Delegation to Middle East Finds Increasing Challenges for Region's Christians
A delegation of U.S. church leaders returning from a tour of five Middle Eastern countries reported that stable Christian communities and churches in the region are being severely challenged
A delegation of U.S. church leaders returning from a tour of five Middle Eastern countries reported that stable Christian communities and churches in the region are being severely challenged by volatile and escalating humanitarian and political crises. Led by global humanitarian agency Church World Service, the delegation of U.S. mission agency leaders visited government officials and Christian and Muslim leaders in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel between October 23 and November 1.
"The region continues to be tense and volatile, with worsening humanitarian situations and political crises, particularly in Iraq and in Israel/Palestine,” noted Rev John L. McCullough, Church World Service Executive Director and CEO.
He added, "Church World Service and its partners are deeply troubled by the political, economic and social factors that are provoking Christian migration from the region and severely challenging the churches and stable Christian communities there."
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With the Middle East engulfed in deepening conflicts, and amidst militant religious overtones, representatives of the U.S. churches traveled to show their solidarity with the Middle East’s Christian community and to express support for ecumenical and interfaith efforts for peace, justice and reconciliation. According to CSW, churches in the United States have been long-standing partners with Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant church communities in the region.
As reported by the humanitarian agency, the visits underscored the view that the Middle East remains an unknown region for many people, “reduced to images of violence and sound bites of discordant voices, without representation of people who have been living out ecumenical and cross-cultural relationships for generations.”
Church leaders visited by the delegation encouraged U.S. churches to promote “citizen diplomacy” to reach across deep divides and establish human contact and relationships.
"Many ecumenical efforts are pioneering in nature and have had a large impact for the good on government programs,” reported Rev. R. Randy Day, General Secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. “Dedicated volunteers in the region are pouring themselves out in service to fellow Christians and to all fellow citizens in need."
McCullough said the delegation was dismayed to find high rates of illiteracy in an internationally distinguished country such as Egypt. "The prominence of geo-political issues in the Middle East should not distract us from the urgent needs of people who are poor and disadvantaged," he said
Church World Service—a cooperative ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations—provides sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance internationally. “These forms of Christian witness have been a hallmark of the ecumenical movement in the Middle East for decades,” the agency said.
"Ecumenically, the churches have sought to bear witness through an active presence that seeks the welfare of all in society, without regard to religious belief and identity,” McCullough stated. “Ecumenical partners from around the world have supported the churches in the region in 'witness-through-presence.'"
The delegation, noting the harmful effects of the politics of fear, said Christians would continue to work with partners in the Middle East, embracing love, not fear.
