wfn.org | U.S. Evangelicals Hear Plea from Ancient Churches

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Aleppo, Syria, May 30, 2002--"What can we do?  How can we help?"  hose typical American reasponses surfacxed as a bus-load of U.S. evangelical Christians heard the leaders of ancient churches describe the rapid exodus of believers from the Middle East.

Metropolitan Yohannes Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Aleppo told about the stress felt by the whole Christian community throughout the region.  He is active in both the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and the World Council of Churches, where he served on the Central Committee.

Metropolitan Ibrahim and other Syrian clergy and lay people expressed their concern for Americans in the wake of September 11, 2001, and reported on the repurcussions they felt as well.

"We have expderienced in our region that violence leads to violence."  Razek Siryani explained that "Healing requires bringing justi9ce topeople and the right to live in equalithy and dignity."  Siryani, an Orthodox layman, heads the MECC's ecucational department.

As the communications revolution, including very recent internet  access in Syria, has portrayed economic and cultural opportunities in the U.S. and the West, educated young people have left their homelands.  This brain drain has greatly weakened society in general and the churches in particular.  The exodus has been facilitated, according to Prof. Elias Sano, a Syrian Orthodox layman, by church and family contacts in the West.

"America has helped Jews from around the world move to Israel," he said, "Is it too much to expect Christians in the U.S. to encourage believers in the lands of the Bible to remain in their home countries and to ensure the survival of Christian communities here? "  America he said, could do much to help us strenghten our economic and religious initiatives.

The churches of Syria "do not need financial aid as much as they need your understanding, your prayers, and expressions of friendship in the faith, the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan said.

He and others made a point of describing their ecumenical efforts.  "Twewnty years ago we were deeply divided among ourselves," he told the evangelical delegation.  "Now we are one family.  Our sons and daughters marry each other and we join in the blessing of their marriages."

"We used to be twelve different churches," he said.  "Now we are one church--a model of ecumenism."  And in a reference to some evangelical sects from the United States, he said " tell your friends we dont need or want to be 22 churches here."

He also encouraged the group to do whatever it can to strengthen the witness througout the region of the MECC.

In response to questions from the American evangelicals, the Suyriac, Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic leaders indicated thgat they en joy religious freedom and good relations with Muslims.  "We visit their homes during Ramidan, and we welcome their visits during Christmas and Easter," Metropolitan Ibrahim said.

"We enjoy a "dialogue of life" he said, encouraging such collaboration in America.

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