Iraq Partnership - March 2022 Update
Upheaval and Renewal
Over the 24 years I have known the Presbyterian Church in Iraq, I have been continually inspired by its faithful presence and witness through many trials: life under Saddam Hussein, the American invasion in 2003 which toppled the government (along with its ability to care for and protect its own people), the reign of terror by ISIS and the assorted sectarian conflicts which have destabilized the country and hindered its peace and prosperity. Two of the five churches I knew well from when I first traveled to Iraq in 1998 would, eventually, be shuttered: the Assyrian Presbyterian Church in Baghdad (isolated in what became a dangerous neighborhood) and the historic Presbyterian Church in Mosul, located in the Old City Center (“ground zero” for ISIS). And in the catastrophic urban battles of 2016-17, waged by the Iraqi army, with significant help from US forces, the Mosul Church was heavily damaged in addition to the destruction wreaked by terrorist occupiers.
Suffice it to say, Iraq has not been an easy place to serve in ministry and over the years, with a shortage of Iraqis to prepare for ministry, it has often been the Presbyterian Church in Egypt that has supplied pastors to serve in these rough and often dangerous places. Just a few weeks ago, at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, I met with three faith-filled Egyptian pastors who are currently serving the Presbyterian Church in Iraq: Rev. Samer Karam (Erbil), Rev. Bolus M. Masoud (Kirkuk), and Rev. Amgad Samir (Basra). I have known Samer and Amgad for several years but met Bolus for the first time.
What is significant about all three of these humble servants is that they have chosen to go to Iraq because of the support of their wives who carry the burden of making a home for their families in a foreign land and in finding secure, private schools for their young children. Bolus and Amgad each have two children and Samer has a second child on the way. The Outreach Foundation has provided significant support to these Egyptian “missionaries serving in Iraq” (as they are called by the Synod of the Nile) through our Iraq Partnership and your generous gifts.
Some good news about the churches themselves: recently, a local Baghdad businessman, who had grown up in the Assyrian Presbyterian Church, used his own money to renovate and reopen it after 10 years of closure! And through special gifts solicited by The Outreach Foundation, the Mosul Church has undergone significant restoration. I plan to be there in May for its rededication! In addition to this, permission was granted by the government to begin a new Presbyterian Church in Erbil and they are now seeking land to build a sanctuary. This will be the first new Presbyterian church to open in Iraq for more than half a century!
In Easter Hope,
Marilyn Borst
Associate Director for Partnership Development
Read more about the Iraq Partnership HERE.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the mission and ministry of the Iraq Partnership. All gifts of any size are welcomed to assist the Presbyterian Churches of Iraq in their ministries which are not sustainable by the small congregations alone. Resources will also assist in repairs to the damaged churches. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.
In October of 2019, our team celebrated communion in the badly damaged Mosul church