Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We have been summoned for "such a time as this"...The lives of literally thousands of believers in Syria and the Middle East depend upon us...Their blood is on our hands, if we do Nothing. In my last blog, I mentioned about the young girl in the taxi, who had been kidnapped by rebels and placed in a brothel but later rescued. Because of her horrendous experience, several days ago, she committed suicide.
As I wrote recently, this is the "follow up" plan to mobilize "PRAYER and Action" to awaken our government to what could happen in the next six months in SYRIA and elsewhere in the Middle East.
I am asking you to do two things. First of all copy the three enclosed documents included on my blog, and secondly, take them personally to your pastor or anyone with influence and ask them to make copies and pass them out to their congregations-encouraging every one receiving a copy to E-mail, personally write, and thirdly, call THEIR congressman and plead with them to speak up for Believers in Syria and elsewhere where the "Arab Spring" is transpiring. As bad as the Government may be, some of those involved in the revolution are much worse and have no respect for human life, nor the rights of minorities. Most of all they hate Christians!
It will just take a little time to place your congressman's names, addresses, and numbers on the third sheet. Can we together flood Washington D.C. with our pleas, knowing that God Almighty marches before us?!
You can reach me for any questions at 330-4973166 (High Mill Church of the Resurrection in Canton, Ohio). Our E-mail address high mill@highmill.net.
Dear Fellow Pastors and Leaders,
I am writing to you because there is no one else to turn to except you who shepherd the body of Christ. We are living in times that “try men’s souls”, but Jesus let us know that it would be this way in the end times. Yet, we cannot allow ourselves to be so numbed by adversity that we do nothing when opportunity to stand up for the “Innocent” arises.
As you are well aware, the “Arab Spring” is turning into an Arab nightmare for believers in Jesus. As each new revolution replaces one tyrant, with those even worse, Christians are being caught in the middle. The focus of attack and scorn, leveled by Muslim extremists as they seize power, is directly focused on the removal of any Christian influence, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox, in the Middle East. One such radical in Syria recently said that “ethnic cleansing” is coming to Syria. Already in that country and other Middle Eastern nations, churches are being burned, Christian leaders murdered, and women raped and sent to brothels.
Like myself, I know that you are overwhelmed as where to begin or even what to do. To stand by and do nothing is to have the blood of the innocent on our hands. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to be our Guide, and He has spoken very clearly. God gave Queen Esther a strategy to save the Jews, and I believe that after meeting with Syrian church leaders in Dallas last month, He has given us a plan to impact leaders in positions of influence that they might speak up, before there are no believers left in Syria to speak up for.
Here is an initial step that can involve you and your congregation being part of a bigger voice that will let our congressmen know that besides voting, we plead with them to put pressure on the rebel government, when it finally seizes control in Syria, that we will not tolerate the murder of innocent Christians; letting them know that we will not allow another holocaust within the borders of Syria and elsewhere.
On behalf of the believers in Syria, thank you beyond measure for taking this letter and the challenge seriously. We have at the most six months, before widespread slaughter could begin.
Would you be so kind as to call me at 330.497.3166 and let us know that you are standing with us and for the “innocent” who have no voice, save the Holy Spirit?
Please copy the enclose flyer as many times as needed and pass out to your congregation, asking them to respond?
Sincerely,
Pastor Chuck Schumacher
1920 Schneider St NE
Canton, Oh 44721
330.497.3166
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Dear friends,
We've all seen and heard about the uprisings in the Arab world. The Middle East is heating up for better or for worse. We talk about fighting for democracy, desiring to see all ethnic groups obtain it, and even children seek some type of democracy of their own. It takes a huge amount of hatred and ignorance for anyone to refuse such democracy, and yet in the mind of fundamentalists and extremists, there is no room for it. This is the struggle of Christians in the Middle East, especially those living in Syria.
The last few months have been some of the hardest times for Christians in Syria, in the fight against corruption. They have united together to support the call to change. Things began to heat up in the streets, and the effort to fight corruption turned into power struggles, where sects in Islam are fighting each other, trying to take control, forcing their beliefs on one another.
Many slogans have been heard throughout the revolution. One in particular goes something like this, “Take the Christian man to the grave and their women to bed.” Hearing hundreds of men in the streets, chanting against Christians, has brought fear into their lives. Fear for the safety of their woman and young children. It has come down to a battle for existence, all because of what they believe. Many stories of Christians being attacked and killed, woman being kidnapped and raped, are being heard throughout Syria, all in the name of Islam and of “Democracy!!” Their definition of democracy is clearly different than ours!! What breaks the heart of Christians in Syria is knowing that the United States is working and helping to train Al-Qaeda in Southern Turkey and Northern Jordan in order to stop the regime. The reality is that when Al-Qaeda’s mission is accomplished, they will target Christians until they are wiped out and vanished from the country. They will rape and kill them, as they did in Iraq and other places. Al-Queda will not keep their word when they come into power, and I know this will not honor the U.S. government.
Speaking of power, one of the most powerful and influential Islamic leaders in Syria is Al-Arorr. His followers do whatever he asks of them. Recently, on his Islamic show, he asked his followers to bring him ten Christian women from a Christian neighborhood and another twenty from another neighborhood in Damascus. Not only did he want to torture them, but his intentions were to kill them and cut them into pieces. This mad leader has been outspoken about his hatred toward Christians, even from his home in Saudi Arabia. Sadly, we know that he has many people following him in Syria that have caused great shame and pain to the Christian people.
A few weeks ago, a young Christian lady was heading home from work. She was tired, and so she decided to take a taxi. She called her parents and told them she would be home in ten minutes. This young lady never made it home. Her parents searched for her, but they could not find her. Two weeks later, news came to the police that there were many young women taken prisoner in a house in the city of Doma. They were being used for prostitution. There, they found this young lady who was taken by the taxi driver. It turns out that the people marching and protesting on the streets for democracy, like this taxi driver, were looking for unveiled women to kidnap, rape, and abuse. This young lady was among many Christian women found being abused by those claiming to want change and democracy. For Christians, Syria is no longer a safe place to live.
In the past, Muslims have at times united with Christians, as we have read in history and in the Holy Books. Perhaps, our Muslim brothers can unite with Christians once again to not allow this to happen to Christians, especially Christian women. In order to respect the teachings of the book and keep the honor of Islam, we must unite and take a stand against the evil that is happening in Syria and throughout the Middle East. My question to our Muslim brothers is this: “Will you join us in taking a stand and protecting the Christians and minorities in Syria against the shame that is happening to them in the name of Islam at the expense of democracy?”
Christianity has strong roots in Syria from the time of Jesus Christ and from the days of St. Paul. Christians are trying to preserve this history and share it with others. Most importantly, they have a desire to share and live out the Gospel with those around them. I believe that if the U.S continues working with the extremists (through American taxpayer’s money), they are supporting the extermination of Christianity in Syria and in the Middle East. The battle for the Christians in Syria is not just for them; it’s for those of us here in the West as well. We speak, act, and worship as America Christians, but perhaps we should speak and act on behalf of the body of Christ all over the world. Their existence, in some way, is connected to our existence as Christians in the West. We hope and pray that the West will work with logical, educated people (and there are MANY of them) to change foreign policy in order to preserve Christianity in the Middle East and even throughout America. I believe that one day Christians in the West are going to need the voice of the Christians around the world. Today is our chance to be the voice for them.
The challenge for us is to pray for those who are being persecuted and to do something about it before it’s too late. Perhaps this is the time for us to stand up, fight, and be heroes before time runs out.
Pastor in Syria
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For Such a Time as This You Are Being Called
Strategy for the “Innocent”
1. Pray for the Church in Syria and the Middle East
2. Contact each of following via email, phone, and/or hand written letter:
(or find your own congressmen and senators)
Congressman Jim Renacci
http://renacci.house.gov/ to email
or katie.lewis@mail.house.gov
330.489.4414
4150 Belden Village St. Suite 408, Canton Oh 44718
Senator Sherrod Brown
http://brown.senate.gov/contact/ to email
or bradleydeane@brown.senate.gov
216.522.7272
1301 E 9th St # 1710, Cleveland, OH 44114
Senator Rob Portman
http://www.portman.senate.gov/ to email
513.684.3265
36 E. 7th St. Rm. 2615, Cincinnati, Oh 45202
The content of your words and letters should include the following:
· What church you are from
· Inform them that you are involved politically and that you vote
· Ask them, if they are not aware, to do a quick study of what is happening with the extremist hijacking of the Arab Spring
· Ask them to bring awareness in Congress and the media of the potential holocaust the is about to happen in Syria and elsewhere
· We will not stand by and tolerate the burning of Christian churches, the murder of Christian leaders , and the raping of Christian women
· Please bring PRESSURE on our government to not ignore religious persecution
· Ask them to stand up for the “innocent being ravaged by political extremist take-overs Þ
First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
By Martin Niemöller, German pastor and theologian
His statement, sometimes presented as a poem, is well-know, frequently quoted, and is a popular model for describing the dangers of political apathy, as it often begins with specific and targeted fear and hatred which soon escalates out of control.
Leia Mais…
