech Republic
Fruits of salvation: coming to Christ at a cost
Converts
Disasters, whether natural or man-made, cause suffering in this world, but the biggest disaster of all is not finding salvation in Christ. This disaster continues for all eternity. Many Christians who leave other religions to follow Christ face hostility, threats and violence from their community. Even their families reject them, often throwing them out of the home. Although their heavenly home is secure, they still need to endure the many problems this life brings with it. Barnabas supports thousands of these oppressed converts by offering a safe refuge from attack, or helping with their practical needs, as well as
providing discipleship training to help them grow in their new faith. Ugandan Pastor Umar Mulinde, a convert from Islam, had acid poured over his face by Muslim extremists as he left church on Christmas Eve in 2011. He was horrifically burned and lost one eye. Now he runs a ministry for converts and, with support from Barnabas, 60 adults receive help for physical and mental scars, discipleship and vocational training. One of those he helped is Joseph, attacked with a hammer by a Muslim for leaving Islam to follow Christ. “Barnabas Aid has helped me survive,” said Joseph.
Joseph thanks Barnabas for his survival after he was attacked because he had decided to follow Jesus
Emotions overflow as a Syrian family arrives in the safety of Australia
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Fruits of faith: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
Literature
The Word of God is our handbook on how to follow the path Christ has laid out ahead of us and the words within strengthen the faith of believers, especially those living with daily discrimination, injustice or other persecution. Unfortunately, in many countries where Christians are persecuted, you cannot just walk into a shop and buy a Bible. There are no shops in some places, no Bibles in many places, and even if there are, the Christian families often don’t
have enough money to buy one. The Bibles distributed or given for free by Barnabas Aid have boosted Christian communities immeasurably.
“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” Psalm 16:11 All Bibles had to be carefully concealed by isolated and impoverished hill tribes in one south-east Asian country that we cannot name for security reasons. If discovered, the Scriptures are burned by
the military or government authorities. For 40 of the 46 years of Pastor “John’s” ministry in this country, he had no Bible. He saved up money for seven years and was finally able to buy a Bible for about $23 – at least two months’ average wages in the region. It was the only Bible in the village. Now his congregation is growing rapidly with Bibles provided thanks to generous donations from Barnabas’ supporters. We have distributed 32,485 Bibles to Christians in the region, enough for one per family. Many more hundreds of thousands need to be purchased and distributed in the future and we can achieve this by nourishing the Tree of Hope so that it bears more fruit.
1,207,338 items of Christian literature, including 443,436 Bibles/New Testaments in 33 different languages in 25 different countries, have been provided by Barnabas over the last five years
Fruits of fellowship: not giving up meeting together Hebrews 10:25
Church buildings
Church buildings are a vital resource to strengthen Christian communities, especially where it is illegal to gather for prayer in a private home or where Christians are so poor that no one has a home big enough for meetings. Our church building projects have provided hundreds of
new buildings, or renovated, extended or equipped old ones. These are used not just for Sunday worship but for many other activities that build up the body of Christ in situations of pressure or persecution. In Siberia, Tatar Muslims are increasingly turning to Christ. For three years, a congregation in Omsk had to meet in cafes, and were evicted four times from premises they had rented. Eventually they rented an empty, rundown building and Barnabas helped towards electrics, heating and sanitation. Now Christians meet for worship, hold ministries for children and the disabled and have a training space for missionaries, who are reaching out to about 10,000 people.
Barnabas has helped construct, extend, equip or repair 310 church buildings within the last five years
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Fruits of leadership: pastors, evangelists, and their training
Leadership
Having been saved and armed with Biblical knowledge, God wants us to be disciples. He wants us to go out and spread His Word. Barnabas supports the Christian pastors, church-planters and evangelists who do this godly work full-time, but often face hardship and hostility, even though they are ministering in their own country or people-group. We help cover their living and ministry expenses if their churches are too poor to support them fully. Barnabas Aid provided regular support to 40 church-planters in Indonesia, many of whom work in extremely poor communities. The money helps with practical needs such as transport and medical costs. Pastor Yosua, 58, bravely operates a small house church in the midst of a community of fanatical Muslims on the island of Java. He told us he is sustained and empowered by the relief sent by Barnabas Aid and adds that what is so uplifting is to know that people “far away care about you and pray for you.” The Christian love from Barnabas supporters is “like the five loaves and two fishes, the kind of blessing that multiplies,” said a Barnabas Aid partner who visited Yosua and the other churchplanters in Java early in 2019.
Christian leaders can serve more effectively with the right training and resources, and Barnabas is heavily involved in this crucial support. Empowering Christians in their ministries is a key part of our work and, in 2018, we provided training for 15,218 believers across 23 countries. “There is an unmentioned increasing persecution of the church in many areas of Tanzania,” a local Christian leader told us. This is because of rising Islamization and hostility towards Christians from the Muslim population. Barnabas has funded five-day training seminars in 20 different areas of Tanzania to help evangelists and pastors stand firm in the face of Islamization, and to make them more effective in outreach. A former student at a Barnabasassisted Bible college in the Pakistan city of Lahore told us of how his Sunday school training there has provided great fruit: “I had a burden for kids near my home, who wander in the streets. Last year after training, I began praying to open a Sunday school. After one month, parents agreed to send their kids. On the first day we had 35 children, and it is still growing! When kids learn their verse, they go home and teach it to their parents.”
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” 1 Corinthians 16:13
In the last five years, Barnabas has helped to support 2,557* Christian workers, mostly pastors and evangelists, in 34 countries. 78,871 Christians in 48 countries were assisted by Barnabas with various kinds of leadership training over the last five years
Future fruit from the Tree of Hope The trunk of Barnabas’ Tree of Hope is you … your donations and also your prayers. All of those hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people that Barnabas supporters have helped give great thanks to you for enabling the Tree of Hope to be grown from which our persecuted family can take their Fruits of Love. Barnabas welcomes these persecuted Christians to the Tree of Hope, to find succour in its shade, and enjoy its fresh fruit. They are able to do this only through the generous Barnabas supporters who make up the trunk of our tree.
Fruits of modern media: fellowship at a flick of a switch
Media and radio
Media such as radio, TV and also the internet are vital for isolated Christians who cannot get to a church for one reason or another. They can also plant the seeds of the Gospel in places where there are no Christians. Barnabas Aid bought an office building for Radio Elia in Estonia, and our newest media project is our involvement in the setting up of a youth radio station in Syria. In Russia, Barnabas has given substantial financial support to the Radio MCC ministry through the North Ossetian Christian Mission. Radio MCC spreads the gospel among the many ethnic groups living in the North Caucasus, the majority of which are Muslim. It is the only Christian radio station in this region and its message goes beyond as it can also be listened to on the internet.
Barnabas has helped 21 media projects in eight countries over the last five years
We at Barnabas join together with our supporters and those we have helped to give thanks to the Lord for His blessings that caused the Tree of Hope to grow and to bear much fruit. Please join us in praying that Barnabas’ Tree of Hope will continue to grow, that its branches will reach further, its fruit grow bigger and more plentiful, bringing blessings from heaven to our faithful brothers and sisters who suffer for Christ. For, as Luke 1:37 clearly and succinctly says, nothing is impossible with God.
*These figures may include a percentage of unavoidable cumulative duplication because some individuals may have been helped in multiple years.
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What can I do?
FEEL for your
suffering family
Christians are a huge family – spread to the four corners of the earth. It is the biggest family the world has ever known. Many of them are suffering, sick, injured, hungry, lonely, destitute, and persecuted. You may never meet them in your earthly life but they are still your brothers and sisters. The single most important thing you can do is FEEL for them in their pain, and, just as Scripture tells us, even feel it as if it was your own. Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ … If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (1 Corinthians 12:12,26, ESV) If one of our brothers or sisters is beaten, spurned, or cast down anywhere in the world, all of Christ’s family of believers suffers.
PRAY for your persecuted
brothers and sisters
Prayer changes things. Through faithful, believing prayer we make a real difference to the lives of our persecuted brothers and sisters. With prayer you have access to our heavenly Father’s infinite power and resources to accomplish things. The Holy Spirit helps us in all our prayers.
Prayer is unlimited by distance and cannot be barred by closed doors
You can pray wherever you are – in your homes or workplaces, on the streets or mountaintops – for people who are thousands of miles away. You may never meet your distant “household of faith” or travel to their lands, but you can lift them up to the Lord.
Barnabas Aid produces free resources to help you in praying for the persecuted Church
The bi-monthly Prayer Diary, included as an insert in Barnabas Aid magazine, provides a topic for prayer for each day of the year. These daily prayer items are also available on our website and posted daily on our social media feeds. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated, and pray and engage with like-minded supporters. Weekly news about the persecuted Church, with accompanying prayer points, are sent out in our Christian Newsline email. Sign up to receive this at: barnabasaid.org/en/ barnabas-emails For prayer groups, we have a monthly publication, Prayer Focus Update, with points for praise, thanksgiving and prayer. This is available in print or by email. ... if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)
Harness the power of united prayer by becoming a Barnabas Prayer Partner
You can organize a dedicated prayer group to meet regularly in your home or church, or join with an existing group, to pray together for the persecuted Church. We have start-up resources for prayer group leaders. Once a year, we have Suffering Church Action Week, with extra prayer resources such as prayer bookmarks and a booklet of daily devotions for eight days. (See back cover)
SPEAK about the
plight of your persecuted family
Many Christians suffering for their faith are in situations where they cannot tell others about what they are enduring. Maybe they are
illiterate and poor. Maybe they live in a strict and closed country where communications are prevented. But you can speak for them. Write to your congressperson or your local newspaper or local radio about the persecuted Church. Tell your family, friends and church groups about Barnabas Aid and what we do to help persecuted Christians. Could you be a Church Partner, representing Barnabas Aid in your own congregation or fellowship?* Why not book one of our team of Barnabas Speakers to share at your church or special event? Our knowledgeable Speakers will describe the contexts, challenges and persecution taking place across the world and explain what Barnabas is doing to help. Or you could become one of our Speakers* and raise awareness about Barnabas’ work to help our suffering brothers and sisters in some of the world’s most hostile regions. We will support you by advertising your events to local supporters and provide you with informative materials to distribute to audiences. *Contact Mr. Jeremy Frith, Barnabas Aid US CEO, at our US office if you are interested in volunteering to be a Church Partner or a Barnabas Speaker.
a gift, GIVE small or large, to make a huge difference to lives
And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there was no needy persons among them … Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4:33,34,36-37) Sharing is love in action. Pray to God and ask Him to guide your giving.
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How to give Regular giving options Any gift you are able to give will make such a difference to our persecuted brothers and sisters. But if you are able to commit to giving a set amount on a regular basis, this allows us to respond effectively to urgent needs, to plan ahead effectively and to minimize our overheads.
Donate by Recurring Gift Gifts made by Recurring Gift require no ongoing effort on your part. Once your Recurring Gift is set up, a regular amount set by you will be transferred to Barnabas Aid from your US credit card, at an interval of your choice. Recurring Gifts can be set up by filling out a recurring gift form, available from the US Barnabas office by calling: (703) 288-1681 or emailing: usa@barnabasaid.org
SPONSORSHIP Join LIVING STREAMS to enable even a small regular gift to have a BIG impact! Barnabas invites you to pledge a monthly gift to become part of an essential, continuous life-flow to needy Christians living with pressure and persecution across the world. By joining Living Streams you can:
●● Sustain a family living in poverty with monthly food parcels ●● Support an evangelist or pastor in their ministry ●● Sponsor a child throughout their school years and see them grow in the Lord ●● Strengthen suffering Christians through the grace of God’s Word by investing in the gift of a Bible each month
Flowing into the Living Streams
Barnabas Aid will give regular news updates to all who join Living Streams by committing regular support. If you choose to sustain a family or sponsor a child, we will also send you a prayer card with a photograph and details of persecuted believers you are helping. To find out about our Living Streams regular giving initiative visit: www.barnabasaid.org/livingstreams
Feel Pray Speak Give Donate by our Donate by our Barnabas AidMagazine Magazine Barnabas Aid or by our website or by our website Barnabas Aid is our bi-monthly magazine. On the last page of these magazines; there is a form to donate by either check or credit card. Our website (www.barnabasaid.org) gives multiple methods of donating. Please go to our website and on the Home Page at the top of the screen click the Donate button, on the right of the screen scroll down to your chosen method.
Credit Card You can donate by credit card by either mailing in your information to Barnabas Aid, 6731 Curran Street, McLean, VA 22101, or by calling 703-288-1681 or toll free 1-866-936-2525, and lastly by our website: www.barnabasaid.org
Donate by text using Donate by text using Txt2Give Txt2Give Mobile donations made easy. You can now give by a simple text! Text the word “Give” followed by the amount to (703) 810-7681, example: “Give 100” to donate $100. Please note: The first time you do this there is a short registration process to link your payment card to the donation. To watch a one minute instructional video, please go to our website (www.barnabasaid.org) and click the red Donate button at the top of the screen – then navigate to the “Donate by Text” option on the right hand side of the screen.
Check Mail in a check to Barnabas Aid, 6731 Curran Street, McLean, VA 22101.
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Donate via your local bank You can go into your closest Bank of America and deposit a donation into the Barnabas Aid US bank account. Please call us for our account details.
PayPal You can donate from your PayPal account into our account. Enter usa@barnabasaid.org as the recipient.
Donate by bill pay/electronic check You can give directly to Barnabas Aid via bill pay through your online banking. Please call us for our account details.
AmazonSmile AmazonSmile is operated by Amazon. Customers can shop normally but the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.05% of the price of eligible purchases to charitable organizations selected by the customer. The first time a customer logs in, they can select a charity, to donate to Barnabas Aid, search for “Barnabas Fund.” Please log in at: smile.amazon.com to get started.
PLEASE NOTE: As the reference for your donation, please quote EITHER your constituent ID number or your full name and zip code so we can process a receipt for your donation. Please also include the project name or number. THANK YOU!
When you go to Heaven let your endeavors on Earth continue Earthly treasures are of no use in eternity so, once your loved ones are provided for, what will be your legacy?
Barnabas Aid has a special concern for the needs of Christian children in regions of pressure and persecution, such as these youngsters at the Divya Shanthi school and children’s home in Bangalore, India remembering Barnabas Aid in your will, even after you have gone to glory, your legacy can transform the lives of Christians who face persecution, discrimination and poverty. You can feed hungry Christians, help them recover from violence or disaster, inspire persecuted believers to stand firm through the gift of God’s Word, or transform the future of a child by supporting their schooling in a Christian environment. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
By
Barnabas Aid for the help,” she said. Congolese Christian refugees fled brutal violence in their homeland to safety in Uganda, but faced hunger and the risk of disease when they got there. Working through the local Ugandan church, Barnabas Aid provided food, medication and other practical help for hundreds of Congolese people who fled the onslaught of violence in December 2018. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faced one of the worst displacement crises in Africa due to a conflict affecting around 7.7 million people.
Through Barnabas Aid, impoverished and malnourished Christian refugee families fleeing violence have received life-saving food, medicines, and basic hygiene necessities “For the last six months since we ran from Congo because of war, we have been suffering with hunger. We have been taking a cup of porridge as our lunch and supper.” But when Barnabas Aid provided staple foods, including beans, rice and cooking oil, Arioni’s family were able to eat a nutritious meal three times a day. “I pray that God pour His blessings to
Keeping clean and healthy is next to impossible for refugees who have to leave everything behind when they flee persecution or violence. Food and simple hygiene items, even a plastic bowl, can help them survive. Barnabas Aid provided Christian refugees who fled from terrorists in the Congo with staple foods, medicine and other basic necessities
By remembering Barnabas Aid in your will, you can transform the lives of Christian children Christian children are doubly vulnerable when a natural disaster strikes in a region where Christians suffer persecution or day-to-day discrimination. When an earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in September 2018, killing at least 2,256 people and damaging or destroying 70,000 homes, there were reports that minority Christians communities were neglected as government relief was directed to the Muslim majority. Barnabas provided food, helped construct tent communities for Christian families left homeless by the earthquake, and set up programs to help children recover from trauma. We then went on to repair or rebuild houses and provide simple church buildings. Farmer Mr. Maklon’s field of maize was swept from beneath his feet when the earthquake struck his foothill village. He narrowly escaped being dragged away by the sliding earth. On reaching home he discovered his wife had died beneath the rubble, but thankfully his five children were safe. The 33lbs of rice and other necessities given to him by Barnabas sustained him and his young ones in the quake’s
Legacy Gifts aftermath, when he was unable to farm his field. Barnabas Aid has been sending substantial relief for thousands of displaced Kachin children and their families to cover their needs for food, shelter and schooling in Myanmar. The mainly-Christian Kachin minority are facing persecution and ethnic-cleansing. In April 2018 at least 10,000 of them were forced to flee from a military aerial bombardment. As well as providing food and shelter for families, we supplied 1,500 children with school equipment and set up classrooms so they could continue to study. At one IDP camp, we provided a kindergarten for 184 children with a generator. With your help we will continue to support this vulnerable generation of Christian children to have lives as near normal as possible. One grateful Kachin grandmother, who received help from Barnabas Aid, said, “I am old, but I am worried about the future of my children and grandchildren. Thank you for coming and visiting us. Thank you for bringing relief and thank you for praying for me.”
Barnabas provided food relief to the displaced Christian families of these children after the Sulawesi earthquake of 2018 that wrecked 70,000 homes in Indonesia
“We left Iraq because of the cruel circumstances there, particularly the persecution of the religious minorities and the displacement of Christians,” wrote “Aren.” “Threats, kidnappings, demand for high ransoms have increased. We have a 17-year-old daughter ... We cannot let her go the
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received one from Barnabas Aid. Pastor Mark thanked Barnabas Aid supporters by saying, “You have sown the best seed to the best ground. So these seeds will multiply more than millions of times.” Iraqi Christian refugees Iraqi Christian refugees school by herself because we are afraid that she might be kidnapped, raped or killed.” Barnabas Aid covered the costs of air tickets for Aren and his family to fly to Australia, where they have settled and are restarting their lives in peace and security. By remembering Barnabas Aid in your will, you can rescue Christians such as Aren and his family from lifethreatening persecution.
Your legacy could ensure that the Gospel message reaches remote regions and hard-pressed believers have access to Scripture to build them up in their faith
Pastor “Mark” was one of the few people in his region of south-east Asia to have a Bible, but his precious copy was seized and burned by the police in 1991. A convert from Buddhism, Pastor Mark was jailed for sharing the Gospel with soldiers at an army camp, but he courageously continued in his ministry while in prison and guided five inmates to Christ. Throughout all this, he strongly believed that God would one day give him another Bible, and, after 25 years, his prayers were answered when he
Women were thrilled to receive Bibles through Barnabas Aid at this south-east Asian location. Many of the women would never have owned their own Bible until now
Barnabas does not just help in the present, but also builds up Christian communities for the future, and you can be part of that by leaving a legacy. Christian converts from Islam are often persecuted by being denied work. In Kyrgyzstan, many businesses employ only Muslims and insist that their staff actively practice Islam. This means many Christian men, who cannot accept these conditions, are forced to move from their communities to search for work, leaving their wives and children behind and their small churches weakened by their absence. In one remote Kyrgyz community, Barnabas Aid provided the money for five struggling Christian families from Muslim backgrounds to buy cattle. “When we brought one of the brothers five cattle, his children couldn’t sleep because they were looking at cows all night! All the family was very happy,” said one of the Christians. The cows give the families an independent livelihood and mean fathers can remain with their families and continue to play important roles in their local Christian fellowships. If you would like information about how to leave a gift to Barnabas Aid through your will, please contact: usa@barnabasaid.org or phone 703 288 1681 or write to 6731 Curran St. McLean, VA 22101. Also you can find information on legacies on our website at www.barnabasaid.org/en/getinvolved/leave-a-legacy
22 July/Augu st 2019 Barn abas Aid
In Touch
A generous UK Harvest frees Pakistani Christian brick-kiln workers from bondage Children put their skills to the test using a real mold from one of Pakistan’s many brick-kilns. They rolled up their sleeves to make bricks out of sand, as they learned about the lives of Christian brickkiln workers in Pakistan at the Barnabas Aid stand at Spring Harvest, held in Minehead, UK in April. Children in Pakistan often start helping their parents in their labors in the brick-kilns from a very young age, even as soon as they can walk. Making bricks is a skilled job involving 15 different steps, from digging out the clay to carefully cooling the bricks once they have been fired at extremely high temperatures. While children made bricks at our stand, their parents and other visitors heard about Barnabas’ work helping persecuted Christians around the world, including Pakistan’s brick-kiln workers. Thanks to our visitors’ generous gifts of money, another Christian family was freed from bonded labor in the brick-kilns. The Spring Harvest gifts have paid off the debt that tied husband and father of four, Illyas, to working for the brick-kiln owner. The debt was impossible for him to pay off despite he and his wife, Sonia, working long hours. The repayment of the debt has transformed their lives and the future of their children. The family can now afford to send their eldest son, Yungson, and daughter, Maliqa, to school for the first time.
All ready to make bricks out of sand at the Barnabas Aid Spring Harvest stand
Illyas and his wife Sonia with their nine-year-old daughter Maliqa, their sons Yungson, five, and Samson, three, and baby girl Aliza.
Young baker Tabitha proved to be a whiz with a whisk
Children in Gisborne, New Zealand, gain insight into plight of Christians around the world Children in New Zealand are learning more about the persecution of Christians around the world by taking as their guide the Barnabas Aid booklet Praying for the Persecuted Church*. In weekly lessons, teacher Ben Sutherland asks his class at Sonrise Christian School in Gisborne, on North Island, to pick a number between 4 and 50 at random and the country, region or subject on that page number in the booklet becomes the topic for their discussion and twice-daily prayers. The students, aged eight to ten years, explore the booklet page, and the prayer is projected on the board, alongside a map of the country or region. “It gives the students a real, deep understanding of the plight of Christians in the rest of the world and a little bit of an understanding of how privileged Christians in the West truly are,” said Ben. The specialized subject pages in the booklet are equally helpful. For example, one week the subject was Women. “The page was great for describing the oppression that a lot of Christian women face around the world,” said Ben. * Ben is using the 2018 edition of Praying for the Persecuted Church. It is written for adults and occasionally Ben edits the content to make it suitable for the age range of his students. We are working on a new edition of the prayer booklet, which will be published next year.
Tabitha uses baking skills to help cyclonestruck Christians in south-east Africa A big thank you to talented Barnabas Aid supporter Tabitha who, with her mum, Lianne, and brother, Elijah, baked goodies for a cake sale held at her Sunday school in Derby, UK. Together they raised $175 for people affected by cyclone Idai, which caused widespread destruction in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in March 2019.
Mission Statement
The mission of Barnabas Aid is to support Christians where they are in a minority and suffer discrimination, oppression and persecution as a consequence of their faith. Our goal is to strengthen Christian individuals, churches and their communities by providing material and spiritual support in response to needs identified by local Christian leaders. We do this by making their needs known to Christians around the world, and encouraging prayer, advocacy and financial giving in support of these brothers and sisters in Christ, working with existing local Christian organizations. Barnabas Aid channels this flow from donors to the needy recipients with a minimum of overhead. All gifts are monitored to ensure they are used in line with the stated need. In accordance with biblical teaching, we believe that Christians should treat all people of all faiths with love and compassion, even those who persecute them.
Mag 07/19
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Be a part of Suffering Church Action Week as we remember the One in Ten Christians living with pressure and persecution
SUNDAY OCTOBER 27 – SUNDAY NOVEMBER 3
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me – Matthew 25:40 This year our theme for Suffering Church Action Week (SCAW) is One in Ten. Did you know that at least one in ten Christians globally face persecution or discrimination for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Every day, somewhere in the world, our brothers or sisters suffer violence, kidnap, rape, and even lose their lives because they are Christians. If you are attacked, the police might be more interested in arresting you than your attackers. In some regions, just passing a Bible to someone or talking to them about Jesus Christ can land you in jail. Being a Christian might restrict your access to education or job opportunities, trapping you and your children in poverty. In some Muslim-majority countries the law is stacked against you because, under sharia (Islamic law), your court testimony is considered worthless compared to that of a Muslim witness.
CAN YOU HELP THE ONE IN TEN?
Don’t forget to book Suffering Church Action Week into your church’s schedule. You can make a difference to the lives of the millions of our persecuted family who need your prayers and support. You can pray and raise awareness by holding an event at your church or group. Contact your local Barnabas office today to register for a One in Ten inspirational resource pack with everything you need including an A3 poster to advertise your event, an eightday devotional booklet, the new SCAW bookmark for 2019, Barnabas’ Praying for the Persecuted Church booklet, an extra copy of the special SCAW edition of Barnabas Aid magazine and a money box useful for taking offerings for the persecuted Church at home or in small group meetings. Keep up to date with the latest news on Suffering Church Action Week 2019 at: barnabasaid.org/scaw
Hated Without a Reason The remarkable story of Christian persecution over the centuries Patrick Sookhdeo “Historically and geographically panoramic in its information, this very important survey is admirably balanced, both in substance and tone. Its profound and subtle reflectiveness does not impair its readability. Most timely, and needed.” John Finnis FBA, Professor of Law and Legal Philosophy at the University of Oxford 1989 to 2010, and now Professor Emeritus “This fine book powerfully shows how the persecution of Christians has been a constant feature in human history, and continues today. Yet it also concludes that Christians must proclaim freedom of religion for all, and act accordingly. Freedom is God’s gift to humanity.” Professor Roger Trigg Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford, UK ISBN: 978-1-7321952-4-0 Cover: Paperback Packaging & Postage: $3.99
To order, please contact your nearest Barnabas Aid office (addresses on inside front cover). usa@barnabasaid.org
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