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FEBRUARY 2016
PERSECU ION East Africa 2015:
God is Great for Us
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Impact Report
low
WHERE MOST NEEDED
SUFFERING WIVES and CHILDREN
COMMUNITY REBUILD
FUND BALANCE:
FUND BALANCE:
FUND BALANCE:
medium
high
low
2015 Q4
•
2
low
medium
high
2015 Q4
ICC Assisted:
ICC Assisted:
20,000
352
3,230
IN 11 COUNTRIES
IN 6 COUNTRIES
IN 2 COUNTRIES
PROJECTS
PROJECTS
PROJECTS
INDIVIDUALS
•
high
2015 Q4
ICC Assisted:
•
medium
A volunteer training was held during which ICC volunteers from all over the US were trained in writing, video production, public speaking, fundraising, and advocacy. ICC took a key Congressional staffer to India in order to increase awareness of persecution in India among Congresssional members. India has a potent lobbying presence on Capitol Hill that suppresses news and awareness of persecution. We exposed the staffer to incidents of persecution, and let them see us launch assistance projects. ICC staff visited Ethiopia to monitor exsting projects and to implement new ones. We also investigated new advocacy channels to ensure the fair treatment of persecuted Christians.
INDIVIDUALS
•
•
•
fter one family’s father was martyred, A ICC provided the necessary equipment and funding for a Christian widow in Egypt to open a sewing shop so that she could provide for herself and her children. Following the Youhanabad bombing of March 2015, ICC assisted 28 families start up small businesses to support themselves after losing their main breadwinners to either death or injury. ICC provided two sewing machines and one year’s worth of tailoring supplies to a Christian woman in Niger who will train other persecuted women to create successful businesses for themselves.
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INDIVIDUALS
• • • •
ICC provided propane, food aid and other crucial needs for Christian families in Iraq in areas not touched by the aid being delivered by other aid organizations. ICC helped provide shelter, food, and water to Christians in Syria in order to help them rebuild their community and enable them to stay in the region. ICC assisted in the rebuilding process of the Kenyan village of Hindi after many houses were burned down in 2014 by suspected al-Shabaab militants. ICC helped repair two churches in India damaged by Hindu radicals.
FEBRUARY 2016
Impact Report
low
KIDS CARE
UNDERGROUND PASTORS
BIBLES
FUND BALANCE:
FUND BALANCE:
FUND BALANCE:
medium
low
high
2015 Q4
•
•
high
low
2015 Q4
ICC Assisted:
ICC Assisted:
132
•
medium
medium
high
2015 Q4
ICC Assisted:
INDIVIDUALS
40
INDIVIDUALS
20,365
IN 4 COUNTRIES
IN 7 COUNTRIES
IN 3 COUNTRIES
PROJECTS
PROJECTS
PROJECTS
ICC provided funds to six missions teams which reach out to Christian children in remote conflict zones in Burma to provide medical treatment and train young people with skills to improve their communities. 300 Christian children in Jos, Nigeria who are living as internal refugees in camps as a result of Boko Haram’s murdereous antiChirstian campaign received sandals after going barefoot for the last year and a half. Following the 2013 bombing of Pakistan’s All Saints Church, ICC provided schooling and trauma counseling to the Christian kids affected by the attack. ICC hopes to continue to invest in the education of Christian children affected by persecution and provide them with hope and a future.
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•
• •
ICC provided financial aid to cover rent and food for a month to a pastor and his family in Bangladesh who were forced to leave their home after it was attacked by Muslim radicals. ICC supported two pastors in Pakistan who are involved with a dangerous ministry, through which they share the Gospel to locals of various religious backgrounds. ICC supported five church planters in Indonesia who share the Gospel with Muslims among unreached people groups. In the past five years, hundreds of Muslims have come to faith in Christ.
INDIVIDUALS
•
•
• •
ICC provided one pastor in Pakistan with 100 Urdu Bibles to be distributed among four different churches to fulfill the spiritual needs of those who could not otherwise afford a Bible of their own. After radical Hindu extremists attacked the home of a Christian sister in India and burned her Christian outreach literature, ICC provided her with new Bibles so that she can continue effectively sharing her faith with others. ICC printed and distributed over 10,000 Bibles throughout Southeast Asia. ICC provided a printing press to produce the Scriptures in a closed North African country. More than 25,000 copies of the Gospel have been printed.
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Volunteers
International Christian Concern’s Volunteer Banquet
Training for Fundraising
ICC 2015 VOLUNTEER BANQUET AND TRAINING ALL VOLUNTEER TEAMS
DEBORAH POE VOLUNTEER AWARENESS TEAM
I
D
n December of 2015, International Christian Concern held a training and appreciation banquet for all of our hard-working volunteers. Members of ICC’s volunteer program travelled from all over the country to gather in each other’s company, attend various training sessions, and enjoy a banquet of appreciation. Before the trainings began, volunteers and staff gathered for a time of worship and prayer to dedicate the day to Christ. Experts from various organizations attended the conference to present trainings on advocacy, writing, public speaking, video production, and fundraising. Following the five trainings, volunteers split up into breakout sessions, during which they had the opportunity to meet directly with the experts and practice the subject of their respective trainings. One of the highlights of the day took place when ICC President Jeff King arrived to speak with and encourage the volunteers. He told them to never forget the reason that they initially began serving and encouraged them that they are truly making a tangible difference that is felt overseas. During the banquet, a dinner was held simply to celebrate the volunteers and all of their hard work. Various awards were pre-
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sented, including awards for the “Most Active Volunteer” and “Longest Serving Volunteer.” Staff and volunteers had the opportunity to chat with one another throughout the night, updating one another on various projects that they are involved with. All of ICC’s regional managers took this opportunity to update the volunteers on the status of their regions, how they can help, and what they can be praying for. At the conclusion of the night, staff presented information about ICC’s upcoming Hope House initiative. With the encouragement and camaraderie of a day spent with like-minded servants of Christ along with new tips and knowledge from various training sessions, attendees felt equipped to better assist, spread awareness, and advocate on behalf of the persecuted. The mission of ICC simply would not be possible without all of the hard work and dedication of our volunteers.
‘...as you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.’ – MATTHEW 25:40 (NIV)
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uring the volunteer conference, the speaker who led the fundraising training session was ICC’s own volunteer Deborah Poe. Deborah serves as part of the Awareness Team and has been greatly involved with a ministry called imwalking.us. Through this ministry, sponsors donate both funds and prayer support in a “per mile” walking campaign. The funds that are raised are then donated to support ICC’s overseas projects and other Christian ministries. In addition to her fundraising efforts, Deborah is also committed to spreading awareness within her own church. She uses a bulletin board in her church to highlight various stories of the persecuted and integrated stories about the persecuted Church into Vacation Bible School lessons last summer. She also has committed to praying daily for the persecuted and distributes resources about the persecuted Church in her community. During the banquet portion of the volunteer conference, Deborah received the award for “Most Active Volunteer.” Her constant service to the persecuted and dedication to volunteering is certainly making an impact and is greatly appreciated.
FEBRUARY 2016
Looking for a Way to Make a Difference in the World? Join Our Team of Volunteers! For those wishing to make an impact on behalf of persecuted Christians, many are not sure where to get started. However, volunteers all over the world are making a difference within their own backyards as members of ICC’s five volunteer teams: Advocacy, Awareness, Office, Prayer, and Special Projects. By standing up for the persecuted in countless different ways, ICC’s volunteers have played a crucial role in connecting the global Church by bridging the gap between the persecuted and the Western Church. It only takes one person to make a difference.willing to take the call?
Spreading the Gospel Through Radio
Gathering Petition Signatures Worldwide
O
O
ne of the most efficient ways of reaching a large group of people is through the radio. Two volunteers have taken advantage of this by spreading the word about the persecuted through their local radio stations. By broadcasting the stories that may have otherwise gone unheard, these volunteers are bringing attention to the devastating effects of religious persecution around the world. One of the most encouraging reports that persecuted communities receive is simply that their stories are being told. These volunteers have made it their mission to inform others of the atrocities that have altered the lives of millions.
ne of the strongest aspects of ICC’s petitions is their international reach. Last year’s petitions regarding the persecution of Christians in Eritrea garnered signatures from 128 countries. This is due, in part, to the dedication of volunteers on ICC’s Advocacy Team. Volunteers all over the world serve the persecuted by promoting the petitions in their churches, sharing them on various social media platforms, and sending them to friends and family. Without the international reach of the advocacy volunteers, ICC’s petitions would not get nearly as many signatures or as much attention as they do.
Volunteer Teams 1 Advocacy Fight for justice for the persecuted through petitions, embassy calls and more.
Interested in Serving?
2 Awareness Raise your voice for the persecuted Church through speaking in churches, writing, and social media.
3 Office Lighten the load of our staff by helping with administrative tasks. 4 Prayer Intercede for our brothers and sisters in Christ, both individually and
as a church.
5 Special Projects Volunteer on your own schedule through one-time projects.
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Apply online at http://www.persecution.org/ how-you-can-help/volunteer/ or contact volunteer@persecution.org or (301) 585-5915 for more information.
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Feature Article
An Overview of East Africa Our ICC staff member reports back on his trip to one of the most persecuted regions of the world
Sudan Eritrea Ethiopia
A
s ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, I have to say that 2015 represented a horrific year for Christians in persecuted East Africa. For that reason, I hopped on a plane recently to visit this brutally persecuted region to meet with the victims of so many attacks. On April 2, al-Shabaab militant Islamists attacked Garissa University College in Kenya and murdered 148 people by separating Christians from Muslims and slaughtering brothers and sisters in Christ at gunpoint. On April 19, the Islamic State (IS) released a video of the brutal martyrdom of 33 Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians in Libya. Through the summer, two South Sudanese pastors faced a possible death penalty for trumped up charges in Sudan before being released on August 6. Furthermore, the ongoing Mediterranean refugee crisis brings into view the terrifying persecution that Christians face in Eritrea, fleeing from a government that tortures and imprisons them in metal shipping containers in the desert.
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Somalia Tanzania
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
FEBRUARY 2016
Feature Article
“I don’t want to disagree with God but I continue to go to Him. I trust God. God is the one who makes known our story.” – BELAYENEHE (MOTHER OF MARTYRED ETHIOPIAN MAN)
Shocking tragedy after tragedy punctuated the world’s attention on a region of the globe where persecution is extreme and constant. However, persecution in East Africa doesn’t only happen through major, one-time events. Christians in Zanzibar, Tanzania are regularly attacked and their churches destroyed. Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) in Africa’s Horn are beaten, harassed, and even killed for their faith by their own families. Sudan also continues to wage war against Christian communities in the Nuba Mountains. These regular sources of suffering all fade into obscurity as the world has seemingly forgotten that persecution is a daily reality in East Africa. “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body,” Hebrews 13:3 (ESV)
What do you say to encourage a mother who had to watch her son’s grisly beheading on video just six months ago? Words do not exist to heal her pain. Her grief is still so fresh and acute that that you don’t have to understand Amharic to know what she is expressing. In the end, you weep with those that weep as they wail in front of you. What sufficient kind of assistance can you provide to a little girl who’s under constant threat of being kidnapped because her radical Muslim father who raped her mother (a pastor’s daughter) wants to raise her as a Muslim. How do you support pastors in Zanzibar whose neighbors target their churches and their landlords evict them just for worshipping Jesus in their homes? These are the issues that make obeying Hebrews 13:3 in a practical manner so difficult as an ICC regional manager. The helplessness I often feel in their
midst as they walk through their great suffering draws me to more fully trust in the One who is fully sufficient and has promised to meet the needs of His children. I find that the persecuted Church expecially in Africa fittingly instructs us here in the West about where to cast our cares and where to set our hopes. One sister I met with, Aleymatu Belayenehe, is the woman I previously mentioned who’s son, Ayalkebetz, was beheaded in the IS video. “I continue to go to God, I trust God. God is the one who makes known our story. God is great for us. I know that He is good and I testify to His goodness.” Even through the terrors of persecution, God remains good. Who would have thought that the teacher of this lesson would be this one who has suffered the most? God is great for us!
Evangelism Black Ops Undercover Missions in Somali East Africa
cross the Horn of Africa, ChrisA tians are forced underground, to evangelize in secrecy. This clandestine
obedience to the Great Commission comes fraught with a variety of dangers because of the societal dominance of fundamentalist Islam. Somali believers face everything from rejection from their families, the abduction and permanent loss of their children, to beatings, and even death. *Absimil’s (*name changed) persecution experience has forced him into a kind of evangelism black ops. When he first trusted Christ after hearing the Gospel on the radio, he preached with great joy and boldness. He even planted a Christian fellowship in the Muslim-majority town where he was living. He traveled along the Ethiopia-Somalia border, preaching about
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Christ like a modern day Apostle Paul. However, there’s one major problem: “Inside Somalia, there are no secrets,” Absimil explained to ICC. Word soon leaked to Absimil’s family that he became a Christian. One day, when he returned home, they were waiting for him with clubs and they beat him until he was unconscious. Absimil still bears an inch-long scar across his cheek and still suffers pain in his back from the attack. He lives because his clan chief protected his family from killing him. Today, Absimil still preaches Christ from the shadows, like a secret agent. “This is not our choice. God has called us and He sent us. We have hope to preach to them living in darkness,” he said.
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You Can Help Today!
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SEND DONATIONS TO: ICC PO BOX 8056 SILVER SPRING, MD 20907 OR ONLINE AT WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG OR BY PHONE 800-ICC-5441
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