News on the Crisis in Syria from World Mission and the Synod of Syria and Lebanon
News
Jan 2014 Churches expect decisive actions for peace in Syria from Geneva 2 talks
Nov 2013 Children killed in attack near Damascus church and school
2012 General Assembly Resolution 15-12: On Prayer and Action for Syria Download Text
Oct 2013 Syrian refugees worried as UN cuts back its food aid in Lebanon
Lebanon, now home to nearly 700,000 Syrian registered refugees, is stretched to the breaking pin; the UN is beginning to prioritize the most vulnerable
Syrian Christians may get pulled into civil war
Many Christians are worried that they will no longer be allowed to stay neutral
Behind the front lines in Syria
The PC(USA) works with Syrian, international partners to provide relief and advocacy for war-torn Christians
Christians in the Middle East: U.S. attack on Syria would be detrimental
From the 9/10 Webinar: PC(USA)’s Syrian partners urge dialogue, not military strikes
PC(USA) church partners support call for no military action in Syria
August 2013 Stated Clerk issues statement in the wake of the escalating violence in Syria
We call upon the President and the Congress to follow the example of strong leaders in the past by exercising the courage and wisdom to refrain from military action that is likely to escalate the conflict further…
Stated Clerk writes letter to Secretary of State (2/26/13)
Feb 2012 WCC Executive Committee sends a pastoral message to Syrian churches
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Solidarity Crosses
Join the PC(USA) and the Synod of Syria and Lebanon as we pray in solidarity with Syrian Christians who have lost so much to the war. Encourage others to join in this effort by ordering a handmade Syrian cross from the Middle East office. Share this with your congregation, presbytery and others in your community as you invite them to remember our brothers and sisters who are living in a state of violence and uncertainty.
To order a cross, please contact the Middle East Office, tel. 502-569-5324. These crosses are free; however, for orders of five or more crosses we recommend that you make a donation to support the outreach ministries of the Synod of Syria and Lebanon.
Church leaders call for prayer after kidnapping of Syrian Christian leaders
April 23, 2013
View this call to prayer and share with your congregation, friends, and family.
Call to prayer for the people of Syria and the Synod of Syria and Lebanon
November 15, 2012
Presbyterian Church in Aleppo after suffering heavy blows from armed militants.
Presbyterian World Mission asks for prayer for members of the Presbyterian Synod of Syria and Lebanon and all Syrians who continue to suffer from the violence of civil war.
As the armed conflict in Syria spreads and intensifies, more and more Christian communities are becoming targets of rebel attacks. In recent letters to World Mission, Syrian churches have reported several kidnappings of Christians, including the director of the Syrian Bible Society and several clergy members. It is now common practice for rebels to seize Christian property as they move their troops through the country, and many churches have been destroyed by heavy bombing and mortar attacks.
In the city of Homs alone, five churches have been completely destroyed with six more sustaining heavy damage. Last week the Presbyterian Church in Aleppo lost two-thirds of its building due to a bomb attack. As a local pastor states, “Losing a church building has significant impact on a congregation. But when your historical church is intentionally destroyed… this sends a very clear message to Christians in the Middle East.”
Local Christians emphasize that the official Syrian Army has not destroyed any churches. Rather, rebel groups and Jihadist fighters who make up the so called Syrian Free Army are responsible for the attacks on Christians and churches. What started as a non-violent movement for basic rights in March of 2011 has since spiraled into a civil war after being hijacked by armed groups, including some radical Islamists.
The Presbyterian Synod of Syria and Lebanon has been addressing the humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons by providing food, medical supplies, shelter and pastoral care.
Presbyterian World Mission, in solidarity with our partner churches in Syria and Lebanon, urge all Presbyterians to pray for an end to the fighting and advocate for a peaceful solution. Please pray that God will instill a feeling of hope in the lives of those who have lost so much.
To support the ministries of the Synod of Syria and Lebanon, click here.
If you would like to support humanitarian relief efforts, please give to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance by clicking here.
Download a PDF of this call to prayer and share with your congregation, friends, and family.
Background
Syria’s “Arab Spring” events started in March 2011 in the city of Deraa and spread rapidly throughout the country. People took to the streets spontaneously, and were quickly joined by dissidents – at first mostly secular, intellectual liberals – who had been planning a revolt for a few years. Peaceful demonstrations were calling for political freedom, an end to corruption, action on poverty and the lifting of an emergency law. The Assad regime’s response included promises of reforms (which were perceived by some as empty slogans, while others welcomed the promises) on the one hand, and brutal suppression of protests on the other hand.
The atmosphere of protests and brutal government response provided an opportunity for several opposition groups to not only join in the protests, but to hijack what started as peaceful calls for reforms. These opposition groups (some heavily armed) include Islamists as well as secular groups and Army defectors. Different opposition groups are supported by different Middle Eastern countries (such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar) and other forces such as Al Qaeda. Some reports have documented the smuggling of arms via Lebanon to insurgents and militia in Syria. Two opposition groups – the Syrian National Council and the Syrian Free Army – have been given refuge in Turkey. The Assad regime is supported by many in Syria’s two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.
Assad is from the minority Alawite sect (an offshoot of Shia Islam) and still has many supporters, especially among minorities. The biggest protests have been in Sunni-majority areas. More recently, clashes between opposition groups and the regime have intensified, particularly in the city of Homs and Aleppo. Some analysts are warning that the current civil war in Syria could turn into a sectarian war. Innocent civilians, including Christians, are suffering. A few thousand have fled to neighboring countries, and more have become internally displaced. The United Nations reported that as many as 30,000 Syrians have been killed, including security forces and Army personnel.
The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on the Assad regime, but Russia and China have blocked a Western-sponsored draft resolution at the UN. Instead, Russia and China support a mediated domestic political process and cessation of violence by all perpetrators in Syria, and back Assad’s call for reforms. The international community’s efforts to secure a peaceful resolution to the crisis have failed thus far. Interferences by other Middle Eastern and Western countries have exacerbated the situation.
Syrians are bewildered as to why they are made to pay for an international desire to isolate Iran. They fear outside interference would fuel a civil war that could turn into a sectarian war. The Lebanese civil war just a generation ago is still vivid in their memory. They also dread the possibility of a similar outcome to that of the 2003 American-led invasion of Iraq. In a meeting of the heads of churches of Syria on 15 December, the patriarchs "rejected all sorts of foreign intervention from any foreign party."
