This Christmas, THIMAR LSESD partners across the Middle East are celebrating Christmas amidst different circumstances and challenges. Some people celebrate this holiday freely with church services, gift exchanges, carols, and family gatherings. In some places, conflict and crisis have dampened the festivities and celebrated more quietly.
As with previous Christmases, we will be working with our partners this year to support Christmas celebrations in our local communities. Through this initiative, our church’s discipleship ministry, Salt & Light, supports more than 40 churches and ministries with Christmas events in Lebanon and Syria, providing gifts to thousands of children.
The true story of Christmas continues to give hope and light to communities longing for peace with God and neighbor.
While we support our partners in their celebrations, we also want to focus on how they remember the birth of Christ. Amid the unique challenges and circumstances they face, you will see how the true story of Christmas continues to provide hope and light to communities longing for peace with God and neighbor.
Lebanon: Christmas arrives in another difficult year
Roads in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, are clogged with people rushing to buy Christmas presents. In other Christian towns in Lebanon, Christmas decorations attract tourists from all over the country with colorful lights and markets. This festival brings vibrancy and energy to a country still on the brink of war.
However, the Christmas landscape is not the same everywhere.
Signs of Christmas are often overlooked in the village of Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, where one of Timar’s church partners lives. Amid ongoing hostilities and the remains of last year’s all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, there are few ornaments. Reconstruction efforts have been slow in this region. Economic hardship continues and many shops and streets feel lifeless.
Still, local believers still celebrate Christmas.
The village kicked off the holiday season with a special Christmas program for 180 Syrian students.
Our partners in the village kicked off the holiday season by offering a special Christmas program to 180 Syrian students studying at the church’s informal education center, sharing with them the story of Jesus’ birth and gifts from Salt & Light. Later this month, the church plans to host a similar Christmas celebration with about 100 local children and children from nearby villages.
These events reflect the church’s longstanding commitment to community. Timar has been working with it for over 12 years to meet people’s needs without discrimination. This Christmas, the Church continues its witness amidst prolonged hardship.
Church brings Christmas joy to Syrian children
A year has passed since Syria’s previous regime fell, and challenges and violence continue. But in the village in the west of the country where one of Timar’s church partners serves, people are experiencing a more hopeful atmosphere. Streets are decorated, Christmas villages are set up, and exhibitions, markets and programs attract visitors from nearby areas.
Our church partners are preparing two Christmas events that will bring together hundreds of children, teenagers, and young adults. The centerpiece of both gatherings is a Christmas play that shares the message of the gospel. Church members also visit homes throughout the village, sing carols, pray with families, and directly convey the meaning of Christmas to people.
People are happy because someone is checking on them.
“People are worried and afraid because of everything they see and hear in the news,” said Pastor Fadi*, senior pastor of our partner church. “But when we go to their homes, everyone opens the door and watches. It’s so nice to see their eyes light up. People are happy because someone checks in on them, asks about them, cares for them, remembers them.”
Iraq: Christmas amid relative stability
In Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, Christmas decorations and a festive atmosphere can be seen all over the city. The church prepares for celebrations and looks forward to the holiday season. In early December, one of Timaru’s partner churches organized a children’s event, welcoming more than 190 children and their parents from various religious backgrounds. The church also hosted a charity market for the surrounding community.
The birth of Christ is for the salvation of mankind.
During the event, Pastor Boulos* delivered a message centered on “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and joy to men,” emphasizing that the birth of Christ was for the salvation of mankind, so that all people can experience peace, joy, and salvation. The participating families expressed their joy and gratitude for the time they spent together.
Reflecting on recent years, Pastor Boulos said the past few years had been better than previous years, noting the relative stability in the country. The church is also preparing for the new year by spending New Year’s Eve together and praying as a congregation, and continues to have regular home group visits where pastors encourage members and pray together.
“When Jesus was born, humanity was experiencing great suffering, but God became incarnate and created a new hope for change. This is the hope we have today. Iraq is relatively stable and we look forward to a better tomorrow through the grace of Christ,” Pastor Boulos said.
Sudan: Celebrating Christmas during war
Elsewhere in the region, partners are celebrating Christmas under more restricted circumstances.
Christmas is celebrated under the weight of ongoing war and fear.
Christmas is being celebrated among believers in Sudan amid the weight of ongoing war and fear. In the war-torn capital Khartoum, Sudanese alumni of Timar’s Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) say the church he pastors has a modest program this year.
The church will host a variety of events and programs throughout Christmas week, including children’s events, carols, prayers, and Bible games. But public celebrations are limited, the pastor said. Christmas marches and decorations, which were part of the season before the war, are no longer possible. Random shootings and the presence of extremist groups have created an atmosphere of fear.
“This year is different from last year,” said Pastor Youssef*. “Last Christmas was very tough. Any gathering could be attacked. This year we have a little more space to gather, but the fear is still there.”
In difficult circumstances, Youssef feels the meaning of Christmas even more deeply.
When we look back at the Christmas story, we see both pain and hope.
“When I look back at the Christmas story, I see both pain and hope,” Youssef said. “Jesus is the Prince of Peace. In the midst of our hardships, the story of his birth offers us a glimpse of hope and joy.”
Yemen: Believers gather for quiet Christmas celebrations
For believers in Yemen, Christmas celebrations take place amid strict restrictions.
“Society is rejecting public Christmas rituals and celebrations,” ABTS graduate Saleh* said. “Some people have posted on social media that they are prohibited from greeting anyone on Christmas or even posting about it.”
Believers in Yemen celebrate Christmas secretly at home with their families, often in small groups of four or five households. Some families enjoy the day outside of the city, sitting in nature. It’s time to rest and remember the true joy of Christmas, both at home and outside.
Christian celebration is about sacrifice and giving.
“Christian celebrations are about sacrifice and giving,” Saleh said. “It gives society a ray of hope, it shows society a different Christmas, a new chance for peace that has already been taken away from them.”
Despite all the challenges facing Yemen, Saleh remains hopeful. He believes God is working in invisible ways in Yemen.
“God is reaching out to the people of Yemen,” he said. “With or without us, it’s beyond anything you can imagine.”
His prayer this Christmas is that the Lord will protect the church and its congregations as they persevere in their faith despite the challenges they face.
“Christ is a powerful person,” Saleh said. “This is God’s church and God will never abandon it. God has a responsibility to protect it and it will always be there.”
*Pseudonym
Originally published by Timaru LSESD. Republished with permission.
Ghinwa Akiki joined Thimar LSESD in April 2023 as Communications Coordinator. With a deep love for writing, she found a platform to foster her literary passion and communication skills. At Thimar LSESD, Ghinwa will be able to work on different aspects of communication and grow and refine her writing abilities across different areas. Ginwa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages and Translation from Kaslik Holy Spirit University (USEK). Her early career in education began at Beirut Baptist School, where she gained rich experience working with students. Ginwa is a member of City Bible Church in Beirut, where he is actively involved in children’s ministry and singing.
Thimar LSESD is a Lebanese non-profit organization (NGO) that aims to strengthen the Church’s witness in the Arab world through inclusive education, community development, and church discipleship.
Timar works with local schools, ministries, and churches across the Arab world. Through these relationships, we see God at work even in times of war and crisis. Join him in his miraculous and life-giving work of transforming communities and changing lives.
