Yorkminster Park has a long standing and well-established partnership with the Baptist church in Lebanon through the work of Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) and our own Board of Mission.
The recent invasion of Lebanon and the bombings and air strikes on Hezbollah targets have resulted in the killing of more than 2,000 people with 10,000 injured and according to the United Nations approximately 1.2 million people now displaced from their homes.
Lebanon is a relatively small country with under 6 million people. Prior to the invasion they had already been facing the challenges of the highest per capita refugee population in the world, three plus years of triple digit inflation as well as the ongoing recovery from the destruction of much of their harbour during the explosion of 2020.
Last Thursday evening Joe Bridi of CBM visited Yorkminster Park and updated us regarding the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and the response of the Lebanese Baptists and their agency, the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD).
In the most challenging of times, our partners in the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development always look beyond their own needs by offering compassion and aid, love and kindness to those who are in need. For example, since the bombings and invasion, the Beirut Baptist Seminary has been housing displaced people from Southern Lebanon and the Beirut Baptist School, located in the Muslim section of Beirut where many of the airstrikes have landed, has been supplying the community around with food and other necessities.
Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Lebanon as they respond to this humanitarian crisis. Joe Bridi also informed us that funds directed to CBM and marked Lebanon Relief will provide support for this humanitarian response. Further, through CBM’s membership in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and by extension the Humanitarian Coalition of Canada, individual’s gifts given to CBM and other coalition agencies between October 24 and November 3rd marked for Lebanon Relief will be matched by the Canadian Government up to a maximum of three million dollars.
When one of our members heard the inspiring response of our partners in Lebanon to the humanitarian crisis he was moved to go above and beyond. While choosing to keep his identity anonymous he has generously offered to match any gifts received by Yorkminster Park on or before October 31 and marked Lebanon Aid up to a maximum of $50,000.
This is a wonderful offer which means that thanks to both our generous donor and the Canadian government, every one hundred dollars given has the potential to result in four hundred dollars of humanitarian aid being offered through our partners in Lebanon.
I invite you to prayerfully consider your response and direct your gift to Lebanon Aid c/o Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Make cheques out to the church with the Lebanon designation. Similarly, gifts can be offered online but be sure to use the drop-down box to designate it to Lebanon Relief.
Thank you for your prayerful support.
