Barnabas aid March April 2017

barnabasaid

barnabasaid.org MARCH/APRIL 2017

BARNABAS AID - HOPE AND RELIEF AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH - BRINGING HOPE TO SUFFERING CHRISTIANS

ISRAEL

Eritrean asylum-seekers: a forgotten persecution

PAKISTAN

Hope, light, and life: Barnabas Aid’s projects

CENTRAL ASIA

Tough faith on the steppes

A FORGOTTEN PERSECUTION

What helps make Barnabas Aid distinct from other Christian organizations that deal with persecution?

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)

●● aiming the majority of our aid at Christians living in Muslim environments ●● channeling money from Christians through Christians to Christians ●● channeling money through existing structures in the countries where funds are sent (e.g. local churches or Christian organizations) ●● using the money to fund projects that have been developed by local Christians in their own communities, countries or regions ●● considering any request, however small ●● acting as equal partners with the persecuted

Church, whose leaders often help shape our overall direction

How to find us 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 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 4029536 For a list of all trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above.

Published by Barnabas Aid Inc. 6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101 Email usa@barnabasaid.org

●● acting on behalf of the persecuted Church, to 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: ●● meet both practical and spiritual needs ●● 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

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 ●● in the power of prayer to change people’s lives and situations, either through grace to endure or through deliverance from suffering

●● tackle persecution at its root by making known the aspects of the Islamic faith and other ideologies that result in injustice and oppression of non-believers ●● inform and enable Christians in the West to respond to the growing challenge of Islam to Church, society and mission in their own countries ●● facilitate global intercession for the persecuted Church by providing comprehensive prayer materials

“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 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. Account holder: Hilfe für Brüder International e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart IBAN: DE89520604100000415600 BIC: GENODEF1EK1 New Zealand PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz

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

Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07875 539003 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org

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

Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org

Singaporian 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

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

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

any further information regarding copyright. © Barnabas Aid 2017 Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®.

Front Cover: Holot detention center in the Negev Desert of Israel: an Eritrean Christian asylum-seeker considers his future

© Barnabas Aid Inc. 2017. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above.

Welcoming angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2)

4 Holot: a forgotten persecution

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4

Sadly, many Christians ... have little or no compassion for their brother or sister Christians knocking on the door

Turn to page 4 to read how Barnabas Aid is helping Eritrean Christian refugees in Israel

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Project Joseph

7

Hope, light, and life

Saving lives in starving Zimbabwe

Barnabas Aid projects in Pakistan

8 Pull-out

nimals are notoriously territorial. The humble British robin guards its patch of the garden. Each tiger has its own territory, which it patrols diligently to assert and maintain its control. Even some fish stake out a feeding territory for themselves and aggressively prevent other fish with a similar diet from encroaching.

Human beings behave likewise. No sooner have we arrived at a place than we stake out what is ours. This is true of nations as well as individuals and families.

There are currently 40,000 Christian Eritreans in Israel, where they fled to escape the harsh conditions of their homeland, which is often reckoned the second worst place in the world to be a Christian. Three thousand Eritrean men are held in a detention center in the Negev desert – effectively a prison with grossly inadequate food and medical care and little or no heating in winter. The women and children struggle desperately to survive elsewhere in the country. While the Israeli people are compassionate and generous towards them, the government harasses them at every turn and does little more than provide (segregated) schooling for the Eritrean children. It is incredible to think that the government feels this small group of Christians could threaten the national identity of Israel.

Yet Israel as a nation knows what it is to be unwanted. Barnabas Aid has had the privilege of working with the late Lord Weidenfeld on our Operation Safe Havens and he used to tell the story of how he, along with many other Jewish children, was saved by Christians. Through Operation Safe Havens he was repaying the good that Christians had done to him by rescuing Christians in danger.

It is truly sad that Israel, as the older brother, has acted with such a stony heart towards his younger Christian brother, the needy people of Eritrea. Israel seems to have forgotten the Biblical injunction to love the stranger (e.g. Leviticus 19:34). Indeed, welcoming the stranger has a very important place in Jewish teaching. The Talmud says that welcoming guests takes precedence over study or even worship (Shabbat 127a).

This spirit of territoriality, which somehow defines our identity, is completely at odds with the Biblical understanding of God. God created the heavens and the earth. He is the sole originator, sustainer, and controler. He is not a tribal god, with which the identity of a single people group is fused, for He transcends all.

Christian refugees face terrible injustices due to this spirit of territoriality as nations protect their territory and their identity from the stranger and the foreigner. Sadly, many Christians follow suit for they embrace a form of nationalism which sees the nation as their defining identity and have little or no compassion for their brother or sister Christians knocking on the door and pleading to be let in. They forget that their identity is transnational and they are citizens of heaven.

As Easter approaches and we focus our hearts on Christ’s death and His glorious resurrection, let us remember that it was these events nearly 2,000 years ago which, once for all, made possible our heavenly citizenship.

Eritrean refugees in Israel

Humanism

and the future of the church

11

In Brief

12

Feature

14 16 17 18

Buddhist mob destroys rural church in Sri Lanka

Tough faith in Central Asia

Compassion in Action

Wiping away tears in Niger

The right to choose your religion

In Touch

Sunday Club’s recipe for fundraising success

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HOLOT

A FORGOTTEN PERSECUTION Holot is in the middle of nowhere. It is an Israeli detention center, or open prison, in the Negev Desert on the Egyptian Sinai border. The nearest town – Be’er Sheva, the Biblical Beersheba – is a two-hour bus ride away.

Looking for a glimmer of a future

olot was originally built in 2014 for Eritrean and Sudanese refugees, but now mainly houses Eritreans. Behind the wire and searchlights are over 3,000 men, 95% of whom are Christians.

Women, children and the elderly Eritreans are not detained: most eke out a living doing menial work in Israeli cities, sometimes assisted by aid organizations such as the Eritrean Women’s Community Center (EWCC) in Tel Aviv, which is funded by Barnabas Aid. The majority of Eritreans fled their home country because of either religious persecution or conscription: military service is indefinite and can last years, even decades. About 36,000 Eritrean asylum seekers currently live in Israel, but are not recognized as refugees. They are unable to access education, employment, healthcare, and social services. The estimated 7,000 Eritrean women are particularly isolated.

The Eritrean Women’s Community Center (EWCC) in Tel Aviv is an initiative designed and run independently by a group of Eritrean Christians. Established in November 2011, the center provides Eritrean women with a safe space as well as access to important services.

Upon arrival in Israel, they face challenges such as changing family structures, language barriers, and little knowledge of their rights.

Furthermore, due to a lack of available social services and intense economic instability, these women are in desperate need of both guidance and support to help them recover from their recent traumas. A range of EWCC social initiatives and programs – from psychological trauma counseling, family health workshops, women’s enrichment and vocational courses, to information and referral services – now reaches over 800 Eritrean women annually and another 600 Eritrean families and men.

Eritrea, a violent totalitarian communist regime, has an appalling record when it comes to state-sponsored religious persecution, second only to North Korea. Certain Christian denominations bear the brunt of this persecution. Religious gatherings, private worship, and religious weddings are more often than not banned. Gatherings, when they do occur, are subject to police brutality and mass

The searchlights and wire of Holot

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 5

An EWCC small–business workshop in progress, in Tel Aviv arrests. Victims are often detained for months at a time – sometimes in extreme, barbaric conditions such as unventilated, overcrowded shipping containers – and subjected to regular beatings. Literally hundreds of pastors have fled the country in the past decade. Many of them are now in Holot.

One relates: “My name is Tesfabrhan . . . I left Eritrea because of religious persecution. I have been in Israel for over five years. I am now persecuted by two governments that have failed to protect me: the Eritrean government that forced me to leave my country and my family, and the Israeli government that ignores my asylum request and treats me like a criminal by putting me in Holot … I am a Sunday school teacher and preacher. I preach in the prison. It is difficult, I am continuously treated unfairly by the prison guards.”

Working closely with EWCC, the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants is a Jewish human rights organization in Israel whose aim is to protect and promote the rights of refugees and migrants. There is a groundswell of Jewish sympathy for the plight of Christian refugees in the Middle East. In 2015 the late Lord Weidenfeld – who in 1938 arrived with the “Kindertransport” as a desperate Jewish refugee in England escaping the Nazis and was taken in by Christians – revealed how he was involved with Barnabas Aid’s Operations Safe Havens: his goal was to rescue 2,000 Christian families. The Rothschild family also supported Operation Safe Havens as well as other Jewish leaders and organizations. The State of Israel also indicated its willingness to assist Christian refugees fleeing the Middle East.

Eritrean children demonstrate at an EWCC rally in Tel Aviv

Little allure in the “promised land”

The flood of Eritrean asylum seekers to Israel has slowed to a trickle as word spreads of their treatment on arrival.

Often running a gauntlet on foot across the desert sands of the Sahel and the Sinai, the ravages of human traffickers, thieves, predators, and thirst took a pitiful toll on the asylum seekers in their quest to reach Israel: kidnap, rape, disease, torture, and death were not uncommon. Families are split up, often for years at a time, as either husbands flee Eritrea because of persecution or wives flee because their husbands have been incarcerated with the likelihood that they would be detained too.

In Israel, where they had hoped

“I am now persecuted by two governments that have failed to protect me” for freedom and safety, they find persecution again. On arrival, the allure of the “promised land” does not materialize: asylum applications remain unprocessed – only eight Eritreans have ever been granted asylum (mainly for media attention) – and refugee status is denied, in spite of the fact that Israel acceded to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol, and is itself a country founded by persecuted refugees.

Men who have arrived in Israel without their families are sent for a time to the already overcrowded Holot where conditions are bleak: Christian religious practice and prayer gatherings are banned, food is

Wives and children of Holot detainees protest inadequate and visitors are forbidden from bringing in supplementary rations; there is no heating. Detainees are not allowed to study and not allowed to work. There is one doctor on site who dispenses the same medicine for every problem.

The “voluntary return” process

In 2014 Holot inmates were offered three choices: 1) repatriation to Eritrea, 2) remain at the Holot detention center, or 3) accept US $3,500 cash and a free one-way flight to a “third country” which turned out to be Rwanda or Uganda.

To date, over 3,000 Eritreans have accepted the last choice, but often at their peril. In both African states, the Eritreans have no rights, they do not speak the language and there are scarcely any jobs. Few have stayed, with many heading north through Egypt or Libya to attempt the treacherous Mediterranean crossing to Italy or Greece. It is known that three such deportees from Israel were captured by Islamic State in Libya and beheaded.

What can you do?

Write to your Israeli embassy and urge your Jewish friends or Jewish organizations to do the same: ask that the Israeli government will treat Eritrean asylum-seekers with compassion, either accepting them to settle in Israel and live free and normal lives there, or enabling them to be processed by the United Nations as refugees so that third countries can accept them.

Give a gift to Barnabas Aid to help Eritrean Christian refugees (project reference 12-954)

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 6

“NOW WE HAVE SEEN GOD’S HAND”

SAVING LIVES IN STARVING ZIMBABWE A million meals a month

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arnabas Aid’s Project Joseph began to step up delivery of vital aid to desperate Christians in Zimbabwe in March 2016. From March to the end of December 2016, more than 17,975 bags of maize meal were distributed, providing over 5.3 million meals. Currently we provide over 70 tons a month, equivalent to a million meals.

The country is coming out of the worst drought in living memory. Last season’s devastating crop failure and the death of livestock due to lack of water and feed left already poor subsistence farmers facing the prospect of slow starvation.

Barnabas Aid, partnering with local churches, has managed to get food to those most in need. Just $13 provides enough maize meal for a family of five to have two meals a day for a month.

Although the rains arrived on time in November 2016 to plant this season’s crops, many farmers had either been forced to eat their seed, or had no harvest from the previous year to eat, let alone to sow. A lack of paid jobs means families also have no money to purchase fertilizer.

Barnabas Aid provided seed, fertilizer, and training so farmers could plant in November. At the time of writing, much needed rains are boosting the prospects for crops in the ground. Hope has returned. However, outcome of the April harvest will be critical. Barnabas Aid is working closely with local churches to ensure that the farmers are not forgotten or left hungry during this time. Barnabas Aid is also planning for the 2017 planting season, mentoring, and training farmers in conservation farming so that they could be even more productive than before and protected from the effects of such a famine in the future.

PROJECT

JOSEPH

Project Joseph, feeding hungry Christians in Africa (00-1313)

EDWARD father of 5

“We want to thank God because he has sent his help … We have food in our stomachs, through you and we want to thank God so much”

VIOLET

mother of 5

“I thank God so much, because he is a wonderful God. We are always having problem, but we don’t always realize that God is with us, but we have seen that God really loves us now. God can work through other people for those people can come and help you. We want to thank God so much for what he has brought us through Barnabas Aid. We want to thank God for providing us with food for our family, and our lives have changed.

We were panicking, in Zimbabwe it is so hard, we have got nowhere to look, but God has provided for us. Now we have seen God’s hand through our brothers who are here who are helping us provide for our main meal”

MOSES

father of 4

“We want to thank you so much especially to Barnabas Aid. Now we are so thankful for what God has worked and done through them, that they have brought us some maize which is our main meal and also is helping us so we are now able with our family to live on with food and with some of the maize we have planted”

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 7

Hope, light, and life

Barnabas Aid’s projects in Pakistan Laibha, whose father died five years ago. A place at a Christian girls’ hostel enabled her to continue her education. She wants to be a nurse.

A legacy of transformation Barnabas Aid has been working in Pakistan for nearly a quarter of a century, bringing hope and help to Christians enduring poverty and persecution.

Pakistan is a country with a population of around 200 million, including over 5 million Christians, who are primarily of Punjabi ethnicity but who are scattered across the country. Many live in dire poverty in the majority Muslim nation, where they experience social prejudice and sometimes violent persecution.

From schooling to sanitation, feeding programs to legal aid, the generosity of Barnabas Aid supporters is making a life-changing difference to thousands of Christian men, women and children living in the context of persecution.

Hostels

For 350 Christian children who live too far away from the nearest school, or whose family circumstances threaten to halt their education, the six residential hostels supported by Barnabas Aid in Pakistan are a home away from home. The hostels provide accommodation and schooling for the children in a community with other Christians their own age, where they are encouraged to grow and develop in their faith.

Christian media

Gawahi (“witness”) TV began 24/7 cable broadcasting across the southern city of Karachi in 2013, reaching approximately 10 million people every day, providing great encouragement to the Christian community. When an arson attack destroyed the station’s equipment and facilities in November 2015, Barnabas Aid stepped in to replace the lost equipment and enable Gawahi to re-start broadcasting.

The station is now transmitting via satellite across the whole of Pakistan.

Daniel, who dreams of becoming a pilot

Schools

Bethany School in Hyderabad is one of 76 Christian schools in Pakistan supported by Barnabas Aid, which in total provide an education for 7,500 students between the ages of 4 and 16.

In a Christian environment they are safe from the hostility, discrimination and violence that many Christian children experience in government schools.

Instead of facing grinding poverty and limited prospects, these children now have confidence, joy, and can dream about their futures.

Daniel, age 7, says, “My favorite subject is math. I have learned my multiplication tables by heart. My favorite verse is John 3:16 … I have three best friends in school. We play and study together. We love to share our lunch as well; my teacher says sharing is a kind act. I want to become a pilot when I grow up.”

Daniel’s father is delighted: “For us it is very difficult to guide our children because we are not well educated … Our children are getting religion education here as well so they are growing spiritually. It is a perfect combination.”

Barnabas Aid’s support for the schools’ running costs enables them to charge only minimal fees, so even the poorest Christian parents – many of whom are themselves illiterate – can send their children to school.

Nasreen, after being enrolled on the feeding project, says: “Our days got better and better. We could now pay the bills ... Our hearts are full of praises and prayers.”

Feeding project

Simply putting food on the table is a daily struggle for many impoverished Pakistani Christian families. For Nasreen Baber and her family, it was impossible when her husband was unemployed.

“We used to take groceries on credit and it would become very difficult to pay back the money.

Even after all the bad days we kept our faith in God and He answered our prayers.” The family’s life was transformed with the assistance of a regular food parcel provided through Barnabas Aid. With your help, every month Barnabas Aid feeds 2,245 Christian families in Pakistan who live with discrimination and harassment, including 40 families who have suffered outright persecution. By enabling the families to save money they would have had to spend on food, children can go to school, young people can afford to get married and sick people can pay their medical bills. “With God’s blessing and Barnabas Aid’s support the Feed Project has been a lifechanging project for these people,” explains a local pastor in Punjab.

Barnabas Aid helped Aqeel, a father of five who spent two months in hospital following the Easter 2016 bombing in Lahore, but is still unable to walk

Victims of violence

Christians, who comprise around 3% of Pakistan’s population, have repeatedly been the victims of vicious and targeted terror attacks, while Christian communities live with the threat of mob violence, particularly over “blasphemy” allegations. Barnabas Aid has, on multiple occasions, come to the aid of believers and Christian communities who have suffered violence, such as the Easter Day suicide bombing at a park in Lahore last year.

Through the generosity of supporters, Barnabas Aid sent $42,387 to meet urgent requirements, including medical costs, and we continue to aid some of those with life-changing injuries; the Bishop of Lahore wrote to Barnabas Aid: “You are the first who contacted us and offered practical help … on behalf of the Diocese we are very thankful for this love.” For those living with the threat of anti-Christian violence, the generosity and prayers of other believers lets them know that they do not face their trials alone.

Theological training

One of the toilets provided by Barnabas Aid

Water and sanitation

Legal aid

Every year, around 700 Pakistani Christian girls are kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam and coerced into marriages with Muslims, often their abductors.

The cries for justice from Christian families are usually ignored, especially by local police, who often side with rich and powerful Muslims against poor and despised minority Christians.

Pakistani Christians are also at a severe disadvantage in disputes over land, which are sometimes manufactured, or used as pretexts for violent attacks on believers.

Christians are particularly vulnerable to allegations of “blasphemy” – a charge that carries a mandatory death sentence for someone guilty of defiling the name of Muhammad. This is because judges in lower courts tend to place more weight on the word of a Muslim accuser, in line with sharia law.

The tireless work of Pakistani legal organizations like CLAAS, which is supported by Barnabas Aid, has a life-saving impact.

Between September 1, 2015 and September 31, 2016, CLAAS provided free legal aid to Christians in 159 cases, including abduction, forced marriage and conversion, property disputes, and allegations of blasphemy.

“This facility has brought a sigh of relief to the congregation,” explains a woman worker in Lahore diocese, where Barnabas has funded the construction of nine toilets and septic tanks for churches in remote villages. At the time of writing, five have been completed. In parallel to the construction, churches have conducted health awareness seminars on waterborne diseases and common infections. Barnabas has also funded the installation of 14 toilets and 12 hand water pumps in Christian schools in Sindh.

The Full Gospel Assemblies Bible College in Lahore is the largest residential theological college in the county, with 121 current students from across Pakistan, around half of whom are women. With assistance from Barnabas Aid, the college offers a three-year training program. In a country where there are comparatively few opportunities for Christian leaders to receive formal training – some pastors are even illiterate – institutions like the Bible College in Lahore equip and motivate a new generation of Christians for ministry. Many students are inspired to go out and share the Gospel in previously unreached parts of Pakistan.

Higher education

Disaster relief

Poor and marginalized, Pakistan’s Christian minority are especially vulnerable when natural disasters strike. Barnabas Aid has stepped in to help hundreds of Christian families, including providing food parcels, cooking equipment, and bedding for 430 families in Rawalpindi following floods in September 2014. The year before, Barnabas supplied 263 flood-hit families in Punjab with items such as flour, rice, soap, and tea bags.

Barnabas has also assisted with the reconstruction of houses and church buildings which have been destroyed in natural disasters.

Few Pakistani Christians are able to secure a place at university or higher education. For those who do, the next challenge is money. But scholarship grants from Barnabas Aid – for subjects ranging from accountancy to pharmacy – are currently enabling the studies of 72 Christians, some of whom are the only believers at their institutions.

Higher education in Pakistan is strongly Islamized – many Christians are required to pass an Islamic Studies exam to be allowed to qualify in their chosen subject.

Mehak, studying in Lahore for a Master’s degree in English, says, “God has provided me with an opportunity I couldn’t even think of … It helped me to see my dream come true.”

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 10

Vocational training

Pakistani Christians often experience discrimination in employment and work in jobs that are poorly paid and insecure. Many do the lowliest and most despised jobs, such as sweeping the streets and cleaning the sewers. Some are “day laborers,” having to seek employment afresh each morning, never knowing if they will bring home a wage. Others are “bonded” to a single employer in often exploitative conditions. The simple security of regular, safe, reasonably paid work is unavailable for many Pakistani believers.

The Vocational Training Center in Narowal, which was built and continues to run with the assistance of Barnabas Aid, is teaching life-transforming, practical work skills to young Christians; 34 are currently enrolled on various courses. The most recent graduates included 53 drivers, 26 electricians, 7 welders; 8 girls also gained certificates following completion of a sewing course.

Christian books printed with assistance from Barnabas Aid

Christian literature

Barnabas Aid is supporting the translation into Urdu of Christian literature and has funded the printing of more than 134 books since 2012, ranging from Grudem’s Systematic Theology to children’s Bibles and Christian titles by local authors.

Women’s health project

Working in rural areas in Punjab province, a Christian health project enabled by Barnabas Aid is providing much needed education and training for women. In the last year, the project, which aims to promote and safeguard women’s health, ran eleven seminars on topics such as common diseases and reproductive health for a total of 281 women.

Pastors and evangelists

The northern, tribal areas of Pakistan that border Afghanistan have witnessed years of violence from the Taliban. Although the security situation has improved, the region remains one of the most dangerous places in the world: using local transport is risky and the tiny embattled Christian community live with the threat of attack from Islamist extremists − in 2013, a double suicide bombing in a Peshawar church killed over 100 worshippers − while government security measures, such as curfews, hamper Christian activities.

Barnabas Aid provides salary assistance for 188 pastors and Christian workers across Pakistan, vital support which builds and strengthens the local church.

“The presence of Christianity in Parachinar conveys a clear message that the Church must exist and survive in the most difficult areas as well,” explains Dildar Masih, one of the pastors supported by Barnabas Aid in Peshawar.

Aasia Bibi

Aasia Bibi

The case of Christian mother Aasia Bibi – imprisoned on death row for more than six years after becoming the first woman to be convicted under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws – has garnered international attention. But she remains in prison, facing death. At the time of writing, Aasia Bibi’s Supreme Court appeal is pending: if the court upholds her sentence it will tighten the grip of Islamism in Pakistan, while exonerating her would probably lead to riots by Muslim hardliners.

While Aasia Bibi awaits her fate, Barnabas Aid is supporting her family with a monthly food parcel and have helped purchase a house and fund the installation of a gas supply to the family’s new home.

Aasia Bibi’s husband is unable to work as the family have had to go into hiding for their own safety.

Brick-kiln literacy

Caught in a cycle of pitiful seasonal wages, impoverished Christians working in brick-kilns can be forced to go into debt to their employers simply to survive, ensnaring generations in work akin to slavery.

Laboring in terrible conditions, they are also vulnerable to abuse and persecution. Barnabas Aid is providing adult literacy classes to 150 Christians working in brick-kilns, so they will be able stand up for their rights and check that records of their work and wages are kept accurately; an estimated 2,000 believers in extended families will also benefit.

HUMANISM AND THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH H

umanism, the new civic religion, is now firmly entrenched in modern culture, even in sections of the Church. It has a worldview and culture that marginalizes Christian doctrine and focuses instead on a civic moral code largely opposed to Christian morality.

Some atheists and humanists affirm the value of Christian morals and the positive effect they have had on society. However, fundamentalist atheist and humanist movements strongly oppose the Christian way of living, and seek to remove all religious influence from society, especially Christian influence. Most humanists believe that religion of any kind is dangerous, causing divisions, violence, and wars.

The collapse of Christian morality in society has been partly the result of a deliberate, orchestrated “humanist missionary movement,” subtle yet effective. It has also been assisted by those governments who are seeking to control all religions through an overarching civic religion.

HOW HUMANISM AFFECTS SOCIETY AND THE CHURCH

Humanism has become so firmly embedded within society that people do not have to be followers of humanism, or even to know what it is, to have been influenced by it. Within formerly Christian contexts, humanism is actively promoting a society where morality is negotiable and Humanism encourages people to pursue experiences, seeking self-fulfilment, pleasure and instant gratification. It is all about the here and now, and about looking and feeling good. In societies influenced by these ways of thinking, where right and wrong are considered merely relative, some injustices and sins are ignored or overlooked; some are even celebrated. Elements within the Church have been influenced by this humanist culture. Christians must be alert for elements of humanism creeping into their thinking, for example, the emphasis on self-esteem which makes it difficult to feel guilt for wrong-doing, and the way shamelessness is preferred to modesty.

WHAT IS TRUTH?

One result is that “truth” has become a negative word for some, who see it used as an excuse for obstinacy, intolerance, hostility, and even violence. Others consider “truth” to be an impossible ideal that can never be reached. Watson says that “postmodernist thinking . . . sees especially institutional truthclaiming as little more than power politics – a way for people to maintain their ownership, status and sense of being right.”¹ A new culture of hatred and destruction is permeating Christianity in many contexts, accompanied by gossip, rumor-mongering, false accusations, betrayal, and efforts to destroy Christian believers and Christian ministries. In particular, there is a growing view that it is permissible for a Christian to lie if it will achieve objectives that they believe to be right.

CORRUPTION

Institutional corruption is another result of the rise of humanism. Scandals abound, affecting the political, media and other civic institutions. Money, power, and sexual abuse are some of the recurring themes, resulting in a loss of trust. This is now being reflected in the Church as well, with frequent cases of financial corruption, power intrigues, and sexual sin.

PROMOTING FREEDOM?

Humanism supposedly promotes freedom. Yet many freedoms, especially religious freedom, are being removed from societies where humanism is influential. In countries where humanism is strong, people trying to live out a Christian life according to the law of God are increasingly being marginalized, harassed, or even persecuted. Some have been sued or prosecuted for practicing and promoting Christian values. Christians who challenge the humanist way of life are branded as judgemental bigots and extremists.

Robert R. Reilly predicts that, by putting humans at the center instead of God, humanism will erode the practical and theoretical foundations of democracy and free government.

With each person “a law unto himself,” anarchy is the logical result, soon followed by authoritarianism because “people have always shown their preference for despotism over disorder.”²

“CHRISTIAN ATHEISTS”

In 1963 Harry Blamires wrote that in Britain there was no longer a Christian mind, for Christian people no longer thought in a Christian way. He saw that, with the rise of humanism, the Christian mind was being shaped into a secular mind despite the fact that Christians still had “a Christian ethic, a Christian practice, and a Christian spirituality.” He predicted that the result would be Christians embracing secular values.³ This has now happened. Some churches and Christians are living lives that are effectively humanist and focused on money, materialism, and pleasure. They have been called “practical atheists” or “Christian atheists.”

Some developments in Christian theology inadvertently reinforce the effects of humanism. The doctrine of hypergrace (emphasizing God’s unconditional love but ignoring the challenge to live righteously) encourages many Christians to indulge in behavior contrary to His will as expressed in Scripture.

THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD

The question of whether Christians should get involved in worldly affairs has raged for centuries. There are three traditional approaches: 1. THE SEPARATION APPROACH A church removes itself from the world and focuses only on spiritual matters and ministry to its members. This

ii Barnabas Aid March/April 2017

minimizes the exposure of Christians to the prevailing culture and prevents them being influenced by it. They cannot be “salt” and “light,” so the Church has effectively handed over its civil responsibility and moral authority to society and the State, and does nothing to prevent evil flourishing in society.

2. “THE CHURCH IS THE STATE” APPROACH The Church becomes involved in the governance of society.

History shows that this approach has many pitfalls. The Church tends to become corrupted by political ambition, a quest for absolute power, pride, and greed. Torture, inquisitions, and gruesome executions have often followed when the Church as an institution is so closely aligned with the State.

3. THE CONTEXTUALISATION APPROACH The Church allows itself to be influenced by the prevailing culture. If this is done without discerning what is good, bad or neutral within that culture then the truth of the Gospel may become watered down. This can result in churches accepting behavior that is contrary to Christian values and failing to respond to issues of injustice.

ANOTHER APPROACH: CREATE AND CULTIVATE A NEW CULTURE

The Church must not ignore culture, separate itself from it, submit to it, or copy it. Rather, while remaining separate from the State, it must take a leading role in society so as to create a new, godly and better way of living and thinking. It must create and cultivate a new culture for itself, which will in turn have influence on the prevailing culture of society. This new culture must be marked by love, justice, righteousness, and truth in accordance with Scripture.

DECLARING THE CREED

Christians have distinctive beliefs that set them apart from non-Christians. Our creed is an identity marker for us.

Christians must affirm and declare their creed, just as Jews and Muslims do. In the New Testament there are passages that encapsulate the Christian faith. Other creeds were formulated later – quite complex statements of the central theological doctrines of the Christian faith, designed to ward off specific heresies of the time.

A BASIC PROCLAMATION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH There is one God in three persons God the all-powerful Creator and Sustainer Our loving heavenly Father God the Son, Jesus Christ, Incarnate Word, Our Redeemer and Lord God the Holy Spirit, Revealer of truth, Our divine Comforter Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah

LIVING IN COMMUNITY

The Church must live out what it means to be a community of believers: one Body, reflecting the unity of the Trinity. It must reject the individualism of the West, which makes many churches just a collection of self-satisified individuals each seeking to be personally blessed.

As God’s children, we find our common identity in Christ (Galatians 3:27-28) who challenged His followers to deny themselves and take up their cross (Mark 8:34-38).

The Christian community must not be ashamed of Christ or His commandments and must be willing to embrace suffering or disgrace for Him. These were a common experience for the early Christians, but suffering has become the unmentionable subject in self-absorbed Western Christianity, which, like Western society, seeks so diligently for outward beauty, physical health, pleasure, and comfort.

Community is also about commitment and loyalty to our Christian brothers and sisters. Humanist-dominated societies, where everyone seeks their own welfare and good above that of others and above the common good, foster betrayal. The Christian community must show that it is different. It should have a culture of love, respect, responsibility, care, commitment, integrity, selflessness, and mutual submission, making it a place of safety where people can be honest without fear of rejection, a community whose poor and sick are helped both spiritually and physically.

A Christian community must strive to find the balance between love and truth. In a community that is dominated by love, people are never corrected. They are allowed to continue in sin. Issues of injustice and righteousness are not addressed. A community where truth dominates is harsh and dogmatic and can easily become a cult.

It is through the model of a loving community that the world understands who we are as followers of Jesus. (John 13:35). If we are to change the world and create a culture for the world to adopt, then we, the Church, must first model it correctly, even if this brings down persecution upon us.

DELIGHTING IN THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey Him (John 14:15). If we have a loving relationship with God, we delight to keep His commandments. Jesus’ commandments are not just about outward actions but also about keeping our hearts and minds pure and renewed. This is very clear in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6 and 7).

Many of Jesus’ commandments are about love: loving God (Matthew 22:37), our neighbor (Matthew 22:39), one another (John 13:34-35), and our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

THE MODEL OF THE EARLY CHURCH

The early Church and how it challenged the mighty yet morally corrupt Roman Empire is a wonderful example of the transforming power of the Gospel. The first Christians lived in a multicultural, multi-faith, pluralist context. There was Judaism, paganism and the worship of Pan, Baal, Greek, and Roman gods. There was also the overarching power of the Roman Empire and the pagan Roman religion, largely based on humanism which included (at times) compulsory

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 iii

Emperor-worship. Much like today, society was corrupt and cruel, with sexual immorality, drunkenness, orgies, greed, ruthlessness, and bloodlust.

During the first three centuries AD the Church was very small and widely scattered throughout the Roman Empire which ruled with absolute power. Yet the Church survived and kept its identity by remaining different and by being willing to suffer severe persecution.

Although the New Testament writers call for social change, they do not promote civil disobedience or anarchy.

As the early Christians fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel and showed people the love of God as demonstrated by community, people’s hearts were changed. As their hearts were changed, so the world was changed.

The early Christians transformed the prevailing culture of the seemingly invincible Roman Empire and replaced it with a culture based on Kingdom values. Just like the early Church we, through God’s power, are able to create and cultivate a whole new culture.

GREAT OPPORTUNITY

Humanism and the information age have created a world where individuals feel lost. With so much information and so many opinions available, there is a growing thirst among many people to know what is truly right and wrong and where they belong. Despite the strength of humanism, many people are turning to other religions and beliefs to fill the moral, spiritual and identity vacuum in their lives.

Mysticism, spiritualism, paganism, the occult, Buddhism and Hinduism are all attracting large numbers of people disillusioned by their current way of living but unable to find answers in today’s Church. Islam, in particular, is reaching out to a younger generation desperate for identity, meaning, and guidance. It provides a sense of belonging, a cause, a proclamation, a community, and a set of rules for living.

Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world.

The Church can use the three steps of Creed, Community, and Commandments to help seeking and desperate people.

CONCLUSION

The two greatest challenges facing the Church today are Islam and humanism. Both political Islam (Islamism) and humanism have plans for total domination through wellthought-out, incremental, long-term strategies to infiltrate and change societies. Islam may appear the more threatening because of the use of terrorist violence by Islamist extremists, but humanism’s subtle, persistent and all-pervasive gnawing at Christianity could prove just as deadly to the Church, especially in the West, unless it is stopped.

The Church can either surrender to the humanist world or reform itself. If it surrenders, the ideologies of humanism and Islam will soon dominate many parts of the world and in those places Christianity will be reduced to small, scattered groups of faithful and uncompromised believers. Wherever a remnant continues to exist that remains faithful to God and His commandments there is life and hope. Christianity has reached a low ebb before and God has then brought revival.

The challenge of a civic religion has faced the Church

before. So lessons can be learned from the early Church about how to respond. Christians faced much persecution, and at times they failed, but the Church survived and grew rapidly. In this should lie our model and our hope for the future.

We must bear in mind that the Church today has moved far from the principles of the New Testament because, in their desire to be relevant, many Christians have embraced contemporary culture to such an extent that secular humanism now moulds their thinking and there is no longer a Christian mind. So the survival of the early Church in the face of such a challenge does not guarantee the survival of the Church today. Christians must be faithful not only in belief and doctrine but also in practice and attitudes. We are already seeing the rise of the occult and the resurgence of paganism in Europe. If the Church should fail, then Islam – which embraces both the secular and the sacred – stands ready to fill the void.

So, like the early Church, we must recognize that we Christians are different from society at large. We have different values and a different culture. If persecution results, we must embrace it, remain faithful to Christ and be thankful in all circumstances, trusting that God will be glorified.

HOW GOD CAN USE YOU TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE If we are living in days like those of Jeremiah, where judgement is certain, all we can do is pray and accept the coming judgement. If we are living in days like those of Nehemiah, we are called to spiritually rebuild society from its moral ruins.

The Work Place Christians should see working in the secular world as a ministry, spreading the Gospel to colleagues, staff, customers, suppliers etc. The way we work and conduct business can be a testimony to others. In the Old Testament there is a Hebrew word avodah used for both “work” and “worship” – it is God’s desire that work should be worship.

Christians in the work place must have integrity in all they do. They must also be courageous and challenge practices that are ungodly or opposed to the fundamentals of Christianity.

Generosity In Jewish tradition one of the fundamental aspects of righteousness is generosity. This applies to how we spend our time, resources, and finance. These things are not ours but belong to God. By giving generously to help those in need, Christians can demonstrate the love of God to the world. Scripture

iv Barnabas Aid March/April 2017

tells us that we should give priority to helping our Christian brothers and sisters (e.g. Matthew 25:40 and Galatians 6:10).

Education Humanism has deeply infiltrated the education system at all levels. What children are taught moulds their worldview, belief system, and way of life. Christians can make a difference by: Establishing affordable Christian schools.

Ensuring that Christian schools really are Christian, with a Christian syllabus, a Christian ethos, Christian worship at assembly, and prayer groups, Bible studies, and other Christian activities.

Getting involved, as parents and churches, in the existing educational system, participating in school governing bodies and committees so that they can protect and promote Christian rights and freedoms, values, and morals.

Supporting student Christian associations and encouraging outreaches to schools. Churches and Christian businesses must invest in providing university scholarships for Christian students to study subjects such as politics, law, business, media and education. Christians must see teaching as a vital ministry.

Spiritual Development of Children Children will be exposed to a humanist worldview through their school, teachers, friends, peers, social media, and popular media. Parents must be proactive and instil in their children a Christian worldview with Christian morals and values.

Politics By being involved in politics, Christians can serve their fellow citizens and change their country for the better. The Bible tells us how God raised up Joseph, Daniel, Deborah, Esther, and David to positions of importance and influence in government and politics so that they could serve their people.

Christians Must be Concerned Citizens Christians not personally called to politics should still take an active interest in how their country is run, following issues in the media and praying for their political leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Churches and Christian groups can work together to lobby about situations that they feel are unjust or oppose Christian values, whether in their own countries or elsewhere.

The Legal Sector Christian lawyers should see their work as a ministry, helping to promote and protect the rights and freedoms of Christians in their own countries and in nations where Christians may not be able to speak up for themselves because of oppression or persecution.

They must also use their legal knowledge to help other Christians to be aware of their rights and the various dangers that face them so that they can make an informed and united stand.

Media Humanists are using popular, news, and social media to promote their message and way of life. In films, television, music, and even news reports, behavior that was considered immoral just a few years ago is now widely accepted, while Christian standards of behaviour are ridiculed. Christians must take an active stand against the negative portrayal of Christianity, Christian morals and Christians in the media.

Christians must also challenge media that actively promote drunkenness, the occult, sexual promiscuity, adultery, pornography, drug, and alcohol abuse.

A generation of new story tellers must emerge from within the Church who are willing and able to tell stories from a Christian perspective which will promote Christian values and ways of life in a positive and engaging way to the secular world. ¹ Brenda Watson (1977) “Being Honest” in M. Felderhof and P. Thompson (eds.)

Teaching Virtue: The Contribution of Religious Education. London: Bloomsbury, p.77 ² Robert R. Reilly (1983) Justice and War in the Nuclear Age. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, Inc. ³ Harry Blamires (1963) The Christian Mind. London: SPCK.

BARNABAS AID HOPE AND RELIEF FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH 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 New Zealand PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz

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 4029536

Australia PO Box 3527 Loganholme QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07875 539003 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org

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 © Barnabas Aid 2017

BarnabasBarnabas Aid September/October Aid March/April2016 2017 11 Barnabas Aid January/February 2017 11

Buddhist mob destroys rural church

SRI LANKA

European Commission reports hostility to Christians and Jews TURKEY

The church worshipping outdoors after the destruction of their building A church building in Karawalagaswewa was attacked and burned by a 200-strong Buddhist mob on January 5. Threats had previously been made to the church’s pastor, so the local police inspector met with the pastor and local Buddhist monk and promised to maintain law and order.

However, that very night the church was destroyed. The congregation continued to meet in the open air.

Cairo church suicide bombing kills 27 Christians EGYPT

On Sunday, December 11, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a prominent Cairo church during a communion service, killing 27 Christians, mostly women and girls, and injuring dozens.

A state funeral – called for by President al-Sisi – was held the following day.

The coffins were draped in the national flag and had the word “martyr” written on them, both being important signs of honor and respect for the normally despised Christian community. On the president’s instructions, the Egyptian army repaired the damaged church building, working day and night to get it done in three weeks.

A report on Turkey by the European Commission released in November 2016, covering the period October 2015 to September 2016, stated that, “Hate speech and hate crimes against Christians and Jews continued to be repeatedly reported.”

Typical incidents recorded by churches include Islamic anti-Christian posters and graffiti deliberately placed near church buildings, anonymous threats by text and email to pastors, and physical attacks.

Illiterate evangelist accused of written “blasphemy”

PAKISTAN

Government helps launch Christmas Peace Train PAKISTAN

In a novel initiative involving government support, a Christmas Peace Train journeyed through Pakistan promoting inter-faith harmony. A nativity scene and a cross were amongst the decorations displayed on the train, which began its journey in Islamabad on December 22, and finished in Karachi on New Year’s Eve. Three secular organizations launched the train, including Pakistan Railways. Saad Rafique, Minister for Railways, said, “The white color of our national flag denotes minority groups, and it is incomplete without them.” The government’s respectful recognition of a major Christian celebration is an enormously encouraging gesture to Pakistan’s Christians.

Day of prayer and fasting as attacks continue NIGERIA

Babu Shahbaz Masih A 41-year-old illiterate evangelist from Lahore is being accused under Pakistan’s “blasphemy laws” after torn pages of the Quran were found strewn on a street with his name written on them. Babu Shahbaz Masih was detained by police on December 30.

Haji Nadeem, a Muslim shopkeeper and politician, registered the complaint.

He is apparently jealous of the evangelist’s brother, another shopkeeper, and is reported to be resentful of Christians for not supporting him in recent elections.

Babu Shahbaz Masih used to hold healing prayer meetings in his home, which were attended by many Muslims who had formerly gone for healing to a pir (Muslim spiritual guide) called Baba Gujjar. Under Pakistani law, there is a mandatory life sentence for desecrating the Quran.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) called for a day of mourning, prayer and fasting on January 8 in the wake of ongoing attacks on Christians in Nigeria. There had recently been antiChristian violence by Fulani Muslim herdsmen in southern Kaduna State, and Boko Haram attacks, such as one on

“The prayers and mourning shall surely reach God …”

November 25, when 70 Christian homes in Thlulaimakalama, Borno State, were looted and set ablaze. Former Kaduna State attorney-general Mark Jacob said, “The prayers and mourning shall surely reach God and the government of Nigeria has to take decisive action to stop the killings.”

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Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 12

Nurlan

Tough faith in Central Asia A baptism

L

ife as a missionary in any context calls for courage, perseverance, and resilience, even if you are serving in your own homeland. When “Erik” and “Elina” moved to the south of their country in August 2011, together with their baby son, they settled in a city where the population is 90% Muslim, with a different language and culture from their own historically Christian background.

Even renting a house was a challenge, as local landlords were unwilling to let to them because they were Christians. They eventually

found a friendlier landlord, who rented them a house comprised of one room and a kitchen, no running water and just a wood burner for heating – not too different from many of the neighborbood houses. Nevertheless, grateful for a roof over their heads they set to work making this simple house their home and integrating with their Muslim neighbors. “Nurlan” and “Cara” arrived in the city a year after Erik and Elina and their housing problems were even worse: no ceiling, no glass in the windows, and a dirt floor.

Gradually, over the years the two couples have built up good relationships with local Muslims through hospitals, schools, and daily life, sharing the Gospel with them.

Even before he was born, Nurlan was rejected by his Muslim father who beat his mother continuously during the pregnancy. Yet, despite efforts to kill the unborn child, she gave birth to Nurlan. The little boy was damaged, emotionally and physically, and could not walk for several years.

Nurlan was brought up by his maternal grandparents but fell in with a bad crowd at school.

In trouble with the police on many occasions, he eventually turned to crime. He was involved in drugs and served several sentences for robbery. One day, on release from prison, he was given a lift by a man who happened to be a pastor. The man told him about Christ, took him to his house where he gave Nurlan a meal, and invited him to come to his church. Nurlan went to the church a few times to express his thanks but the pastor was not there.

Around the same time, Nurlan’s mother had converted to Christianity. Desperate for Nurlan, now suicidal and a drug addict, she prayed for him and even invited him to attend her church. To keep her happy he went with her, but walked out: affronted as a Muslim, he did not want to hear about Christ.

However, that night in his dreams, Jesus Christ came to him. The following day, Nurlan went to church, repented and gave himself to the Lord. In time, he was reconciled with his family and began serving God. He moved to the capital and it was there, five years ago, where he met Cara.

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 13

A church gathering

Cara

A home-church gathering in progress

A home Bible study class Their perseverance has borne fruit: today, 15 adults and around 20 children visit Erik and Elina’s home for Sunday worship, some from the city, and some traveling in from the rural areas.

The couples also lead home-church gatherings in several different villages in the countryside, where eleven communities of believers have been established.

Barnabas Aid helps local missionaries in the region by providing annual training seminars, and financial support: we helped Erik and Elina financially for three years while they got their ministry going. Countless people have heard the Gospel as the Church continues to grow in the region.

A time of persecution

When the church in the city had its first new believers, persecution followed. In one village near the city, residents refused to allow the burial of a Christian from a Muslim background (MBB). Church leaders from other cities came to support the local church, and only after a long discussion did the villagers permit the burial. In another village, the mullah and members of the Muslim community descended on another family of converts from Islam, threatening to torch their house if they did not renounce Jesus. The family were understandably panicked, but Nurlan and Cara visited them several times and prayed with them. After a while, the threats subsided and peace returned to the village.

Cara was born into a Muslim family in a Central Asian village.

She got married while at university.

After graduation, she worked as a teacher at the university, during which time her husband divorced her. With a three-year-old son, she was extremely worried how she would make ends meet: she performed namaz (Islamic prayers) every morning and asked Allah to send her peace in her heart.

On a bus one day, a young man started chatting with her and told her about Christ. He gave her a pictorial Bible, the book The Most Important Questions and the address of his church. She went to the church the following week.

There she gave her life to Christ and at that moment she found the peace she longed for, and began sharing her new faith. It was after she had been baptized that her family started threatening her, and ultimately rejected her.

She began serving in the church.

She quit her job and planted a new church in a nearby town. She was studying theology through correspondence school when tragedy struck: her son, now six, was hit by a car and died. Muslim relatives arrived at her home, interpreting the child’s death as Allah’s punishment. They took her away to her parents’ village where she was effectively imprisoned in their house for several months.

Eventually, pastors from the mother church in the capital arrived and rescued her. She soon established another new church.

It was here that she met her future husband Nurlan. With God’s grace, she has now been reconciled with her Muslim family.

Convert ministry in Muslim-majority context Barnabas is helping support a Christian worker in a Muslim-majority region of the North Caucasus.

“Farida” – a convert from Islam who therefore is unable to find paid work to support herself – has a many-faceted ministry building up the faith of other Muslim background believers. This includes the Sunday church service, a discipleship group, and visiting isolated converts who are unable to attend church because of persecution.

She also reaches out to Muslim seekers who want to know more about the Gospel. Other responsibilities include ministry among the deaf and keeping the church accounts.

Barnabas provides $232 per month, which is 83% of her total support. The rest comes from local contributions.

At the time of writing, Farida is one of seven church workers in five countries of the former Soviet Union whom Barnabas supports.

New building for Bethlehem school nears completion A new high school building for the burgeoning Christian school in Bethlehem that Barnabas is helping fund is nearing completion and already in use. The top four classes (approximately 90 students) moved from the junior school into their new classrooms on the ground floor in February 2017.

Barnabas financed the land purchase and is committed to meeting all phase 1 construction costs (foundations, basement and first two floors) to provide twelve classrooms ready for the new school year in August 2017.

The school – supported by Barnabas since it opened in 2003 with one kindergarten class – currently provides quality education for about 550 Christian children, many from very poor backgrounds. With Barnabas Aid’s support, only minimal fees are charged for those in financial need.

Two converts during a Bible study led

by Farida; the church she works for has around 50 people regularly attending their Sunday services

The new school building a few weeks before the first classes were held. The children have been eagerly awaiting their new classrooms, even visiting the site to see the building work unfold

$2,790 to help cover the salary of a key church worker in North Caucasus for one year

$1,897,480 for land purchase and phase 1 construction costs of new high school building in Bethlehem

Project reference 43-1199

Project reference 65-251

Wiping away tears in Niger “Barnabas has just wiped my tears away and comforted me,” writes Pastor Emile. In January 2015, following publication of a cartoon of Muhammad in the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, anti-Christian riots engulfed parts of Niger. Some 70 churches were ransacked and burned.

Christian schools, orphanages, shops, and homes were also targeted.

Barnabas Aid has financed the repair and reconstruction of five of the worst affected churches, including Pastor Emile’s. “The events of January 2015 were morally torture for us,” a church member wrote. “We wondered about the future of the Church in Niger. Today I am healed and hope is reborn. Thank you God and thank you to Barnabas.”

“My church has found its bearings again,” wrote Hassane, pastor of another church helped. “Many of our members have returned. Praise the Lord. Barnabas, thank you, thank you …”

“The building you see [pictured] was erected thanks to your so valuable and significant contribution,” writes Pastor Emile

$47,425 to repair five churches in Niger following anti-Christian riots Project reference 38-1263

Emergency vouchers for stormaffected Christians Barnabas Aid provided vouchers to 1,747 Christian families severely affected by the tropical storm that hit Sri Lanka in May 2016, enabling them to purchase essential supplies at two supermarket chains. The storm caused devastating floods and landslides, affecting some 420,000 people.

The Christians helped live in very remote areas. Poverty is a daily struggle. Many are shunned for their faith and face persecution from both Hindus and Buddhists. The storm has only added to their vulnerability.

“Kala” lives with her son. Floods caused cracks to her home and a sewage leak. “I thank God for this voucher,” she said. “I’ve never had one like this before.”

“Mala” and her two children lost all of their possessions. “Today God has given us a gift voucher and I believe He will give us a new beginning and supply my needs,” Mala said.

“I thank God for the organization that gave this voucher,” said Kala as she collected it with her son

$58,610 for emergency vouchers to 1,747 stormaffected Christians in Sri Lanka Project reference 85-887

Landmark new school “will have great impact” on Myanmar Barnabas Aid helped finance a landmark new primary school in the town of Nam Pang, eastern Myanmar (Burma), for poor tribal children living in nine surrounding villages.

“For the past years, the poor villagers don’t have a chance to receive any education at all,” writes Richard, who helped implement the project.

“But now with the help from Barnabas Aid, the first school will be made available to the children of these nine villages.”

The school opened in November 2016. It comprises three classes and is already teaching 105 children aged seven to ten. An official dedication ceremony was attended by government officials, including the Minister of Education.

Richard adds that once students start graduating in six years’ time, the school “will have a great impact on this country”.

When the children leave the primary school they will be able to speak three languages (Burmese, Chinese and English) together with their tribal tongue

$76,410 to help construct and furnish primary school in Myanmar (Burma) Project reference 75-1277

Safety, fellowship and ministry for persecuted converts Barnabas Aid covered the shortfall required by a Kyrgyz church of converts from Islam to finish constructing an additional building, enabling it to expand its vital ministry.

The new two-story building includes guest rooms that will accommodate converts who experience persecution in their home villages from relatives and local Muslims and need somewhere safe to live. Some church members have to travel great distances to church so the accommodation will also help them and provide for them much-needed fellowship and encouragement. The building also contains a hall that will enable the church to host more meetings.

“All our brothers and sisters thank you for open hearts and for prayers for Christianity in Kyrgyzstan,” writes Rustam, the church’s pastor. “We need it very much because we can’t find friendly attitude in our location.

It very encourages us when we know that there are people who think and pray for us around the world.”

The church’s women’s group, meeting in the new hall, with some traditional handicrafts

$3,720 to help construct additional building for Kyrgyz church Project reference 26-895 Church buildings in Kyrgyzstan

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 16

“YOU CAME AS AN ANGEL TO RESCUE MY FAMILY”

HOW BARNABAS SUPPORTERS HAVE RESCUED 1,071 SYRIAN AND IRAQI CHRISTIANS

“Be a safe place for those on the run from the killing fields” (Isaiah 16:4) METHODS OF BARBARISM

“Just after another 100 years, genocide has been repeated. Our families fled to Aleppo 100 years ago now we have fled to Australia. Barnabas Aid has been with us in Aleppo and now you are here with us to help and support. You came as an angel to rescue my family.”

These are the words of a Syrian Christian of Armenian heritage, words that belie the magnitude of the modern-day Christian genocide taking place in the Middle East at the hands of murderous jihadists such as Islamic State who in their methods of barbarism use slavery, torture, beheading and crucifixion against believers.

“Christian refugees from the Middle East are not just casualties of war, they are victims of targeted persecution. They are fleeing war

but, unlike many other refugees, they can never go back,” writes Angela Shanahan in The Australian (December 17, 2016). “We are not just facing a huge geopolitical realignment in the Middle East but the expurgation of entire Christian populations in the area that gave birth to Christianity: Iraq and Syria, the ancient lands of Mesopotamia …

Islamic fundamentalism is the cause of this.”

SAFE FROM ROCKETS, BOMBS AND FEAR

After months of preparation, Operation Safe Havens was launched

by Barnabas Aid in June 2015 to assist those Christians who have decided that they “can never go back.”

Thanks to the generosity of Barnabas supporters, by Christmas Day 2016,

Operation Safe Havens had rescued and resettled 1,071 Syrian and Iraqi Christians: to Australia (823), Poland (160), the Czech Republic (81), Canada (4), and Brazil (3).

Elie, a Syrian Christian from Hama in Syria who had fled with his wife and two children to Lebanon, recalls: “We got the Australian humanitarian visa in April 2016 after long waiting and suffering. The problem was to afford our flight tickets. We had been praying to God day and night until the big miracle happened and Barnabas Aid offered the crucial help: they booked the tickets and gave us the opportunity to get to Australia and have a good start and a safe life far from rockets, bombs, and fears.”

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 17

THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE YOUR RELIGION

W

hat has the UK in common with Islamic nations such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan? The answer may surprise you. In all of these countries Christians from Muslim family backgrounds frequently face extreme violence, imprisonment and the threat of death simply because they were brought up as Muslims, but left Islam to follow Christ.

All five schools of Islamic law (sharia) state that any adult man who leaves Islam must be killed. Women also face death, although two schools allow life imprisonment.

Even in countries such as the UK where sharia is not officially enforced, the sharia penalty for “apostasy” leads many Muslims to think it is legitimate to use threats, violence or other forms of intimidation to try to force Christians from Muslim family backgrounds to reconvert back to Islam. Despite this the UK government continues to ignore the problem. The British government’s recently published Hate Crime Action Plan makes only a single token reference to anti-Christian hate crime and fails to even acknowledge the widespread violence experienced by Christians who have converted from Islam.

Barnabas is launching a major campaign to change this, starting with a petition, which calls on the British government to take specific actions to tackle this problem.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters who suffer and are persecuted in this way. Please raise awareness of these concerns with family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. If you would like more information please visit our website www.barnabasaid.org/walk-the-mile

Nissar Hussain in hospital after brutal Muslim attack

CASE STUDY: NISSAR HUSSAIN

Nissar and his wife were brought up as Muslims, but 20 years ago came to faith in Christ. Since then they and their children have been regularly abused and attacked, told to move out of the predominantly Muslim area of Bradford where they grew up and received death threats. Their house has been repeatedly vandalized with antiChristian graffiti, bricks thrown through the windows and their car set on fire. They were told that their terraced house would be burned down if they did not “repent” and return to Islam. When Nissar reported this to the police he was told that such threats were rarely carried out and he should “stop being a crusader and move to another place.”

Later the empty house next door was set on fire. When Nissar spoke to the media the violence increased. The police only really began to take notice when security cameras that Barnabas had provided showed a large group of men savagely beating Nissar with pickaxe handles outside his home, as a result of which he was hospitalized with a broken hand and kneecap. A few months ago the threats against the family became so severe they had to move out of Bradford under armed police protection to a new home in a safer location that Barnabas had helped them acquire. Despite the widespread media attention the attacks on Nissar received – including on ITV news – British government strategies and reports such as the recent Casey review, still fail to even acknowledge the violence and intimidation faced by Christians and others who have converted from Islam.

Barnabas Aid March/April 2017 18

In Touch Sunday Club’s reci pe fundraisin for g success!

T

he children of the Sund ay Club at H Church in Cannes, Fra oly Trinity nce, wante throughou d to help C t the world hristians who suffer decided th persecutio at they wou n . They ld hold a B recipe book ake Sale an s to raise fu d also sell nds to go to Bibles, wate wards prov r pumps an iding d feeding p Barnabas A rograms th id supports a t in many co untries.

These youn g Christian s raised an which has amazing $ been alloca 1,078 ted: $431 to (00-636), $ the Feedin 323 to Bible g Fund s & Scriptu $323 to Wa res (00-36 ter Projects 2 ) and Fund (00-6 35).

Another Way to Donate ple You can now give by a sim ” ive “G rd wo text! Text the to followed by the amount : ple am (ex 81 (703) 810-76 or 0 $10 te na do Give 100 to 5). $2 te na Give 25 to do e you do Please note: the first tim istration this there is a short reg ent ym pa ur yo k process to lin n. tio na do card to the

The young people of the Sunday Club at Holy Trinity Church, Cannes

Become a Church Partner or Speaker for Barnabas Aid!

special events, for example dur ing Suffering Church Action Week.

If you have some experience in public speaking (and possibly preach ing), please consider becoming a Barnabas Aid Speaker. You can then initiate your own speaking engagements in other local churches if you wish, and dur ing the year we may also ask if you can fulfil the occasional request from a church or Ch ristian group in your area. We provide Spe akers with information and materials inc luding DVDs and PowerPoint presentation s.

If you want to encourage sup port in your own church for persecuted Ch ristians, please consider becoming a Church Partner. This might involve distributing thi s Barnabas Aid magazine and other literat ure, bringing prayer requests to your congre gation, and encouraging people to stay info rmed about To learn more, visit our websi te at the needs of the persecuted Church by www.barnabasaid.org/Get-Involv ed/Partnership subscribing to Barnabas Aid magazine. You or contact Caitlin Sickler at our USA Office could also circulate petitions and organize on (703) 288- 1681. Thank you !

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.

Alternative gift card if you would like to make a donation as an alternative gift for a friend or relative, we can supply you with an attractive “Thank you” card, which you can send to the person for whom you have made the donation. Please fill in the details as you would like them to appear on the card.

“Dear............................................... A gift of $ has been received on your behalf from..............................................................................

This gift will assist Christians who are persecuted for their faith. With many thanks on behalf of the persecuted Church”

Mag 03/17

PLEASE USE THESE GIFTS FOR Wherever the need is greatest (General Fund) Other................................................................................. *

HERE IS MY SINGLE GIFT OF $ .........................................................................................

I enclose a check payable to “Barnabas Aid” Please send information about donating by electronic check (US banks only).

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RECURRING GIFTS For US supporters who would like to give regularly Amount $..................................................................................

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If you would like to have the card sent directly to the recipient, or if you would prefer to receive blank cards and fill them out yourself, please contact your national office (address details on inside of front cover).

If you would like more cards, please photocopy the form or attach a separate piece of paper with the details for extra cards and send it with your donation. You can also call your nearest Barnabas Aid office with the details and donate by credit/ debit card over the phone.

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This Recurring Gift is a new one / in addition to / replaces an earlier Recurring Gift in favor of the Barnabas Aid (circle as applicable)

Please send this form to Barnabas Aid and not to your bank Please return this form to Barnabas Aid at your national office or to the US office. Addresses are on the inside front cover. Barnabas Aid will not give your address or email to anyone else.

Phone 703-288-1681 or toll free 866-936-2525 or visit our website at www.barnabasaid.org to make a credit card donation. *We reserve the right to use designated gifts for another project if the one identified is sufficiently funded.

“When part of the body suffers ...

International version

special offe r!

$8.00 (+ P&P)

UK version

$3.00 (+ P&P)

... every part suffers with it.”

(1 Cor.12:25)

Today, believers are facing more widespread and severe persecution than at any time since the early history of Christianity.

Will your church stand with persecuted brothers and sisters, so they know they are not alone?

PRAY AND PROTECT Patrick Sookhdeo Pray & Protect aims to build on the best practices of churches and ministries around the world in environments of hostility and persecution. It focuses on a number of threats and risks, and suggests ways to make the ministry more secure and safer for staff and those you serve. It should be emphasized that these issues should not be approached in a spirit of fear or hostility to any enemies, but firstly with prayer and then with a response of Christ-like love. Pray & Protect offers a guide to issues to consider, risks to analyse, and how to work with others to take protective measures. It may help you deal with challenges that arise or incidents that occur, and will help you assist those impacted by attacks or needing support.

International version: ISBN: 978-0-9977033-2-0 Number of Pages: 112 Cover: Paperback RRP: $10.00 Postage & Packaging: $2.99, Special Offer $8.00 UK version: ISBN: 978-0-9967245-5-5 Number of Pages: 82 Cover: Booklet RRP: $3.00 Postage & Packaging: $1.49

To order these books, visit www.barnabasaid.org/shop.

Alternatively, please contact your nearest Barnabas Aid office (addresses on inside front cover). usa@barnabasaid.org