Dear Friend of IDC,
As the global Christian community enters into the season of Lent, our thoughts are with our brothers and sisters in the Middle East enduring unimaginable hardships this winter due to violence and persecution.
The UN estimates that 13.6 million people have been displaced by recent conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Faced with religiously motivated persecution, Christians have been a particular target in Iraq and Syria. Hundreds of thousands are being forced to abandon their native homes, while Christian churches, schools, and monasteries continue to be closed, occupied and destroyed.
IDC invites you to pray, act, and give this Lent in solidarity with Christians in the Middle East. We have named Wednesday, February 25th a national Day of Action, launching a campaign of personal and community prayer, political action to raise awareness, and charitable giving to aid communities in the region.
This Lent, unite your voice with thousands of others in solidarity with Middle Eastern Christians.
Join the Day of Action!
-In Defense of Christians
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
1. Join the national campaign of prayer in solidarity with Middle East Christians!
This Lent, unite yourself with thousands of others, offering February 25th as a special day of prayer and sacrifice for persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
2. Get others to pray with you!
Invite others to pray for Middle Eastern Christians. Spread the news of the plight that they face. Check out IDC’s website, share IDC’s flyer and bulletin insert with your church and local community, and promote the campaign through Facebook, Twitter, and social media.
3. Share the story of Middle Eastern Christians!
Inform yourself and your community about the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East. Download IDC’s fact sheet and videos from the Day of Action website and get informed.
Join thousands of American citizens in encouraging our nation’s leadership to make the Christians in the Middle East a priority. It’s easy!
On February 25th make THREE SIMPLE PHONE CALLS:
1. Call the U.S. State Department, asking Susan Power, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, to ensure U.S. aid is reaching Christian refugees in northern Iraq!
2. Call your Congressional Representative and ask them to join
the newly formed Caucus for Religious Minorities in the Middle East, so the urgent needs of religious minorities are not forgotten in American foreign policy!
3. Call the White House and ask President Obama to appoint a U.S. Special Envoy for the protection of religious minorities in the Middle East! President Obama signed the bill to appoint a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom in the Middle East last August, but a Special Envoy still has not been appointed.
Many charitable organizations serve the material and spiritual needs of Middle Eastern Christians, incuding those who have been displaced. But resources are limited and they need your support!
Visit IDC’s Day of Action website to learn about ways you can help Middle Eastern Christians.