The Chairman’s Report for January, 2025 PART ONE

In this issue of the newsletter
New: Christmas events cancelled in Syria after Jihadists take over major areas
New: 200,000 Christians stranded – Christian women must wear hijab
New: Lebanon Christmas events were hit and miss during on and off war
New: Nigeria Christmas events held in areas of massacres of 2023

Syria falls to Jihadists

Christians ordered to pay Jizya – Women must wear hijab

Syria: Islamic terrorists using new European and American weapons swept into Aleppo after intense bombing of Syrian government forces by Israel.

About 200,000 Christians we have firsthand knowledge of are still in Syria, about 20,000 are in Aleppo and many more are in Homs and Damascus. Some of the Aleppo Christians had visited our ministry partner in Amman, Jordan just a week prior to the Jihadist take over.

A history: Sunni Muslim radicals supported by Saudi Arabia and the United States began a campaign against Syria’s secular government in 2012. Fighting over Aleppo lasted years. The city had been free of Jihadists for the last eight years, and Christmas events were held there.

Christmas programs this year were scheduled in Homs, Hama, Damascus and other areas as well. As the Jihadists moved south from Aleppo toward Damascus, they overran Hama and Homs. President Bashir Assad and his family fled as it became obvious that he had lost the support of the Syrian army which had become depleted after 12 years of war.

The United States had prepositioned B-52 bombers in the area just prior to the takeover of Syria by the Jihadists. As Damascus fell, our B-52 bombers targeted military positions inside Syria. Israel ran 250 strikes by warplanes against air bases and naval targets to finish off what remained of the Syrian armed forces.

The Western media is joyful about the defeat of Syria’s secular government by the Jihadists. Headlines have proclaimed that Syria is now “free.” The headlines remind me of those announcing the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003. After his demise tens of thousands died in conflicts in Iraq, including 4,492 American military personnel and 3,650 American contract workers. Tens of thousands of Americans were wounded.

The same Western media jubilation accompanied the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan to American forces in 2001. During the 20-year occupation that followed 2,459 military personnel died and more than 20,000 were wounded. In all, the United States spent $2.3 trillion over 20 years trying to occupy Afghanistan which is now back in the hands of the Taliban.

There was even more jubilation in the media over Hillary Clinton’s “successful” war on Libya which saw the ouster of dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi. Since the NATO bombing of Libya’s military and the fall of Gaddafi, tens of thousands have died in an ongoing civil war that has caused Europe to be flooded by Muslim immigrants.

Now there is jubilation over Syria as various factions prepare to fight each other.

The leader of the newest Jihadist uprising is Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani who was formerly a part of al-Quada (which launched the 9-11 attack on New York and Washington, DC). He also served with the Islamic State. He headed the Nusra Front, also a designated terrorist organization. The Nusra Front is now called Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) which is defined in Wikipedia as a “Sunni Islamist political and paramilitary organization.”

The big question: Where did all the money come from for the fleet of brand-new armored vehicles and advanced Western weapons that were used to take over the Western areas of Syria?

The original Jihadist uprising against the Syrian government in 2012 was funded by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

The United States has had military bases in Syria since 2014. One U.S. base is near the Jordanian border. The United States military also controls the Syrian oil fields in the northeast, thus depriving Syria of its oil reserves. The U.S. maintains an airbase there to assist the Kurds in controlling that area of Syria.

Military maps show the oil fields controlled by the Kurds who pump the oil and ship it to Iraq. The Pentagon says there are only 900 American troops in Syria. The Central Command has said there is “no end date” to American operations in Syria.

There were 1.5 million Christians in Syria before the U.S. backed civil war that birthed the Islamic State. There are just 200,000 Christians remaining in Syria. The majority of Christians fled to Lebanon where we now hold most Christmas programs.

Because of the Hezbollah – Israel war in Lebanon, some Christians had tried to return to Syria only to have the Jihadist HTS advance there.

Syria has a 2,000-year heritage of Christianity. Before the invasion of Syria by the Rashidun Caliphate in 634, it was part of the Byzantine Empire and a major center of Christianity. The Church of Antioch was the second church founded in Christianity. (Today Antioch is located just north of the Syrian border in Turkey, and Muslims have changed the name of the city to Antakya.)

Saul was on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus where he planned to persecute Christians when he met Jesus. Saul became Paul, the great evangelist for the Lord. Peter as well as Paul ministered in Syria.

What was a center of Christianity is now a Muslim war zone.

Christmas programs

Middle East and Africa: Syria is the only nation where Christmas programs have been canceled, or are “on hold.” Pastors in Syria refuse to walk away from the Gospel. There is a question, however, of when it would be safe to hold any Christian event in areas occupied by a Jihandist army.

We are doubling down on support for Christmas events in Lebanon. Some events have already been held for children in Lebanon, and for Syrian and Iraqi Christian refugees in Jordan. We also support Christmas programs in poor Christian villages in northern Iraq.

Nigeria: Christmas can be more openly celebrated in parts of Nigeria that are not dominated by Islam. Jos City is majority Christian. The city is in Plateau State which is considered a “belt” state between the Muslim north and secular/Christian south.

There are twelve northern states with Islamic Sharia law where celebrating Christmas openly could bring repression. A banner like the one on the right celebrating a Christmas event could not be posted.

The event on the 14th was not for orphanage children! This event was held in Mangu for 218 children orphaned in the 2023 Christmas massacre of Christian farmers by Sunni Muslim Fulani herdsmen.

In total about 1,000 children were orphaned in the 2023 Christmas massacre. Homes have not been found for 218 children, and they are still living in IDP camps.

Because of the ongoing conflict in Syria and the mass bombings in Lebanon, we do not have many photos available other than some in preparations.

(NOTE: Because of year-end holiday closures this newsletter had to be printed before Christmas Day – We are still awaiting many photos)

The next newsletter will have more photographs and stories of the Christmas events that were held in the Middle East.

Photos and stories from Nigeria will also be available.

Follow along on our social media pages to find more pictures from these events.

Please pray for all the Christian children of the Middle East, Africa and the rest of the world. Pray for the orphanage children in Jos as they go to minister to the less fortunate.