Help persecuted Christians in Baghdad, Iraq

St George's Church, Baghdad, is a beacon of hope in a country still suffering sectarian kidnappings, violence, shootings, murders, car bombings and even suicide bomb blasts. Canon Andrew White is its vicar, and ascribes its remarkable effect in bringing healing and a basis for reconciliation in the community to nothing less than the presence of God. Give now

Yet this is a church that saw 93 of its members killed in just one year; where 11 of the 13 Muslims who were baptised as Christians were killed within a week of their baptism; and where a car bomb that killed 164 people damaged the church and caused extensive damage to the clinic in its compound.

'Christians in Iraq are under very vicious attack,' says Andrew White. 'It is not a question of debate - there is no debate here. It is a question of abduction, torture, rape and murder.'

Despite all this, and the fact that most members are women and children who have lost their menfolk to the violence, Andrew says that St George's is full of love and joy.

'People often ask me how Iraq's Christians keep going. At St George's, we worship surrounded by barricades, razor wire and military protection. Baghdad's Christians have been tortured, bombed, and massacred. Yet, in the face of such persecution, they remain a people of life and peace. Indeed, I've been here for 13 years and their strength and grace still humbles me. Theirs is a spirit of hope.'

'The sufferings of this present world are not worth comparing with the glory that is to come.' (Romans 8:18)

On October 31, 2010, terrorists occupied the Syrian Church in Baghdad, not far from St George's, during a service. They said they wanted to release two Muslim women who had become Christians, who they claimed were being held against their will. The attack claimed the lives of 48 worshippers, and severely injured 80 others. Five policemen also died, and all five terrorists were killed, either by Iraqi security officers or in the explosions they detonated.

Andrew White says: 'Following the massacre, I preached on Romans 8:18. Before the glory of Easter comes the suffering of Good Friday. In the Bible, suffering and glory go together. In Baghdad, suffering and glory go together. The pain of this place may be great, but at no time have I ever thought of not continuing. I so love these people and they love me. It's a perfect love that casts out fear and that keeps us going.

' St George's Church, Baghdad In a region devastated by sectarian violence, St George's fosters hope and forgiveness to counter attitudes of bitterness and retaliation. We offer hope in both a spiritual and practical sense.

'People need food, healthcare and education, so we provide it. Around 4,000 people receive vital weekly food supplies. Our clinic offers free treatment to 2,000 people each month, regardless of their faith. It also houses a pharmacy and dental practice. It is staffed by people of Christian, Sunni, Shia and Jewish faith. We work together because we want to see our community reconciled.

'We improve the quality of life for thousands, and we do it in a way that promotes long-term reconciliation. We see the fruits of that daily, and it gives many people cause for hope.

'Almost no-one at St George's is an Anglican by tradition. When I ask my people why they come, they tell me frankly that originally they came because they heard that we gave out groceries. But then they say that they learned what church is really like and that "God is here". Ultimately, though, they say that they have experienced the presence of God in the love that fills this place: the love we show each other; the love that drives out fear - God's love that never ceases.

'Though the bullets fly and the bombs explode, God is with us and by His grace He will help us to keep moving forward. We know that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us"' (Romans 8:18).

His fearless trust in God's love, presence and purpose, combined with the credibility of the non-partisan witness of St George's, has enabled Andrew to arrange a forum for talks between the leaders of the various religious communities. These include factions that not only persecute Christians, but are also struggling against each other, sometimes violently.

Faiz

Faiz Andrew's right-hand man is Faiz, who is curate of St George's. He deals with the management of the church, clinic and kindergarten; the food distribution; and runs a daily surgery for people's personal and spiritual problems. On top of this, he studies theology and English one day a week. He was ordained in September 2011, but both he and his wife Nawal have worked full-time for the church since 2005.

Faiz says:'I lost one of my best friends, a relative, my sister's husband. When he saw terrorists trying to kidnap his neighbour, he rushed out to help him after hearing screams. He was shot and died instantly. I lost my dearest friend. I still cry for him when I hear his name. My sister has been left to look after her three children alone.

'There are similar tragic stories of many people in our church, and these events still occur to this day. Yet our love is overflowing for our Muslim friends and neighbours because we simply cannot live without this love. When Muslims see this love they condemn the heinous acts committed by other Muslims.

'Our children grew up in a Christian home. They have sometimes suffered harassment from schoolfriends or teachers, but we usually solve these problems through dialogue. We explain that we should live as brothers in this country. When we show them our love, they sometimes feel ashamed of their actions. As for my faith in God, it never diminishes. The Lord has not promised us that everything will be fine. He promises that He will be with us and will help us through the difficulties we face.'

Faiz and Nawal have three children. They live in a flat in the church compound, the safest place for them. The flat is above a new kindergarten which was funded by the Provincial Governor's office and opened at the end of September. The building consists of a ground-floor kindergarten, a first-floor hall, and the secondfloor flat, but the furnishings are not yet complete.

Nawal leads a group of women who meet because they know they are loved and cared for here, and want to learn about God's love. This group has been growing in size. They first met in the kindergarten, but now need to use the hall. So tables, chairs, and air conditioning units are needed.

Please support St George's Church today

'Christians in Iraq are under intense pressure, but when I visited Saint George's I saw for myself their love, joy, resilience and hopefulness,' said Release CEO Andy Dipper.

'So it's an immense privilege to have the opportunity to support their witness to their neighbours, and the reconciling effect of their practical love shown to the whole community whether through the distribution of groceries to really poor families, most of them bereaved of one or more members, or through the clinic.

'Please respond generously to this appeal to encourage the Christians in Baghdad and maintain their powerful, loving testimony to their Muslim neighbours.'

Please pray that

• God will encourage and strengthen the church in Iraq
• more Muslims will be touched by the love of God at St George's
• Andrew's work with leaders of other religions will prosper
• God will bring true peace to Iraq

Please give!

Your donation to this appeal will:

• support the weekly distribution of food to poor families
• help to complete the kindergarten
• help to furnish the hall for Nawal's meeting
• support the work of the clinic

Thank you. May God richly bless you for your generosity!

Please show your support for the wonderful witness to God's generous love at St George's!

Whatever you give will encourage Andrew White and his people to continue to boldly demonstrate and extend God's love to their community, and to continue working for peace and reconciliation. Your response will be a real encouragement to them. For example:

£25 could pay for the treatment of four patients at the clinic
£35 could provide a month's food parcels for a family
£60 could provide two tables or four chairs for the overflow hall
£250 could cover a month's wages for one of the clinic's nurses
£600 could cover a month's wages for one of the doctors
£1,200 could provide an air conditioning unit for the kindergarten

Give securely online (please select 'Iraq Appeal' from the drop-down menu)

Read Andrew White's inspiring book

If you are moved to respond to this appeal, we would love to send you a copy of Faith under Fire, Andrew White's latest book about his work and experience in Baghdad, and the faith that enables him to persevere in that dangerous environment, at the special price of £7.50 including free postage & packing (normal price £8.99 plus £1.70 p&p).

To order: please visit our secure eStore or call our Supporter Relations Team on 01689 823491.

Canon Dr Andrew White is President of The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (FRRME). The FRRME's High Council of Religious Leaders in Iraq (HCRLI) enables regular dialogue between Iraq's most senior religious leaders, and encourages them to use their influence to persuade their people to refrain from violence. In January 2011, following a surge in sectarian violence in which at least 120 Christians died in targeted attacks, the HCRLI met for a crisis summit. After intense talks, the leaders issued a fatwa condemning violence against religious minorities. The attacks stopped the day it was issued. The attacks on Christians have not completely stopped, but the number of Christians killed since the fatwa was declared has dropped dramatically.

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