barnabas giftsGifts of Love for the Persecuted Church

2013-2014 Barnabas Fund Gift Catalogue www.barnabasfund.org

ContentsWelcome ................................................................... 3How we help ............................................................. 4What did your gifts achieve last year? .................. 5Where we helped ..................................................... 6Special feature: Sponsor a Christian child ................................... 8Disaster relief ............................................................................... 9Feeding ...................................................................................... 10School-place sponsorship ...........................................................11Small business ........................................................................... 12Gift form ................................................................i-iiiGift cards ................................................................. ivVictims of violence ..................................................................... 13Convert care .............................................................................. 14Leadership training .................................................................... 15Pastors and evangelists ............................................................. 16Water ......................................................................................... 17Medical care .............................................................................. 18Church buildings ........................................................................ 19Christian literature ...................................................................... 20About Barnabas Fund ........................................... 21Commendations ..................................................... 22

Convert care .............................................................................. 14Leadership training .................................................................... 15Pastors and evangelists............................................................. 16Water ......................................................................................... 17Medical care .............................................................................. 18Church buildings ........................................................................ 19Christian literature...................................................................... 20About Barnabas Fund ........................................... 21Commendations..................................................... 22

Welcome Dear Christian friend,

I am delighted to present to you the Barnabas Fund gift catalogue for 2013-2014.

In 2013 we have been giving thanks to God for His faithfulness in enabling Barnabas to serve His persecuted people over the past 20 years. By His grace we have brought hope and aid to countless Christians who are suffering discrimination, harassment and violence because of their love for Christ. All this has been possible only through our supporters, whose hearts He has stirred up to give generously to support their needy Christian brothers and sisters.

Practical ways to helpAs we look to continue and expand our ministry in the years ahead, with the Lord’s help, this catalogue offers many options for gifts that you, your small group or your church can make to help Christians suffering discrimination and persecution in various parts of the world. These range from relief from natural disasters to the provision of food and other basics for the needy; from help for converts and victims of violence to sponsorship of school-children and start-up costs for small businesses; from training and support for leaders to funds for resources and buildings. On page 8 you can also read about the expansion of our child sponsorship programme to address the desperate plight of

in Syria.

Please prayerfully consider your response to the needs set out in this catalogue and give what

you can, and please also encourage others in your congregation or fellowship to do the same.

Single and regular giftsSingle “one-off” gifts help to support vital ministries and also make attractive alternative presents for friends and family. Why not give a Barnabas Gift as a birthday or Christmas present this year?

Regular gifts (such as a Direct Debit in the UK) help us to minimise our overheads and so maximise the amount we can send to support persecuted Christians. They also allow us

respond quickly to new and urgent requests.

Gift cardsIf you choose to support one of our projects as an alternative gift, we will supply you with a delightful thank-you card, which you can send to the person on whose behalf you have made the donation. Please turn to page iv of the pull-out gift form for further details.

Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11). May you know God’s rich blessing as you respond to the needs of His suffering people. Please pray for them as you read their stories.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo International Director

3

How We Help

Disaster relief

emergency aid in times of calamity

Christian resources

resources for growth and encouragement

Small businesses strengthening Christians

Basic needs food and other essentials

supplied through local churches

Church buildings

foundations

Medical care

clinics and life-saving healthcare

Christian education Christian schooling for Christian children

Water digging wells, ensuring supplies

Pastors and evangelists spreading the Word, strengthening the Body

Leadership training equipping the ministers of Christ

Victims of violence helping Christians who suffer violence or injustice for their faith

Convert care support for those who turn to Christ

4

What did your gifts achieve in the last year?*

* From 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013

In contexts of pressure and persecution…

20,490

20,490 Christians who were victims of violence

462 Christians with small-business and income-generation projects

7,445 Christian children in Christian schools or educational programmes

the establishing of 1 new safe house and helped persecuted Christian converts in 18 countries

263 evangelists and 126 pastors

leadership training for Christian leaders in 21 countries

out of 5 clinics or care centres the drilling of 3 wells

emergency relief to over 121,572 Christians

food to over 22,247 Christians, sometimes with other basic needs

130,000 pieces of Christian literature and 55,000 Bibles

resources for the construction or repair of 20 churches and other Christian buildings

20,490

5

Where We Helped*

Algeria Armenia Azerbaijan Bangladesh Brazil Bulgaria Burma (Myanmar) Burundi Cameroon Chad China D. R. Congo Egypt Ethiopia France Georgia Germany Guyana Holy Land India Indonesia Iran Iraq Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Laos

Lebanon Mali Mozambique Nepal Niger Nigeria North Korea Pakistan Philippines Romania Russia Rwanda Senegal Sierra Leone South Africa South Sudan Sri Lanka Sudan Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Turkey Uganda Ukraine Uzbekistan Vietnam Zimbabwe

6

*Some of the countries where Barnabas Fund supported projects from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013

7

Children in Syria are caught up in a nightmare

that is far bigger than they are. The violence that has engulfed their country has left thousands of children dead and many more injured or disabled. Christian children are particularly targeted by Islamist rebels because of their faith. Many Christian children and

their homes.

It is too dangerous for some Christian children to travel to school, and many no longer have a school to go to. Christian girls are in particular danger of being kidnapped and abused. And shortages and soaring prices are causing thousands of these vulnerable children to go without the basics we take for granted.

Barnabas Fund is looking for sponsors for 2,000 Christian children in Syria. Could you reach out to one Christian child and commit to providing food and basics for him or her?

Special feature

Sponsor a Christian child in Syria

Reference number: 00-1147

(Sponsor a persecuted Christian child)

£18 on average per month provides for the basic needs of one Christian child in Syria

Christian children in Syria desperately need our support

£18Supporters who give regularly

will receive a prayer card with

a photograph of one Christian

child, their name and their age.

They will also receive a twice-

yearly newsletter about the

sponsorship project as a whole.

Contact with the sponsored child,

or updates specifically about

them, will not be possible owing

to security concerns.

8

In December 2012 Typhoon Bopha triggered

landslides across the southern Philippines. Many Christians on the island of Mindanao, who were already vulnerable to hostility from militant Islamists, saw their homes and crops destroyed. Barnabas assisted 705 families with essential supplies.

In areas where Christians are in a minority, and especially where they are persecuted, they may also suffer discrimination in the distribution of aid after natural disasters. Barnabas’s Disaster Relief Fund is used to provide both their immediate needs and support to rebuild their lives in the longer term, so that their suffering is no worse than that of the majority population.

In the past year Barnabas has provided food relief for Christians affected by crop failures and spiralling food prices in Mali, emergency aid for Christians displaced by heavy rains in Chad, new

Pakistan, and many other needs for disaster victims.

Hope in themidst of calamity

bought a 50kg sack of rice for a Christian family in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Bopha

provided emergency supplies for two weeks for a Christian family displaced by floods in Bangladesh

Reference number: 00-634 (Disaster Relief Fund)

Relief from Barnabas brought joy to Christians in the Philippines caught up in the devastation of Typhoon Bopha

Disaster Relief

£26

£18

9

When many Christians in the Democratic Republic

of the Congo were forced to

group M23 in 2012, Barnabas Fund stepped in to provide 652 desperate, starving Christian families with food and hygiene supplies. Our partner wrote that the food support “brought joy into their heart and a big smile on their faces”.

Barnabas Fund is on hand to help feed Christians who are temporarily in need. But sometimes our support is needed long-term. For example, Christians in Pakistan and Egypt are often trapped in grinding poverty because of discrimination. Receiving regular food parcels transforms their lives: when they know where their next meal is coming from, they can use what they would have spent on food to pay for school fees or start a small business, so that they can lift themselves out of poverty and hunger for good.

Reference number: 00-636 (Feeding Fund)

Feeding hungryChristian families

Feeding and basic needs

A child of a displaced Christian family in Mali sits on a vehicle bringing Barnabas-funded food supplies

provided food and basic needs for a month for a Christian family displaced by violence in Mali

per month provides a needy Christian family in Pakistan with nutritious food

£9£18

10

“I am praising God because of his goodness to my

family,” said Kakoli’s father. Kakoli is a student at one of

schools in Bangladesh. These schools are not only transforming the lives of needy Christian children but are touching other lives too. Remarkably, some of the children are teaching their parents to read and write.

Children from Christian families often cannot go to school at all. Their parents are so poor, because of discrimination, that paying the fees is impossible. When Christian children can attend school, they may be in a small minority in the classroom, where they often experience harassment, pressure to change their faith or even violence. Some are failed in their exams because they are Christians. Barnabas Fund’s support enables impoverished Christian students in ten countries to learn in a loving Christian environment. Here they can both improve their prospects and grow up to be strong men and women of God.

Barnabas Fund’s School-place Sponsorship programme funds places at Christian schools for needy Christian children. The average cost is £18 per child per month.

A Christ-centred educationin contexts of persecution

School-place Sponsorship

Reference Number 00-514 (School-place Sponsorship Fund)

Supporters who give regularly will receive a card with the name and

photograph of one child and a twice-yearly newsletter

about the project.

on average per month funds a school place at a Christian school for a needy Christian child£18

Barnabas Fund enables children from impoverished Christian families in Pakistan to learn in a safe, loving Christian environment

11

Many Christians in South Sudan are struggling to

feed their families because of forces beyond their control. Their country is still reeling from the effects of the long civil war (1983-2005), when what was then North Sudan tried to impose sharia law on the mainly Christian South.

In 2012, Barnabas Fund’s partner in South Sudan loaned a group of 197 South Sudanese Christian women the money they needed to start their own small businesses to support their families. For example, one of the women, Kila, now runs a thriving market stall selling bread and snacks and can now provide for her children.

In some countries, Christians

all but the lowest-paid jobs or passed over for promotion. It may also be that the only work open to them is dangerous. Barnabas Fund provides the training, start-up costs or resources our brothers and sisters need to become

need to seek employment from those who despise and abuse them.

Small Businesses

The help they needto support themselves

Reference number: 00-356 (Small Business Start-up Fund)

Giving livestock to needy Christian families in Burundi provides them with a means of income

provided a needy Muslim-background Christian family in Burundi with a goat

helped one war-affected Christian widow in Sri Lanka to start a small business£244

£22

12

Gift Form To make a Gift of Love for the Persecuted Church, please use the following forms.You can either set up a regular donation, or make a single donation to the General Fund or to one or more of the projects whose reference numbers are listed throughout the booklet*.

contact details single donations or p. iii for regular donations. If you are a UK tax-payer, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration below to enable us to reclaim tax on all your donations at no extra cost to you. If you would like us to send you a gift card(s) following your donation, please also complete p. iv with details of the wording required.

When complete, please pull the form out of the catalogue and send it to your nearest

I / We would like to help the persecuted Church:(Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms / Rev / Dr)

Name .............................................................................

Address ...................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

Postcode ..................................................................

Telephone .................................................................

Email ........................................................................

*If the project chosen is already sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts for another project

of a similar type.

GIFT AID DECLARATION(APPLICABLE TO UK TAX PAYERS ONLY)Name of charity: Barnabas Fund

Please treat as Gift Aid donations all

qualifying gifts of money made:

(Please tick all boxes you wish to apply)

this gift

in the past 4 years

in the future

I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount

of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for

each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at

least equal to the amount of tax that all the

charities or Community Amateur Sports

Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim

on my gifts for that tax year. I understand

that other taxes such as VAT and Council

Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity

will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I

give on or after 6 April 2009.

Signature ______________________

Date __________________________

Please inform us if you want to cancel this

declaration, change your name or home

address or no longer pay sufficient tax on

your income and/or capital gains. If you pay

Income Tax at the higher or additional rate

and want to receive the additional tax relief

due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid

donations on your Self-Assessment tax return

or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust

your tax code.

UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry

CV1 5EX

USA 6731 Curran St

McLean, VA 22101

Australia PO Box 3527

Loganholme, QLD 4129

New Zealand

PO Box 27 6018

Manukau City, Auckland, 2241

Northern Ireland and

Republic of Ireland

PO Box 354, Bangor

BT20 9EQ

i

*If the project chosen is already sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts for another project

of a similar type.

Barnabas Fund is a company registered in England number 4029536, Registered Charity no. 1092935

GOL 2013

For Single Donations

Here is my/our gift of £ ...............................................................Please use it: where it is most needed (General Fund) or for .............................. (give reference number of project to be supported)*.

I enclose a cheque/voucher payable to “Barnabas Fund”

Please debit my Visa Mastercard Maestro

Solo American Express CAF/other charity card

Number / / /

Expiry date / Issue Date /

Maestro Issue Number /

Signature ..................................................................

Date ................./................./.................

I DO NOT require an acknowledgement

Please send me a gift card for this donation (see p. iv of this booklet for details).

If you are a UK tax-payer, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration on p. i to enable us to reclaim tax on all your donations at no extra cost to you.

I / We would like to help the persecuted Church:

Please supply your address on p. i and send us all four pages

Other ways to donate:SMS

includes an option to complete a Gift Aid Declaration. For terms and conditions please visit www.barnabasfund.org/terms

Direct credit to our Barnabas Fund bank account Please make your transfer to: Account Name: Barnabas Fund; Account Number: 50133299; Sort Code: 20-26-46. It is really helpful if you show as your transaction reference your postcode, the project number you wish to donate to, and indicate if you would like us to acknowledge your gift by including the letters TY. This enables us to allocate your gift correctly and claim Gift Aid if appropriate. A sample reference would be TY/SN154TR/940 If in any doubt please email

Credit card donationPlease phone 0800 587 4006 (from outside the UK phone +44 1672 565 031) or visit www.barnabasfund.org

ii

For Regular Donations

*If the project chosen is already sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts for another project

of a similar type.

Barnabas Fund is a company registered in England number 4029536, Registered Charity no. 1092935

I / We want to bring hope to the persecuted Church by a regular gift, to be used: where it is most needed (General Fund) or for ________________ *.I will pay: Alternatively, Direct Debits and regular credit card donations can be set up via www.barnabasfund.org. by regular cheque/voucher payable to “Barnabas Fund”

________________ to cover __________ months is enclosed.

Please return this form to Barnabas Fund and not to your bank. See back cover of this catalogue for address details. If you are a UK tax-payer, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration on p. i to enable us to reclaim the tax on your regular payments.

DIRECT DEBIT (for UK supporters only)I would like to give a regular gift of £___________ (amount in words)____________________________ Starting on 1st / 11th / 21st (please encircle) of (month) _________________ and then every month / quarter / year (delete as applicable) until further notice. This Direct Debit is a new one / in addition to / replaces an earlier Standing Order / Direct Debit in favour of Barnabas Fund (delete as applicable).

The Direct Debit GuaranteeThis Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Barnabas Fund will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being

debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Barnabas Fund to collect a

date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Barnabas Fund or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount

paid from your bank or building society. If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Barnabas Fund asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building

required. Please also notify us.

Instruction to your bank orbuilding society to pay by Direct Debit

GOL 2013

Please fill in the whole form in a ball point pen and send to:Barnabas Fund, 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX

Name and full postal address of your bank or building societyTo: The Manager Bank/building society

Address

Postcode

Name(s) of account holder(s)

Bank/building society account number

Branch sort code

Service user number

2 5 3 6 4 5Reference (Barnabas Fund to complete)

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society Please pay Barnabas Fund Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured to by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Barnabas Fund and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

Signature(s)

Date

DD18

iii

Please send this pull-out form to your nearest office (addresses on back cover).

UK address: 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX

A Lasting Legacy to the Persecuted ChurchMany people have savings and assets that for good practical reasons they cannot share during their

lifetime. A bequest to help the persecuted Church in your will enables you to express a desire to be generous that you may not have been able to put into practice in any other way.

Please consider remembering Barnabas Fund in your will.

A booklet entitled is available free of charge. Simply tick this box to receive a copy

Gift Cards

and address on p. i. Please write clearly. “Dear _______________________

A gift of £_____ has been received on your behalf from ___________________________________

This gift will assist Christians who are persecuted for their faith.

With many thanks on behalf of the persecuted Church”

Please state your preferred card choice (see below): ____

Tick here if you do not want the amount to be stated on the card

Tick here if you do wish details about the project to be included on the card

A Gift of Love for the Persecuted Church

A

A Gift of Love for the Persecuted Church

B

A Gift of Love for the Persecuted Church

C

A Gift of Love for the Persecuted Church

EE

A Gift of Love for the Persecuted Church

D

A Gift of Love for the Persecuted Church

F

If you would like more cards, please photocopy this page or attach a separate piece of paper with the details for the extra cards and send it with your donation. You can also call your nearest Barnabas Fund

If you would like to have the card sent directly to the recipient, or if you would prefer to receive

out yourself, please contact your national

back cover).

iv

“We have reached here with the help of

God. We shall live well with God’s help in our land.” A Christian woman gave thanks for the Barnabas-funded Exodus project that has so far enabled nearly 5,000 Christians to relocate from Muslim-majority Sudan to mainly Christian South Sudan. Having endured hostility, injustice and violence for years from the Muslim majority and Islamist government in Sudan, they are now free to begin a new life.

Christians in many countries see their property looted or their churches and homes torched; they suffer physical assault and injury; or they may be arrested, imprisoned or even executed. Barnabas supports victims and their families with practical help of various kinds. In the past year we have provided emergency relief for Christians displaced by anti-Christian hostility in Pakistan, a safe house for persecuted believers in Kyrgyzstan and trauma counselling for children who were victims of violence in India.

Reference number: 00-345 (Victims of Violence Fund)

Freedom and relieffor the oppressed

Victims of Violence

buys a blanket for a Christian family in a displaced people’s camp in Burma

pays to transport one Christian by bus from Sudan to South Sudan

Loading a bus to take Christians to South Sudan

£8£110

13

Reference number: 00-113 (Convert Fund)

When 71 Christian converts from Islam in

eastern Uganda were thrown out of their family homes, a local ministry supported by Barnabas provided them with emergency food and medical care and housed them temporarily in Christian homes. The ministry also provided intensive discipling and vocational training for 136 recent converts.

Christian converts, especially those who leave Islam, often face intense pressure from their families and communities to abandon their new faith. They may lose their families, homes and incomes, or suffer threats and violence that force

countries the authorities may even throw them into prison.

Our Convert Fund provides converts with various kinds of practical and spiritual support. Recent grants have enabled 15 families in a Central Asian country to purchase farmland to generate an income for themselves, and helped widows whose husbands were murdered by militant Muslims in Kenya to start small businesses.

Convert Care

Meeting the costof turning to Christ

bought a sack of rice to feed a persecuted Christian convert from Islam in Uganda

paid for a new Christian from a Buddhist background in Sri Lanka to attend a three-day conference to learn more about the Christian faith

This Christian convert from Islam in Uganda was abandoned by her Muslim family after she turned to Christ

£39

£15

14

Imagine that you are in a leadership position within

a persecuted congregation. Then imagine that you have no access to the training and support you need to help

is faced by many impoverished church leaders in India.

But when one Indian church was attacked in 2012, its leaders were able to stand strong in their faith despite the trauma they had experienced. They had just received Barnabas-funded Biblical

midst of persecution”. Their new understanding meant that the congregation was blessed greatly by their steadfast leadership.

When church leaders are properly supported, persecuted congregations can go from strength to strength despite the pressure they face. For example, a group of pastors in Kyrgyzstan are now able to teach their congregations about what the Bible says on the place of suffering in the Christian life, thanks to the new understanding they gained at a Barnabas-funded conference. Barnabas supports leadership training at various levels for church leaders and Christian workers to equip them to support the suffering Christians they serve.

Equipping Christian leadersto strengthen the Church

Leadership Training

Reference number: 00-430 (Leadership Training Fund)

paid for two days’ training for a Christian leader in Kyrgyzstan on their human rights under the Kyrgyz law and constitution

enabled a Muslim-background church leader working in a hostile context in Tajikistan to attend a training session

funded accommodation for one Christian leader in Africa during a five-day conference on evangelism to Muslims

These evangelists in Tanzania received training

£26£106

£24

15

“We thank God that He used ‘Brother

Samir’ to teach us to attend to God in our everyday life.” Two Christian women from a vulnerable congregation in a Central Asian country spoke of how they have grown spiritually thanks to an evangelist supported by Barnabas Fund.

Samir is one of twelve brave pastors and evangelists whom Barnabas supports in the country, where Christians are under great pressure. Full-time ministry would be impossible for some of them without our support. “Dilfusa”, another evangelist, was

after she was sacked from her job because of her ministry involvement. Because of help from Barnabas Fund she is now able to focus full-time on discipling 70 believers.

Pastors, evangelists and church-planters working in contexts of persecution risk much to share the Gospel or shepherd their congregations. They may suffer hardship, harassment or even violence. Every year Barnabas Fund contributes to the living costs of hundreds of full-time Christian workers serving in such contexts in their homelands or among their own people group.

Caring for persecutedChristian workers

Pastors and Evangelists

Reference numbers: 00-477 (Pastors’ Support Fund),

00-478 (Evangelists’ Support Fund)

can help support a missionary family in Kyrgyzstan for one week

can help support a pastor in Pakistan for one month

One of “Dilfusa’s” fellowship groups

£24

£29

16

Reference number: 00-635 (Water Projects Fund)

Christians in Egypt are a despised minority, and

many live in desperate poverty without ready access to even basic resources such as water. In a Christian town in Upper Egypt, Barnabas Fund helped to improve some of the inhabitants’ pitiable living conditions by paying for water connections to their homes. Now 70 families have clean, running water, and they no longer have to carry heavy loads several times a day from the nearest source.

The lives of Christian converts from Islam in South and Central Asia are sometimes put at risk when their Muslim neighbours prevent them from drawing water from the communal sources. Having wells dug on their own properties allows them to continue living there. Barnabas is also helping to provide wells on church land for the beleaguered Christians of Aleppo in Syria, whose water supplies have been severely disrupted by recent heavy

Wells that give lifeWater

paid for a water connection to the home of an impoverished Christian family in Egypt

A hundred gifts of £24 provides a new well for a Christian neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria

Barnabas partners are digging wells on church grounds in Aleppo

£24

£114

17

Reference number: 00-671 (Medical Fund)

A ministry in Lahore, Pakistan, supported by

Barnabas Fund is empowering impoverished Christian women through health awareness seminars. Many of the women do not know even the basics of hygiene and sickness prevention, but through the presentations they can learn about common illnesses and how to avoid them. This knowledge helps them to care better for their families. The ministry also organises doctor’s visits to provide the women with free consultations and prescriptions.

Many Christians who struggle to survive because of poverty, oppression or violence cannot afford to see a doctor, buy medicine or have surgery when required, or even to get simple health advice. Barnabas helps to provide affordable medical care for them, both by paying medical expenses and by sponsoring clinics and hospitals that offer their services free or at low cost.

Our recent medical projects include a church-based healthcare programme and mobile clinic in South Sudan and surgery for Christians in Syria, where medical care has been badly disrupted by the civil war.

Medical Care

Prevention and curefor needy believers

pays one month’s salary for a staff member at a mobile clinic in South Sudan

buys a daily supply of antibiotics for a sick Christian in Syria

Barnabas supports health awareness seminars for Christian women in Pakistan

£7£200

18

“Due to this church being built in our area, many

families are coming to know Jesus and worship Him.” After the civil war in Sri Lanka ended in 2009, many Christians

church buildings in ruins and with no resources to rebuild them. Barnabas has provided funds for 17 new buildings, and 20 more are planned.

In countries where Christians are poor or face repressive restrictions, they may be prevented from buying, building, repairing or extending their buildings. Those they have may be closed or destroyed, and they may be forbidden by law from meeting elsewhere. The lack of a building makes worship and

a congregation of respect and dignity.

Other recent Barnabas projects include completing a church for Christian refugees from Burma in Thailand, purchasing a church building

churches in Burundi.

Church Buildings

Enabling ministry and securing dignity

Reference number: 00-637 (Church Building Fund)

will build a new church in Sri Lanka

bought an iron sheet for roofing a church building in Burundi

A new church building in Sri Lanka constructed with help from Barnabas

£5,000

£8

19

In Muslim-majority Kyrgyzstan there is only

one Kyrgyz-language Christian children’s magazine – and it is made available through support from Barnabas Fund. Filled with pictures, poems, puzzles and stories, the magazine proves very popular, with copies being passed around and distributed in the streets. With our help it is also translated and circulated in Kazakhstan and Bulgaria.

Many persecuted Christians are also deprived of Christian resources that would help them grow in their faith. The production and distribution of suitable materials is often restricted or forbidden. Our literature and resources funds support the provision of Bibles and other Christian literature, DVDs and television and radio programmes.

These resources provide huge encouragement and strength to our suffering brothers and sisters. A young Kachin Christian in Burma (Myanmar) who received a Bible funded by Barnabas said, “I am getting peace from God through reading the Bible and by living a life devoted to God.”

Reference numbers: 00-360 (Christian Literature Fund);

00-362 (Bibles and Scriptures Fund);

00-479 (Resources Fund)

Christian Resources

Helping the persecutedto grow in faith

paid for five copies of a Christian songbook in the Kazakh language

transported four Kachin-Lhaovo Bibles to Christians displaced by anti-Christian violence in northern Burma

Receiving a Bible brings great joy to Christians in Burma

£2£13

20

ABOUT BARNABAS FUND

people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10, NIV emphasis added

As part of the family of God, Barnabas Fund stands with our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, including the West, where they suffer discrimination, oppression or persecution as a result of their faith. In this way we witness to the love of Christ and build His Kingdom.

We believe in the clear Biblical teaching that Christians should treat all people of all religions and none with love and compassion, even those who seek to persecute them. We carry out our vision and purpose accordingly, but we will not compromise what we believe the Word of God teaches.

1. We encourage prayer for the persecuted Church by providing comprehensive prayer materials.

We believe in the power of prayer to change people’s lives and circumstances, either through grace to endure or through deliverance from suffering.

2. We channel money from Christians through Christians to Christians. Donations from individual Christians and churches are forwarded to local ministries and Christian organisations in contexts of persecution, mainly in Muslim-majority environments, to bring about practical and spiritual transformation in the lives of suffering believers.

We fund projects that have been developed by local Christians in their own communities, countries or regions. Thus we act as equal partners with the persecuted Church, whose leaders often help to shape our overall direction.

3. We tell the untold story about the plight of persecuted Christians and speak out on their behalf, making their needs known to Christians around the world and to governments and international bodies.

We seek to tackle persecution at its root by making known the aspects of religious and secular ideologies that result in injustice and oppression of Christians and others. We also equip Christians in the West to meet the challenge that other religions pose to the Church, its mission and society.

2121

Commendations

hope and practical aid to Christians under persecution

role in bringing home to Christians in Britain the reality

In so doing, Barnabas Fund encourages informed

Dr Jany Haddad Senior Baptist church leader , Syria

An increasing number of suffering and persecuted

challenges facing our brothers and sisters around the

22

to the persecuted Church in Africa and around the

23

UK 9 Priory Row,Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718From outside the UKTelephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email info@barnabasfund.org

Australia

PO Box 3527,Loganholme, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org

New Zealand PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz

USA

6731 Curran St,McLean, VA 22101 Telephone (703) 288-1681 ortoll-free 1-866-936-2525 Fax (703) 288-1682Email usa@barnabasaid.org

International Headquarters The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030From outside the UKTelephone +44 1672 564938 Email +44 1672 565030

Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07867 854604 Email krisb@barnabasfund.org

Singapore Cheques in Singapore dollars payable to “Barnabas Fund” may be sent to: Kay Poh Road Baptist Church, 7 Kay Poh Road, Singapore 248963

Germany German supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe für Brüder who will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for “SPC 20 Barnabas Fund”. If you would like your donation to go to a specific project of Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund International Headquarters in Pewsey, UK. Account holder: Hilfe für Brüder e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang. Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart Bankcode (BLZ): 520 604 10

www.barnabasfund.org Barnabas Fund is a Company registered in England number 4029536. Registered Charity number 1092935

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