Churches United- Syrian Refugee Crisis-Mosaic

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An Open Letter To The Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are pastors from Mosaic in Los Angeles. This week’s deplorable chemical attacks on our brothers and sisters in Syria are devastating, and we are reeling from the loss of 70 innocent human lives. We know many of you feel the same.

We want to encourage you as Pastors and leaders, to remember that we as the Church have the most powerful voice in the world and we need to act. We have the sacred responsibility to “speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.” Prov. 31:8-9. This is a command, not a suggestion – and something that all followers of Christ are called to and entrusted with.

We as the church must unequivocally condemn brutality and violence in every form. It results in the senseless destruction of innocent life, the degradation of human spirit, and deprivation of promising futures. As the Church, we should condemn silence, inaction, and every compromise that fails to elevate love and hope over the face of evil, on every level. 

March 15 marks the sixth anniversary of the war’s outbreak. Since then, 5 million Syrians have fled to other countries as refugees and more than 6 million displaced within the country. In many cases, children caught up in this crisis have fared the worst, losing family members or friends to the violence, suffering physical and psychological trauma, or falling behind in school. 

Practically, we ask you to call upon your communities of faith and join us in three ways.

Prayer: Pray for the end of the war. Pray for our leaders to have wisdom in their decisions. Pray for the families that have been impacted, especially those who have been displaced and are seeking safety in the aftermath. Pray for a united international outcry that begins to pressure the proxy nations that are supporting all forms of violence on both sides. Pray for the desperately needed resources to reach people – in the ways they need it most.

Advocacy: Write your elected officials and ask them to boldly condemn and respond to the brutality and violence in Syria. Demand that we as a nation not turn a blind eye to the atrocities in Syria. This is not a call to escalate the fighting but to apply pressure to the parties involved in the violence to move toward peace. Ask that they not go forward with plans to slash funding the foreign aid budget, but instead, that more aid would be provided to groups who assist the wounded and displaced.

Service: Practically serve the 13.5 million refugees affected by these atrocities, both locally and worldwide, with your time, resources, passion, and creativity. Assist organizations which are on the front lines dealing with those impacted by the violence and displaced. World Vision is one such organization who is actively engaged in and around Syria. Our greatest impact as a Church acting as the hands and feet of Jesus is now, while needs are greatest.

We believe that the God of miracles has called us to this moment to compassionately love those who are hurting, and to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Wholeheartedly, we believe in the power of the Church to unite as one and to be a force of faith, hope, and love – a force that our world needs so desperately at this time.   

May God and His Church act swiftly on behalf of Syria,

Erwin & Kim McManus

Mosaic LA

 

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