The ongoing civil war in Syria has displaced more than 13 million people and killed more than 380,000. Entire villages have been reduced to rubble, with families fleeing their homes even amidst gunfire and bomb blasts. As the country struggles against itself and against its government, many believers are caught in the crossfire, and are often the targets of extreme Christian persecution.
Many Christians have fled the country, with no plans of returning, and are now poverty-stricken refugees barely surviving in camps in neighboring countries. Even our brothers and sisters in these camps are bearing up under the additional weight of Christian persecution, as fellow refugees beat them and steal their supplies.
Yet, there are a number of refugees and displaced Syrians who are returning to their home country, hoping to rebuild their lives and influence their communities for Christ.
Enduring Livelihood For Persecuted Christians
With your support, we are able to provide stability and dignity to persecuted Christians returning to their homes in Syria—we call this Enduring Livelihood.
Through our local Field Ministry Team, we were introduced recently to five Syrian men—Tabor, Babak, Demir, Jamil, and Rauf. When their village was seized by militiamen, these Christian men took their families and fled through the attacking forces on their way out. Many young people were killed, and their village was left in ruin without power, water, food, medicine, or fuel.
During the years of their displacement, each of these five men had a hard time finding a stable job to support their families who had suffered from the war and Christian persecution. Educated and holding degrees in business administration and accounting, the men were fired several times either because employers found other workers who accepted lower wages, or when asked to do things contradictory to their faith and morals, they refused.
Now, these five friends have developed a business plan for a coffee shop in a popular town in Syria. With your support and God’s guidance, their dreams are becoming a reality.
New Life for Families Enduring Christian Persecution
This creative business will support five families—over 20 people—with Enduring Livelihood, as the business stands as a witness to others of God’s power and protection.
The shop will be on the main street of a populous town in Syria which has come back to life again. The location, as well as the quality of the product and prices, will ensure demand. It is a goal to provide such excellence in all they do that customers will be attracted by the love and courtesy of the workers. In the future, new locations will be opened, supporting more believers who are unable to maintain employment because of Christian persecution.
Help The Persecuted is funding and furnishing this business—from tables to chairs to coffee supplies, roasting equipment, and so much more! This coffee shop will be a gathering place for the community, and a place where Jesus is honored and shared through word and deed. And five families are experiencing Enduring Livelihood—enjoying stability, dignity, and a way forward.
Christian Persecution is Personal
Christian persecution isn’t isolated to one type of abuse or violence. In fact, extremists will use whatever tactic they believe to be most motivating for a Christian to renounce Jesus. This includes torture, mental abuse, isolation, withholding of basic needs, and many more unspeakable things. The refugee crisis caused by the Syrian war has escalated Christian persecution to cruel extremes, including denial of aid from relief efforts.
Many persecuted Christians need more than short-term relief—they need a future and a hope. With your prayer and financial support, we can help brothers and sisters like these Syrian families to build sustainable businesses that will support generations of families. The lives restored through businesses like this coffee shop will serve as a testimony of God’s love and His faithfulness to believers who live in areas that are hostile to the Gospel.
The impact of your generosity today isn’t about the products, tools, and equipment that these families need to run a business. The impact of your generosity is helping to Rescue, Restore, and Rebuild persecuted Christians.
These faithful believers, the majority of whom are converts to Christianity, are the building blocks of the Body of Christ in the Middle East.