Barnabas Gifts 2015-2016

s a b a n r ba s t f i g he ve for t h o L f o Gifts uted Churc Persec 6 01 2015 -2

Thank y ou!

Barnabas Fund Gift Catalogue barnabasfund.org

Contents

Welcome

3

How we help

4

What did your gifts achieve last year?

5

Where we helped

6-7

Special feature: Empowering women

8

Basic needs

9

Water

10

Disaster relief

11

Medical care

12

Response form

i-iv

Operation Safe Havens

13

Victims of violence

14

Convert care

15

Small businesses

16

Leadership training

17

Christian workers

18

Christian resources

19

Christian education

20

About Barnabas Fund

21

Commendations

22-23

Cover Image: Students at Khulna Evangelical Conference 2015

3

I am delighted to present to you the Barnabas Gifts catalogue for 2015-2016. It gives an overview of the range of projects supported by Barnabas Fund, and the many countries where they are located.

Paul encourages us to help everyone, especially “those of the family of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Barnabas offers many opportunities to enable you, your small group or your church to help those in our Christian family who are suffering persecution or discrimination in various parts of the world.

Please read about the many ways Barnabas Fund reaches out to help Christians in need. On page 8 you can read a short feature about what we are doing to empower Christian women, through education and self-sufficiency projects. May I also draw your attention to our Operation Safe Havens (page 13) to rescue Christians whose lives are in danger in Syria and Iraq?

A ”Gift of Love” could make a thoughtful and welcome alternative present for friends and family. Why not give a Barnabas gift as a birthday or Christmas present this year? We can supply you with an attractive thank-you card to send to the person on whose behalf you have made the donation. Details are on the pull-out form on the centre pages.

Making your gift count Single “one-off” gifts help to support vital on-going ministries.

Regular gifts allow us to plan ahead with confidence and respond quickly to new and urgent requests. They also help us to minimise our overheads, maximising the amount we send to support persecuted Christians. Signing the Gift Aid Declaration means that if you are a UK taxpayer we can claim an additional 25p for every £1 you donate – your support will go even further.

Please prayerfully consider your response to the needs you will read about in the following pages and give what you can. Please encourage others in your congregation or fellowship to do the same.

May God bless and guide you as you consider how to help our brothers and sisters persecuted for the faith. Please pray for them as you read their stories.

With our Lord’s blessings,

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo International Director

Welcome

Dear Friend

4

elp h e w w o H

food and other essentials supplied through local churches

Basic needs

digging wells, ensuring supplies

Water

Leadership training

Christian workers

Small businesses

Christian education

Convert care

Victims of violence

spreading the Word, strengthening the Body

support for those who turn to Christ

strengthening Christians through self-sufficiency

helping Christians who suffer violence or injustice for their faith

equipping the ministers of Christ

Christian schooling for Christian children

Church buildings

enabling ministry on firm foundations

Medical care

clinics and life-saving healthcare

Christian resources

resources for growth and encouragement

Disaster relief

emergency aid in times of calamity

5

What did your gifts achieve contexts of pressure and in the last year?* Inpersecution‌ ‌Barnabas Fund supported:

265

25,765 Christians who were victims of violence in 21 countries

256 Christians with small-business and income-generation projects in 6 countries

6,669 Christian children in Christian schools or educational programmes in 9 countries

4 safe houses and helped persecuted Christian converts in 10 countries

19,619

394 394 Christian leaders in 26 countries; 198 evangelists and 196 pastors

6,669

leadership training for 19,619 Christians in 26 countries

28 9 medical and care projects in 6 countries

28 water projects, including wells and water pumps in 4 countries

‌Barnabas Fund provided:

1,1 24

56,645 disaster relief to 56,645 Christians in 10 countries

food and other basic needs for 211,257 Christians in 16 countries 111 churches and associated buildings in 17 countries

171,401 41,000 Bibles and 130,401 other pieces of Christian literature in 11 countries

resources for the construction or repair of 1,124 homes for Christian families in 6 countries

m *Fro

1

y Jul

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201

3 4 to

15

20 une

6

Where we helped*

Albania Algeria Argentina Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bangladesh Brazil Bulgaria Burundi Cameroon Chad China DRC Egypt Ethiopia Gabon Germany Greece Guinea-Conakry Guyana Holy Land India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Ivory Coast Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Lebanon

Liberia Mali Moldova Mozambique Burma (Myanmar) Nepal Niger Nigeria North Korea Pakistan Papua New Guinea Philippines

Poland Portugal Romania Russia Rwanda Senegal Sierra Leone South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan

7

Sweden Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda UK Ukraine USA Uzbekistan Zimbabwe

here e countries w * Some of th rojects d e support p d n u F s a b a Barn 2015.

4 to 30 June 1 0 2 ly u J 1 from ies are estern countr Projects in W s from n ia ting Christ usually assis rsecution. places of pe

8

Empowering women

Special feature

Women

Cana Girls Rescue Home

£26

£55

£211

can help pay for a place at a Christian rescue home in Kenya for a girl who has escaped abuse under traditional African religions can provide a place on a course to empower poor Christian women in Pakistan can train a Christian widow in Sri Lanka in rearing livestock and business skills Reference number: 00-1102 Women’s Fund

Christian women in Muslim-majority contexts are doubly disadvantaged as they are discriminated against because they are Christians and also because they are female. Many have little opportunity for even basic education. In countries like Pakistan and Egypt they may be kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam and then forced to marry a Muslim, often the very man who kidnapped them. The police will rarely do anything to help restore them to their families.

Barnabas Fund supports refuges to provide a place of safety for those in greatest danger, and provides training in basic health education and other skills to help them care effectively for their families.

In the Middle East, where the Islamic State group and other Islamist militants often kidnap and kill Christian men, we help to support their widows. In Sri Lanka there are large numbers of young Christian widows who lost their husbands during the civil war. Having married in their teens in a culture where the husband is normally the breadwinner, these women are left to provide for their children but without the skills to do so.

Barnabas is supporting a church-run vocational training programme to enable them to start their own small businesses.

These and many other projects bring security, dignity and self-sufficiency to many Christian women and girls living in contexts where they are vulnerable and despised. Why not give a gift to our Women’s Fund and play your part in strengthening our suffering sisters?

Barnabas Fund helps to resource many projects around the world that empower Christian women to escape violence and abuse, and to enjoy greater freedom, more opportunities and improved healthcare. and widows in Look after orphans es 1:27) their distress ... (Jam

Food for survival

Basic needs

Families’ lives are changed for the better

£5

provides a Christian child refugee from Burma (Myanmar) with food and hygiene products for one month

£18

helps feed a Christian family in Pakistan for a month

£30

helps feed a refugee Christian family in Iraq or Syria for a month

Reference number: 00-636 Feeding Fund

We are currently providing food on a regular basis to Christian families in Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq and Syria. Where Christians are a despised and vulnerable minority, whom no one wants to employ, even survival can be a daily struggle.

In Pakistan and Egypt, regular food parcels transform lives, and sometimes even save them.

The gift of food frees up precious income so that families can pay for medicines and other essentials and children can get an education rather than having to go out to work from an early age.

Shamuan, from Pakistan, tells us, “I work as a labourer on daily wages, and in our country daily wage is very low. My family and I were facing hard times. Sometimes we did not eat, just to feed our children. But by the grace of God, due to this project our lives are turned upside down. Now I have food to feed my family and also because of this help now I am educating my children, which is a proud feeling. I am thankful to you for this great support. God bless you.”

In countries like Syria and Iraq, we help to feed those who have fled anti-Christian violence, leaving their homes, jobs and possessions behind, becoming destitute. They need food, shelter and other basics to survive their ordeal. Then the process of rebuilding their lives can begin.

For I was h somethin ungry and you g ave me g to eat … (Matt 25:35)

9

10

Providing water in the wilderness Clean safe water is essential to sustain life. Yet when Christians are a poor or marginalised minority, they are vulnerable to being deprived of access to this essential resource. For example, in several villages in India, Christians have been banned from access to the village well when radical Hindu village elders declared that they were to be shunned socially. In other places needy Christians may just not have access to any clean water, or they must walk long distances to get it and carry it home.

Water

Hand pump in Pakistan

ÂŁ115

to provide a hand pump in Pakistan.

ÂŁ515

could provide a tube well for a Christian community in Sri Lanka

Reference number: 00-635 Water Projects Fund

Barnabas helps by providing wells, filters, pumps and other systems to make sure needy Christian communities have a clean, constant supply of fresh water on land within their control.

Supporting our water projects helps to improve the lives and health of suffering believers, and can also lead to other benefits in terms of improving irrigation and sanitation. When non-believing neighbours experience Christians sharing their water supply freely with them, community tensions can also be relieved.

One current project in Pakistan is dedicated to bringing access to fresh water for Christian families living in extreme poverty. To date, 12 hand pumps have been installed to help 12 Christian communities, but many more are needed.

I provide water in the wilderne ss and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen (Isa iah 43:20)

Relief to believers in need Disaster relief

11

For two days after the first earthquake hit Nepal, Krishna’s family lived in the open, waiting for help. “On the third day Barnabas provided us with a big tarpaulin. We stayed under that with other families for a week which saved us from sun and rain,” says Krishna, and later, Barnabas “helped in building a temporary home. I am very much thankful to the Lord who helped us in these difficult days.”

Where Christians are a small minority, discriminated against in daily life, they often lose out when aid and relief are distributed after a cyclone, flood or other natural disaster.

Food distribution to Christians in Niger affected by floods can buy two blankets for a flood-affected Indian Christian couple

£16

£22

can buy 75kg of grain for a famine-hit Christian family in West Africa

£100

can buy materials to build a robust, temporary shelter for a Christian family affected by the earthquakes in Nepal

Reference number: 00-634 Disaster Relief Fund

Barnabas Fund is always there to support them, both in the short term and for longer periods where necessary. Through our network of trusted partner organisations on the ground, we can respond swiftly and effectively to the need.

Sometimes this means that Barnabas is making a difference within 24 hours of the call for help.

A gift to our Disaster Relief Fund can help with immediate emergency needs: food, clean water, medical aid, shelter, clothes and other necessities.

It can also help with longer-term reconstruction: rebuilding homes, repairing churches, schools or clinics and establishing new livelihoods – whether agriculture, fishing or other small businesses and services. Key elements in getting back to some semblance of normality include (e.g.) trauma counselling, replacing lost equipment, providing scriptures and other materials and supporting the resumption of children’s education with back-toschool packs.

rding ined that acco rm te de s le ip lief to The disc would send re ch ea y, it il ab s 11:29) to their in Judea. (Act g in liv rs ve the belie

Providing health care for the needy

12

Medical care

“God has sent you because of my son, who has been suffering from a high temperature for a week, and I was unable to pay the doctor’s fees or buy the medicines for him .” – an Egyptian Christian widow.

Many Christians around the world are so poor, through marginalisation and persecution, that they have no resources to fall back on when they have an accident or fall sick. Our Medical Fund steps in with projects to provide check-ups, medicines and surgery as well as to improve education and awareness around health issues.

An Egyptian medical programme works in remote and deprived Christian villages in Upper Egypt, where in some areas there are no doctors or pharmacies at all. They assist all medical problems but have a focus on chronically sick poor people who suffer from problems like cancer or kidney failure.

Eritrean Women’s Community Centre, Tel Aviv

£8 £250

to provide a medical consultation for a needy Egyptian Christian

a week contributes to the rent and utility bills for the Eritrean Womens Community Centre in Tel Aviv

Reference number: 00-671 Medical Fund

Barnabas also supports the Eritrean Women’s Community Centre in Tel Aviv; Eritrean Christian refugees often find themselves victimised because of their Christian faith by the Egyptian authorities and by the Bedouin that they meet in the desert on their journey. One Christian refugee, “Mebrak”, proved to have a serious medical condition.

The Centre arranged for transport to specialist appointments at a nearby hospital. One volunteer translated at all of her appointments. After six months she finally started a long-term course of treatment to better manage her condition. In addition to assisting refugees with their medical and other practical needs, the Centre also provides skills training, healthcare advice, teaches social skills and assists with spiritual guidance.

to you for help, Lord my God, I cried me (Psalm 30:2) and you have healed

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Gift Form

To make a Gift of Love for the Persecuted Church, please use the following forms.

You can either set up a regular donation, or make a single donation to the General Fund or to one or more of the projects whose reference numbers are listed throughout the booklet.

If you are a UK tax-payer, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration below to enable us to reclaim tax on all your donations at no extra cost to you.

If you would like us to send you a gift card(s) following your donation, please also complete p. iv with details of the wording required.

Simply fill out your contact details below and then fill out p. ii for single donations or p. iii for regular donations.

I / We would like to help the persecuted Church:

GOL 2015

Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms / Rev / Dr / Other. ...............(delete as applicable)

GIFT AID DECLARATION

(Applicable to UK tax payers only) Name of charity: Barnabas Fund Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made: (Please tick all boxes you wish to apply)

Name ������������������������������������������������������������������������������

this gift and if applicable

Address ��������������������������������������������������������������������������

in the past 4 years

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in the future I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give.

Signature..............................................

Date. .....................................................

When complete, please pull the form out of the catalogue and send it to your nearest Barnabas Fund office (addresses on the back cover).

Please inform us if you want to cancel this declaration, change your name or home address or no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains. If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your SelfAssessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.

ii

For Single Donations

GOL 2015

I / We want to bring hope to the persecuted Church by a single gift, to be used: where it is most needed (General Fund) or for ........................................ (give reference number of project to be supported)*.

Here is my single gift of £ .............................................................

I enclose a cheque/voucher payable to “Barnabas Fund” OR Visa

Please debit my Maestro

Mastercard

American Express

CAF card /other charity card

Card Number Maestro issue number Expiry Date

/

or issue date

/

Signature............................................

I do not require an acknowledgement of this gift

Please supply your address on p. i and send us all four pages.

Please return this form to your nearest Barnabas Fund office (addresses on the back cover).

If you are a UK tax-payer, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration on p. i to enable us to reclaim tax on all your donations at no extra cost to you.

Other ways to donate

£

SMS You can donate £3 by texting “Barnabas” to 70007. You will receive a confirmation message that includes an option to complete a Gift Aid Declaration. For terms and conditions please visit www.barnabasfund.org/terms Direct credit to our Barnabas Fund bank account Please make your transfer to: Account Name: Barnabas Fund; Account Number: 50133299; Sort Code: 20-26-46. It is really helpful if you show as your transaction reference your postcode, the project number you wish to donate to, and indicate if you would like us to acknowledge your gift by including the letters TY. This enables us to allocate your gift correctly and claim Gift Aid if appropriate.

A sample reference would be TY/SN154TR/940 If in any doubt please email finance@barnabasfund.org for clarification.

Credit card donation Please phone 0800 587 4006 (from outside the UK phone +44 24 7623 1923) or visit www.barnabasfund.org

*If the project chosen is already sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts for another project of a similar type.

Barnabas Fund is a company registered in England number 4029536, Registered Charity no. 1092935

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For Regular Donations

GOL 2015

I / We want to bring hope to the persecuted Church by a regular gift, to be used: where it is most needed (General Fund) or for ................................................ (give reference number of project to be supported)*.

DIRECT DEBIT (for UK supporters only) I would like to give a regular gift of:

ÂŁ...........................................

(amount in words)..........................................................................

Please start on 7th / 11th / 15th / 21st (delete as applicable) of.............................(month) and then every month / quarter / year until further notice. This Direct Debit is a new one / in addition to / replaces an earlier Standing Order / Direct Debit in favour of Barnabas Fund.

Please return this form to Barnabas Fund and not to your bank. See back cover of this catalogue for address details.

If you are a UK tax-payer, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration on p.i to enable us to reclaim the tax on your regular payments.

THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEE Please fill in the whole form using a ball Service user number point pen and send to: Barnabas Fund, 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Name and full postal address of your bank or building society To: The Manager

Bank/building society

Address Postcode

Name(s) of account holder(s)

Bank/building society account number

Branch sort code

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society Please pay Barnabas Fund Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured to by the Direct Debit Guarantee.

I understand that this instruction may remain with Barnabas Fund and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

Signature(s)

Date

Reference (Barnabas Fund to complete)

Alternatively, Direct Debits and regular credit card donations can be set up via www.barnabasfund.org

This Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Barnabas Fund will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Barnabas Fund to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Barnabas Fund or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.

If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Barnabas Fund asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

*If the project chosen is already sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts for another project of a similar type.

Barnabas Fund is a company registered in England number 4029536, Registered Charity no. 1092935 barnabasfund.org

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A Lasting Legacy to the Persecuted Church

M

any people have savings and assets that for good practical reasons they cannot share during their lifetime. A bequest to help the persecuted Church in your will enables you to express a desire to be generous that you may not have been able to put into practice in any other way.

Please consider remembering Barnabas Fund in your will.

A booklet entitled A Christian Guide to Making and Changing Your Will is available free of charge.

Simply tick this box to receive a copy

Gift Cards If you choose to support a Barnabas Fund project 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 on whose behalf you have made the donation.

A

Please fill in the details below and please complete your name and address on p. i. Please write clearly.”

“Dear ........................................................................................

B

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”

C

Please state your preferred card choice (see right): ____ Tick here if you do want the amount to be stated on the card

D

Tick here if you do wish details about the project to be included on the card If you would like more cards, please photocopy this page or attach a separate piece of paper with the details for the extra cards and send it with your donation. You can also call your nearest Barnabas Fund office with the details and pay by credit card over the phone.

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 back cover).

Please send this pull-out form to your nearest office (addresses on back cover).

E

F

Rescuing Christians from danger Operation

Safe Havens

A Syrian family, delighted to find safe haven in Poland

£40

is the cost of food for a week for a Syrian family in Poland

£350

is the approximate cost of an air fare for one Syrian Christian to Poland

£2,000

is the total cost to rescue one individual from Syria and sustain them for a year in Poland

Reference number: 00-1199

“When the war started in Syria, we had patience year by year we thought it would end. But as it got worse, my wife and I talked and we realised we had to move. When we came here [Warsaw] we had seen lots of things – lots of disasters.

But from the moment we stepped off the plane into the airport we felt safe.” – Syrian Christian father on arrival in Poland The rise of the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria and Iraq since June 2014 is posing a very serious threat to the Christian minorities as IS have made it clear they want to eradicate any Christian presence from the area they control.

There is an urgent need to provide Christians in Iraq and Syria with safe routes out of danger, avoiding the hazards of people-traffickers, and into countries willing to provide refuge. Working through our network of partners and contacts, Operation Safe Havens finds countries willing to provide visas for Christians from the Middle East to settle and re-start their lives. It also provides the flights to such Safe Haven countries and after they arrive assists with their basic needs while they find work and become selfsufficient. We also connect the refugees with churches and local Christian groups who can welcome them and care for them. In Phase One of Operation Safe Havens, 157 Syrian Christians were rescued and brought to safety in Poland, where Barnabas Fund will continue to provide their basic needs for a year. Further phases will rescue more Christians from Syria and Iraq and enable them to settle in safety in various different countries. r those Be a safe place fo e killing fields. on the run from th essage) (Isaiah 16:4 The M

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Redeeming lives from oppression and violence Victims of violence

“My house was burnt down with all its contents.

I was left with the clothes I had on me … My little brother and my own son were murdered by Seleka of my neighbourhood. Muslims fired a shell onto the roof of the church which is behind my house, before cutting the throat of a person who had fled inside the church … the church was completely burnt.” – Michel, who received aid from Barnabas after his ordeal.

Michel was just one of thousands of Christians who fled the Islamist rebel group, Seleka, in the Central African Republic last year. Barnabas assisted 652 Christian families displaced by Seleka violence, most of which had lost at least one family member in the attacks. Each family received a survival kit made up of food, basic household items and a Bible.

Housing for victims of violence in India

£22

to feed an Afghan Christian refugee family in India for a month

£130

provides trauma counselling for a survivor of the terrorist attack on students at Garissa University

£700

builds a house for an Indian Christian family in Orissa, whose home was destroyed by anti-Christian rioting Reference number: 00-345 Victims of Violence

In Iraq and Syria, we are coming to the aid of refugees fleeing the excesses of IS by meeting their immediate needs for food, basic supplies and shelter; we have established Sawra Village in northern Iraq to house refugees; and also, through Operation Safe Havens, we are working to offer a chance for some to build a new life away from the violence and turmoil – a fresh start in a stable host country.

Barnabas Fund helps with their practical needs.

We also provide running costs of safe houses, fund trauma counselling to help those who need it (as we are doing for the survivors of the attack at Garissa University), and help with legal representation for victims of injustice.

ce He From oppression and violen us is cio redeems their life; and pre 72:14) alm their blood in His sight. (Ps

Carrying their cross to follow Jesus Convert care

All five schools of Islamic law - sharia - legislate that adult males who leave Islam should be put to death, and this is enshrined in the criminal law of at least half-a-dozen countries. Elsewhere it is family, friends, community or society at large that will ostracise or persecute converts.

In many places, converts will end up in prison.

The community reaction against converts from Hinduism and Buddhism can also be strong and even violent.

Giving to the Convert Fund is an opportunity to show love to Christians who have paid a high price to follow Jesus. Many have lost everything in order to “become imitators of the Lord”. Your help will not only transform their circumstances, but will also send them a message of solidarity and care during difficult and often lonely times.

Taxi-bicycles for Burundian converts that will enable them to earn their own living

£22

will help support an Afghan convert family for a month

£60

pays for a Central Asia convert to attend a leadership conference

£135

will provide a taxibicycle to enable a convert in Burundi to earn a living

Reference number: 00-113 Convert Fund

The Convert Fund supports local initiatives to assist converts by providing pastoral care, discipleship, Bible training, safe refuges, education, vocational training, employment, and whatever else is needed.

tors of us and You became imita u welcomed the of the Lord, for yo idst of severe message in the m joy given by the suffering with the 1:6) Holy Spirit. (Thess

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Working for God’s provision

16

You are probably familiar with the saying “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Small businesses

Sewing and tailoring training in Pakistan

£35

to provide a sewing machine to a Pakistani Christian woman.

£135

pays for a taxi-bicycle for a new Christian in Burundi

£211

to train a Christian widow in Sri Lanka in rearing livestock and business skills Reference number: 00-356 Small Business Start-up Fund

A gift to the Small Business Fund could be instrumental in lifting a marginalised Christian family out of poverty and dependency. By providing finance, training or tools and equipment, we enable Christians to start a small business, escape poverty, earn money to provide for their families and also support the local church in its ministry.

Your gift may finance a micro-loans project, providing funding and a collective savings programme. Or it might be enabling a group of Christians to set up their own business, by providing the equipment and materials they need.

Sometimes small business projects help pastors and evangelists - perhaps those ”tent-making” in hostile regions - to earn a living while carrying out their ministry. The aim is always to strengthen the Body of Christ by enabling believers to stand on their own feet and develop the local capacity to support the work of the Church.

Sana commented on her sewing and tailoring training in Pakistan: “By the grace of God I have started to contribute financially to my family. Now my younger brother and sister can go to school. I’m really very grateful to the Lord … and for the gift of the sewing machine.”

Training some 300 Christian war widows in Sri Lanka has enabled them to start smallholdings and other enterprises; all have had their faith in God’s loving-kindness strengthened by the opportunity that has been given them through Barnabas Fund.

Paul went to see them and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together—by trade they were tentmakers. (Acts 18: 2,3)

Equipping Church leaders under pressure Leadership training

17

From studying the Scriptures and learning about the beliefs of followers of other faiths in his community, one youth leader in Sri Lanka said, “This subject got my attention to read and study the epistles more. I am motivated to find a solution from God for difficulties in ministry and church.”

Imagine that you are leading a congregation whose members are marginalised, discriminated against or physically attacked; that up to now you have had little training or support to prepare you for the task of helping your flock to stand firm and even grow in the face of trials.

In many countries where Christians are persecuted, Christian leaders at all levels need access to Bible education, theological courses or other specialist training to fulfil their God-given calling.

Leadership training in Tanzania

£32

pays for a 6-day leadership training course for a Chadian Christian

£55

pays for a 12-day Bible study course for a Bangladeshi Christian leader

Reference number: 00-430 Leadership Training Fund

“I think that it is very important to understand so many things in our culture is from Islam. It was big challenge for me and for many others.”

This church leader from a Central Asian country can now free others from the pervasive Islamic influence that he and his fellow Christians have lived among for so long.

Barnabas supports projects to enable these faithful servants of God to train in theology, leadership skills and other specialised subjects whether their mission is to pastor a congregation of downtrodden believers, outreach in a hostile environment, encouraging those who have fled anti-Christian violence, or specialist discipleship for converts from another religion. ul for teaching, breathed and is usef dGo is re tu rip Sc l Al ousness so and training in righte ng cti rre co g, kin bu re equipped for d may be thoroughly Go of nt rva se e th at th Tim 3: 16,17) every good work. (2

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Supporting workers in the harvest Christian workers

Pastor “Kirill” and his family

£23 £130

helps support a church-planter for a month in Indonesia pays a pastor’s rent for a month in Tajikistan

Reference numbers: 00-477 Pastors’ Support Fund 00-478 Evangelists’ Support Fund

Pastor “Kirill” and his wife work among the 98% Muslim population in Tajikistan’s capital city, Dushanbe. His church pays him a small stipend and Barnabas is covering his accommodation costs. Being independent of Kirill’s disapproving Muslim parents, whose small flat they shared until recently, has enabled the couple’s national and local ministry to flourish.

Each year Barnabas Fund supports hundreds of pastors, evangelists and other full-time Christian workers as they minister within their own countries or people-groups in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. By contributing to their living costs, we can free up their time for ministry, pastoral care, preaching and teaching, outreach and numerous other activities. Typically Barnabas Fund will provide a proportion of support costs, with the local church or group providing the remainder. For evangelists working in unreached territory, it is usually the sending church or national mission organisation that partners with Barnabas to provide the remaining support.

has e Lord o h t , y wa wh same those In the nded that hould a ls comm the gospe from the h g preac their livin ns 9:14) e ia v recei . (1 Corinth l e gosp

Strengthening and encouraging Christian resources

“This is the most precious gift I have ever received during my lifetime. I really love to read the Bible and I love to meditate on the Word of God. It gives me light when I am in the dark.”

– a pastor in Burma (Myanmar) who had been ministering for many years without even having access to a Bible.

Barnabas has the privilege of supporting translation projects and providing Bibles, New Testaments and other Christian resources to persecuted Christians who would otherwise have no access to them. In contexts where a Bible is a rare and prized possession, receiving one is often the answer to years of prayer and longing.

Christian magazines in Central Asia

£4.25

for a Bible in the Hausa language for West Africa

£5.50

for a year’s supply of a Christian children’s magazine in Central Asia (6 issues)

£150

for a set of resources (books, DVDs, CDs) for a church in Egypt

Reference number: 00-360 Christian Literature Fund 00-362 Scripture Fund 00-479 Resources Fund

In some countries the Bible is a banned or restricted book, deemed dangerous by the authorities or the religious majority. For poor Christians it may seem an impossible hope to own their own Bible. And for those who cannot read, audio and video versions are the only option.

As well as Scriptures, persecuted Christians also benefit greatly from resources that help them to walk closely with the Lord and to understand the suffering they are experiencing. Our dedicated Funds help provide other Christian literature, DVDs, TV, radio and many other resources. A number of projects focus on the provision of children’s literature, to help build up their faith and strengthen them in hostile contexts.

th Moses and all Then beginning wi terpreted to them the prophets, He in mself in all the the things about Hi :27) scriptures. (Luke 24

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Starting children off in the way they should go

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Christian education

“Jesus loves us because He is always in our school, and takes care of us and our teachers,” – Marc, a pupil at St Aphrem’s School, Bethlehem.

Barnabas education projects helps thousands of Christian children in nine countries to receive good teaching in a loving, Christ-centred environment.

When believers live as a hated minority, government schools may be a place where their children endure a hostile environment. They may be bullied - by teachers as well as other children - and pressure put on them to convert to the majority religion. They may be penalised in exams, or even failed purely because of their faith. In some contexts, impoverished Christian families may have to choose between eating and paying school fees, so their children cannot go to school at all.

A Christian education programme in India

£18

on average per month* will sponsor a school place at a Christian school for a needy Christian child.

£260

per student paid for a school building expansion in South Sudan

*Supporters who can give regularly will receive a card with the name and photograph of one child and a twiceyearly newsletter about the project Reference numbers: 00-514 School-place Sponsorship Fund 00-794 Christian Schooling for Christian Children

At the Christian schools Barnabas supports, children are encouraged in their faith while receiving a quality education from caring Christian teachers. Financing a school place, which costs an average of £18 per month, can give a Christian child a chance to break the cycle of grinding poverty and illiteracy for good.

One family in Pakistan said, “We are so much happy our elder daughter reached to 10th grade - she is the very first in our family - and all our children are studying. We are so much thankful to Barnabas Fund and we pray for every person who is helping us in this.”

Barnabas also helps with school buildings, teacher training, equipment, materials and other projects to improve Christian schooling.

they should go, Start children off on the way y will not turn and even when they are old the from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

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About Barnabas Fund As part of the family of God, Barnabas Fund stands with our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, including the West, where they suffer discrimination, oppression or persecution as a result of their faith. In this way we witness to the love of Christ and build His Kingdom.

1. We encourage prayer for the persecuted Church by providing comprehensive prayer materials.

We believe in the power of prayer to change people’s lives and circumstances, either through grace to endure or through deliverance from suffering.

2. We channel money from Christians through Christians to Christians. Donations from individual Christians and churches are forwarded to local ministries and Christian organisations in contexts of persecution, mainly in Muslim-majority environments, to bring about practical and spiritual transformation in the lives of suffering believers.

We fund projects that have been developed by local Christians in their own communities, countries or regions. Thus we act as equal partners with the persecuted Church, whose leaders often help to shape our overall direction.

3. We tell the untold story about the plight of persecuted Christians and speak out on their behalf, making their needs known to Christians around the world and to governments and international bodies.

We seek to tackle persecution at its root by making known the aspects of religious and secular ideologies that result in injustice and oppression of Christians and others. We also equip Christians in the West to meet the challenge that other religions pose to the Church, its mission and society.

We believe in the clear Biblical teaching that Christians should treat all people of all religions and none with love and compassion, even those who seek to persecute them. We carry out our vision and purpose accordingly, but we will not compromise what we believe the Word of God teaches.

“As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.�

Galatians 6:10, NIV emphasis added

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I have followed the work of Barnabas Fund for many years and heartily recommend their vision of bringing hope and practical aid to Christians under persecution around the world.

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Commendations

Baroness Caroline Cox

When I am visiting a country, where Christians are under pressure, quite often a priest, a minister or a lay person will ask quietly whether I know about the Barnabas Fund. When I say, “yes”, their eyes light up and they tell me how Barnabas has encouraged them with a church building, a school or medical assistance. It is this kind of ministry which needs to be supported by prayers and by generosity so that the situation of our brothers and sisters is eased a little by our love.

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Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali - UK

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Let us not just thank God for the initiative of the Barnabas Fund, but give to it.

Rev Dr Michael Green - UK

Barnabas Fund’s financial and prayer support has marvellous impact on the lives of families through feeding programme … and children starting to go to school. The financial assistance provided to Christian Workers has brought enthusiasm; the churches are growing numerically and in maturity. Open Theological Courses are being taught. Children’s education has also improved.

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Yunis Laldin, Brethren leader - Pakistan

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I have been associated with Barnabas and its ministry to the persecuted Church in Africa and around the world for many years.

I fully endorse their ministry as they champion the cause of the persecuted Church. I strongly urge you to support Barnabas projects with the suffering Church.

Most Rev Peter J Akinola Former Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria

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The Union of Baptist Churches of Syria wholeheartedly commend the work of Barnabas Fund and its ongoing work to assist Christians.

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Dr Jany Haddad Senior Baptist church leader - Syria

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Iraqi Christians are facing danger and destruction on every hand. But Barnabas Fund has been our faithful brother for many years, bringing help when we felt forgotten, bringing hope when we felt ready to despair.

I thank God for Barnabas Fund which is a lifeline for the Church in Iraq.

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Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawod Syriac Orthodox Church

Not only did Jesus say, “Do good to those who persecute you”, he emphasised coming to the aid of our brothers and sisters who are suffering. Barnabas Fund is taking Christ’s command seriously and putting it into practice. It has my wholehearted support.

Professor Graeme Clark, AC - Australia

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Barnabas Fund provides leadership to the church globally as we seek to heed the instruction of Christ: Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering (Hebrews 13:3). We must follow their leadership, supporting them with prayer and finances.

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Very Rev Robert Benn Moderator, Presbyterian Church of Australia

I heartily commend Barnabas and the energetic way in which it meets so many of the practical needs of so many persecuted Christian communities.

Dr Don Mathieson Q.C. – New Zealand

Part of our body is hurting and I believe it is only right that we invest our resources to help those brothers and sisters in need. I am happy to commend Barnabas Fund to you.

Rev Lanny Arensen International Director, Africa Inland Mission International

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.

Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org 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 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 “Barnabas Fund” may be sent to: The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK 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 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 Fund is a Company registered in England Number 4029536.

Registered Charity Number 1092935 © Barnabas Fund 2015