Dear Friends,
With heavy hearts, we request prayer for the people of Lebanon, after two explosions on August 5 killed 150+ people, wounded 5,000+, and displaced 300,000+ in Beirut. The blasts damaged buildings several miles from the port, where fires had detonated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, sending shock waves that reached neighboring Cyprus.
Several leaders in the ScholarLeaders community live and minister in and near Beirut. We have communicated with each of them and, thankfully, they have all survived and are now participating in cleanup and relief efforts.
Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS), a partner school in the Vital SustainAbility Initiative, has opened its dormitories to shelter those who have lost their homes. ABTS first opened its facilities to frontline health workers in the spring, after COVID-19 had forced the seminary to send students home. Now that the virus has subsided in Lebanon, they are again providing refuge to those in need.
An article in Christianity Today highlights responses from 16 ministries in Beirut. Reacting to the devastation, Elie Haddad, President of ABTS, said, “It’s terrible, horrible. We won’t have empty rooms when there are people on the streets.”
To learn more or find out how to help, watch this video from the Lebanese Society for Education and Social Development (LSESD), a cooperative of six Christian ministries, including ABTS. LSESD is mobilizing resources to serve those in crisis with the love of Christ.
Friends have shared the following prayer requests. Thank you for interceding with us.
- Pray for those who have lost loved ones, those whose family and friends are missing, and those who are wounded. May the Lord draw near with comfort, healing, and hope.
- Pray for those whose homes, businesses, and property have been damaged or destroyed. May the Lord supply their needs and encourage their hearts.
- Pray for emergency workers as they tend to the injured and search for those who remain missing. Pray for hospitals stretched to their limits. May the Lord renew their strength.
- Pray for leaders who must find a way forward as this catastrophe exacerbates economic and political turmoil. May the Lord grant wisdom and mercy.
- Pray for peace in a time of chaos. May the Lord watch over the city.
- Pray for the Church as we share the hope of the Gospel and serve those in need. May Christ’s glory be revealed.