The Chairman’s Report for July

In this issue of the newsletter

New: Support for Christian Children’s summer camp in majority Muslim nation

Update: Bethlehem continues to suffer as Middle East war drags into third year

Update: Christians from “Muslim backgrounds” in Iraq need spiritual support

Update: New beds for the Nigerian orphanage overshadowed by deadly attacks

Supporting Christian children in Jordan – The Christian summer camp

For over fifteen years, the Religious Freedom Coalition has partnered with Camp Gilead, a vital summer refuge for Christian youth in Jordan.

Even though the Jordanian government leans secular to attract American aid, there is cultural persecution remaining that is subtle and constant.

As an example, a mosque was built just across the road from the entrance to Camp Gilead. There is no housing nearby, the purpose of building the mosque was to play loud dawn Muslim prayers that wake the children who are at the camp to come closer to Jesus.

Over the years, our supporters have transformed this summer sanctuary for the small minority of Christian children in Jordan. Together, we have replaced rusted metal water tanks with a state-of-the-art water system, repaired the perimeter security fencing, installed a comprehensive video surveillance system, replaced roofs, and updated the kitchen and bathrooms to ensure these children have a safe, functional space to encounter the Lord.

Our commitment to the children’s comfort and well-being is ongoing. Two years ago, we replaced some mattresses. Because of climate and storage needs these are thinner mattresses that do not wear well and must be replaced every few years. Large thick American style mattresses would not work in this setting and are far too expensive. This year, we will be replacing 100 of the mattresses and buying them with covers.

To preserve the older mattresses, we are also buying new protective covers. A recent inspection revealed that some pillows need repaired and replaced. We are replacing 70 worn-out pillows and purchasing protective covers for the remaining 150 older pillows.

Our goal for Camp Gilead for over 15 years has been to strengthen young believers in their walk with Christ. Because the camp has for decades instilled the Word of God in the youth, all the young men and women who are counselors were there as children. Camp Gilead is empowering the youth as Christian leaders in a Muslim world.

Please pray for the spiritual growth of each group that cycles through Camp Gilead this summer and for their protection in travels from various parts of Jordan to attend.

Faith Sustained in the Silence of Bethlehem

Bethlehem sits in an eerie, painful silence. The vibrant streets where our Lord was born—once filled with pilgrims and visitors—are now empty. With tourism completely frozen by the ongoing conflict, the local economy has utterly collapsed.

Unemployment has skyrocketed above 80%, leaving families with no income, no safety net, and no clear way to provide for their daily needs. Families have fallen far past what many would consider rock bottom. Yet, into this deep darkness, our Diaper and Food Distribution Programs have become a vital vessel of mercy.

For the poorest, the elderly, and disabled Christians who are completely unable to work during this wartime crisis, these programs are quite literally a lifeline. Currently the diaper program is providing critically needed diapers to severely disabled adults, many of them elderly.

The diaper program is also assisting vulnerable children with severe disabilities at an orphanage near the Church of the Nativity that traditionally marks the birthplace of Jesus.

Our food program is also continuing during the war devastated economy. We deliver monthly food packages to families across Bethlehem. Desperation is growing and more families are seeking aid because of lack of work. Several families, including widows caring for grandchildren, have been added to our aid lists just in the last month.

We now have a lengthy waiting list!

The future of the Christian presence in the Holy Land hangs precariously in the balance, with believers now making up less than one percent of the population. If these families cannot survive the economic devastation of this war, the living witness of Christ’s people in His birthplace could fade away entirely. Sadly, the wealthy Christian families who could afford to leave are not there to help!

Every single food or diaper package we deliver does far more than satisfy physical hunger or provide basic hygiene. We are making a declaration that these believers are cherished, remembered, and sustained by the global Body of Christ.

As they look upon the gifts sent by their faithful brothers and sisters in America, they are reminded that they are not alone. Your continued, compassionate support allows us to bear one another’s burdens, fulfilling the law of Christ and defending the enduring presence of His church in the very land where He was born, crucified, and resurrected. (Below from 21 years ago)

This paragraph is from my April 2005 newsletter reporting on a visit to Bethlehem.

The situation of Christians in the Holy Land is worsening by the day. During Christmas of 2004 Muslims filled Bethlehem Square, setting up loudspeakers for day long prayers so that Christians could not even get to the Church of the Nativity to pray. The Palestinian Authority Police now stand at the entrance to the church door and question each person who enters asking their citizenship and how they arrived. I have been to churches on six of the world’s seven continents and even in the old Soviet Union when it was communist and I was never before questioned by a policeman at the door. This is intimidation plain and simple.

I was looking for an article I wrote many years ago and came upon a PDF of a newsletter I wrote almost exactly 20 years ago. As you can see from this one paragraph the situation for Christians in the Holy Land was bad and it is getting worse each passing year.

Guided tours of the Church of the Nativity by Muslims? Yes! Many of the official guides giving tours of the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus are Muslim. In Islam, Jesus (Isa al-Masih) is considered a prophet and “servant of Allah.”

If the fighting stops and you can travel to Bethlehem on a pilgrimage, you may well have a Muslim guide you through the Church of the Nativity.

At the current rate of depletion of the Christian population in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala and other Christian villages, there will be no native Christians in the Holy Land by the year 2100. By 2100 I would also predict that the Church of the Nativity along with the Church of St. Catherine and the Chapel of the Milk Grotto, to have been seized and turned into mosques. Please pray daily that there will be a great awakening that will reverse the decline of Christianity in the Holy Land.

Programs in Iraq continue

Help for “Muslim Background” Believers: Some of our Heart for the Persecuted Church programs in Iraq assist new Christian believers who have “Muslim Backgrounds.” The term Muslim Background is used in Iraqi churches to refer to converts from Islam.

The Iraqi Constitution (President George W. Bush) technically guarantees freedom of thought and conscience but dictates that no law can contradict Islamic law. As a result, Iraq’s administrative and personal status laws explicitly prohibit Muslims from converting to any other faith.

NOTE: A Christian or Jew can convert to Islam under Iraqi law. A conversion to Islam under Iraqi law is “irrevocable.” Once an individual has identified as a Muslim they cannot return to their former faith.

Former Muslims we assist face persecution. They are ostracized by their families and can’t find employment if their Christian faith is revealed. We have assisted these families as best as we can through churches we support in Iraq. I rarely write about this aid because of the danger. If I mention a specific church or location and it is discovered online the repercussions could in some cases prove fatal.

There are American ministries reporting many miraculous conversions of Muslims in Iraq and other Muslim nations. Those conversions come with a price that we as Christians must accept. In John 15:20 (NIV) Jesus said, Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.’

Please pray for converts from Islam … Please pray for those we help in Iraq and other areas who have fled the personal repression of Islam for freedom in Jesus.

Nigeria – The good news and the bad news

The good news, an update and thank you: In August 2021 our original orphanage in Miango was attacked and burned to the ground by Fulani Jihadists. It was a scene of total devastation.

Very little could be saved but our staff managed to retrieve the metal bunk bed frames. (The mattresses were nothing but ash.) The charred frames were sanded and repainted to be reused.

At the time, we saw those bed frames as a symbol of resilience. But after several years of use, we discovered that the intense, white-hot heat of the Miango fire had “tortured” the molecular structure of the metal, causing the weakened frames to bend and fail.

I wrote to supporters asking for help to replace the 30 double bunkbed frames to provide safe sleeping quarters for 60 of the orphans.

Thanks to a positive response the necessary funds were raised! All of the weakened bunkbed frames have been replaced! The children now have sturdy, safe new beds to sleep on.

The bad news: More dead and displaced: Where a peaceful Nigerian Christian community existed at the beginning of June, only devastation, bloodstains, and profound grief remain.

Late at night on Sunday, June 22nd, armed Sunni Muslim Fulani herdsmen ruthlessly invaded the Kawel Community in the Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The jihadists attacked without warning targeting innocent residents while they slept. Dozens of homes were burned to the ground.

The attackers stormed a local Primary Health Care Centre, shooting medical staff and killing defenseless patients inside. At least 22 precious lives were violently cut short, including local farmers and health workers.

Local leaders expressed deep frustration over severe security failures, noting that calls placed to security forces near midnight went unanswered until daylight.

There has been a surge of Jihadist violence against vulnerable believers in Plateau State, shortly after the assassination of traditional tribal ruler Saf Samuel Alaket by Fulani jihadists on June 16th as he returned home from a council meeting. His Royal Highness Saf Samuel Alaket was District Head of Gwande in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. He was a Christian and a widely respected peace advocate.

In the face of this evil, the Religious Freedom Coalition and Heart for the Persecuted Church are stepping forward. We are organizing emergency aid to the traumatized survivors as soon as possible. Please pray for this broken community and stand with us in prayer for all those who lost relatives and were driven from their homes.

Please pray for the victims of Islamic terror in Nigeria. Please pray for families and victims and continue to pray for Christians in the Middle East as well.