The Persecuted Church

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Comment by Agbedam Jules DAGAN on March 28, 2009 at 3:22pm

We are Adolph DAGAN association .We are also an organization which work for evangelizm.We creates social school where God's word is preached .But we have a lake of parter to develop our actiities.We will be intersted if you can parterner with our organization based in Togo (West africa)
E-mail adolphdaganassociation@yahoo.com
God bless you.
Jules

Comment by Marc Peterson on October 30, 2008 at 10:56am

Great news, Kate. Thanks. Nice to see Senators pull their heads out from wherever they were to work together for something good.

Comment by Kate Kooyman on October 30, 2008 at 10:14am

Update on Christians in Iraq...

Just got an email alerting me of a letter that had been sent by some of our current senators to call for action on behalf of the Christians persecuted there. I found it encouraging.

United States Senate

For Immediate Release
October 29, 2008Contact:
Kendra Barkoff (Casey): 202-228-6367
Dave Pollack (Levin): 202-228-3685
Becky Ogilvie (Brownback): 202-228-3107
Ken Lundberg (Martinez): 202-228-5957

Casey, Levin, Brownback, Martinez Urge Iraqi Govt to Combat Violence against Iraqi Christians

Washington, DC- In a letter spearheaded by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Mel Martinez (R-FL) today urged Jalal Talabani, President of the Republic of Iraq and Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, to take all necessary measures to end the violence in the north against Iraqi Christians. According to the United Nations, thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled Mosul in reaction to the increased violence and intimidation.

"This violence is emblematic of a larger pattern of severe persecution by extremists that threatens to deprive Iraq of her non-Muslim citizens. It also highlights the possibility of increased violence ahead of provincial elections," the Senators wrote.

They went on to write, "We urge your government to take all necessary measures to increase security in the north on behalf of all Iraqis."

Full text of the letter is below:

Dear Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister:

We write to express grave concern over the recent violence in Mosul that has driven away large numbers of Iraqi Christians. This violence is emblematic of a larger pattern of severe persecution by extremists that threatens to deprive Iraq of her non-Muslim citizens. It also highlights the possibility of increased violence ahead of provincial elections. We urge your government to take all necessary measures to increase security in the north on behalf of all Iraqis.

To this end, we welcomed statements of support from Prime Minister al-Maliki's office calling for an end to these vicious attacks and committing the Iraqi security forces, particularly the additional security forces sent to Mosul, to protect all Iraqis regardless of sectarian affiliation. These actions send a strong signal to the extremists that they will not succeed in spreading division, hatred, and mistrust among Iraqis.

We also hope the Iraqi Parliament will seriously consider the issue of minority representation in the provincial elections law. We believe Iraq's leaders can play a critical role in ensuring that the Iraqi government remains a representative body of all of Iraq's people, including its minorities.

For over one-thousand years, Iraq has been home to people of many faiths who have lived and worshipped side by side, including Shiites, Sunnis, Jews, Yazidis, and Christians. This long and proud tradition has made Iraq a cradle of human civilization. It is a tradition we hope will be restored.

Sincerely,



Robert P. Casey Jr.
Carl Levin
Sam Brownback
Mel Martinez

Comment by Peter Vander Meulen on October 14, 2008 at 3:49pm

Please urgently pray for Christians in Mosul, Iraq. The OSJ is working with the RCA and National Council's Church World Service to bring international pressure to bear. See Duncan Hanson's piece pasted below:

Dear Phil and Peter,

Please feel free to use and edit the following as you’d like:

Hundreds of Christians have fled the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in the last week since the murder of at least twelve Christians by militant Sunnis.

Mosul, the second most populous city in Iraq is the site of the ancient biblical city of Nineveh as well as home to one of Iraq’s five Presbyterian Reformed congregations.

Duncan Hanson, the RCA Supervisor for Europe and the Middle East, met in Damascus a few days ago with an elder from the Mosul church. The elder said

“The Mosul church is the oldest in Iraq, having been established in 1840. Our congregation has had a long and glorious succession of pastors. Over the years these pastors also ministered to the Muslim community. It was out of the Mosul church that God sent missionaries to Baghdad, Basra and elsewhere to plant new congregations. We Iraqi Reformed and Presbyterian people call Mosul our ‘mother church.’

There were many missionaries in Mosul. Rev. Cochrane, Rev Morton Taylor, Rev. Harold Davenport all served there. Following the coup in which Saddam Hussein became the president of Iraq, we experienced a critical and difficult time. The doors of the Mosul church were nearly closed and, with the exception of a few visits from the pastor at the Kirkuk church, we did not have much activity.

But by 1990 our congregation was starting to rebuild itself. We did repairs on the church and we invited a new pastor from Kirkuk, Rev Haitham, to visit us and conduct services. During that period we elected three individuals to be elders. Those three elders carried out the majority of the ministry of our congregation.

In 2001-2002 we had a pastor from Egypt who stayed with us for a few months. In 2002 we received another pastor from Egypt who stayed with us for two years. During those two years that pastor and the elders helped the church to flourish.

By 2003, when the Americans invaded, our congregation had 75 families. We were also reaching out to the villages around Mosul. Among those who were converted through our work was a young man who went to seminary and who is now lives in the USA.

After the Americans came, we received flocks of missionaries and evangelists from Korea, the USA and elsewhere. They all wanted to start congregations in Mosul.

But, beginning in 2004, we experienced a radically new phenomenon: terrorism. In 2004 our Egyptian pastor had to leave because of the security situation. The full burden of ministry fell back on the three elders and the members of the congregation.

During the years following 2004 we received a number of threats, including one spoken face to face and one left on the telephone answering machine. By 2006 the situation had significantly worsened and we experienced a series of kidnappings and killings of church leaders of all denominations. In 2006 one of our three elders was kidnapped and killed. That was a big shock to the church. Many of our faithful began to withdraw and not come to church anymore.

The church was closed for several months. I praise God that during that period we were given opportunities to start new ministries. We engaged those who remained in the congregation in outreach ministries. There was a debate among our members. Some said we must reopen the church. Some said the danger was two great to meet again in the church building. Those who wanted to reopen the church prevailed. Now the church is open again.

We know have only 27 families in the Mosul church. Two thirds of our members have left. Ministry in Mosul is now extremely difficult. Every Sunday morning, I have to call the custodian, who lives near the church, to ask if it is safe in the neighborhood to come to church. If the custodian says it is not safe, I call all 27 families to tell them we will be meeting in different private homes.”

On Sunday, March 12, the Reformed Church in America received the following email from Rev. Haitham:

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ the Lord,

This email is a prayer request for Iraq , the people in general and especially the city of Mosul (known also as Nineveh ) and the Christians there.

During the last 4-5 days around 25 Christians (some say 40) were killed in the streets in different parts of the city for religious and political causes, in the past people used to be kidnapped, threatened pay a ransom to be freed...well now they're being killed without prior notice...the government haven't done anything so far! Even the media didn't cover it till the third day. many Christians fled to the near by villages and cities where they're living under severe conditions (families are actually sleeping in their cars), fear and worries fill the place...We're Praying an (S.O.S) prayer for the terrorists who think that they're doing so for God to wake up and know who’s the real God. For the Christians the believers and the nominal ones to get closer to Jesus, for the many families who lost a loved one, their houses and money that they’ll never forget that no matter what we lose, we’ll still have the places Jesus is preparing for us in Heavens… and finally for Christians who live in the safer area that they remember and do as Jesus asked “For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ's, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward”. Mark 9:41.

We’re starting to fast to 3 days for Iraq and its people like the days people of Nineveh fasted at the time of Jonah. For that our suffering will turn the eyes towards our savior…

Let’s life our hands together asking for Peace from the King of peace in Jesus’ name

“I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:13-14

Grace and peace to all of you.

Pastor Haitham A. Jazrawi

Kirkuk- Iraq”

Comment by Jason Alfonse Fileta on August 8, 2008 at 12:25pm

I'm glad to see this group on Justice Seekers. My parents immigrated from Egypt and I grew up praying for, and writing letters to imprisoned Christians, and persecuted Christians--some of whom were friends and family. That is how I came to become passionate about the intersection of Jesus and Justice. Thanks for starting this group!