But so far, they have worked independently. The country’s first ever Movement Day recently mobilized Christian leaders for greater impact together.

Hunter Williamson of Thimar-LSESD says, “This was a one-day conference that brought together more than 100 local Christian leaders from various sectors, including business media, NGOs, and churches.”

“The idea behind the event was to create a venue for local leaders to meet and collaborate in order to promote the Gospel throughout Lebanon. And it was also aimed at fostering unity.”

Movement Day is an initiative that has traveled around the world to connect local Christian leaders and help them start Gospel movements in their area. Learn more here. The conference in Beirut was organized by Thimar-LSESD, Heart For Lebanon, and other ministries. The Supreme Council of Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon helped with facilitation of the event.

Speakers at the event emphasized the need to overcome group divisions and pursue a shared vision. During the day, representatives from more than 20 Christian NGOs met together for the first time and began planning how to better support each other moving forward. Watch a video summary here.

Hope at a critical time

The conference has come at a time when Lebanon finds itself in desperate need for hope and peace. Conflict continues between Israel and Hezbollah on the southern border. Civil war in Syria to the north and east has driven an estimated 1.5 million refugees into Lebanon. Meanwhile, more than half of Lebanese people live below the poverty line due to compounded crises.

“All of these sort of initiatives and outcomes to find ways to better promote the gospel, to better provide hope to people, that is just so critical at this time,” Williamson says.

Leaders left with plans for collaboration between churches and NGOs as well as a network for pastors. They have already set the date for another Movement Day next year and begun working towards a Movement Youth Day.

“One of the big ones was the creation of the Christian Businessmen Association,” Williamson says. “And this will provide various forms of support and resources to business leaders.”

Read more about the key results of Movement Day and next steps on Thimar’s website. Pray for Christian leaders in Lebanon to work together for the Gospel.

Photos from Movement Day in Lebanon courtesy of Thimar-LSESD.

But Lebanese Christians still look forward to Easter this weekend, says Hunter Williamson of Thimar-LSESD. He says, “Whether it’s in southern Lebanon or somewhere else, the war is not going to stop Easter celebrations.”

Children received gifts at Christmas events in December 2024. Photo courtesy of Thimar-LSESD.

Thimar has hosted special Christmas events for a decade, but for the first time, the Lebanese organization has planned something similar for Easter. The organization will partner with local churches in both Lebanon and Syria to reach families in their communities.

“Thimar is going to help host Easter events at 20 churches in Lebanon, and 13 churches in Syria,” says Williamson.

The events will host over 4,000 local children in total. The children will receive chocolate and a traditional Arab dessert called maamoul. They will also receive the story of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection.

Williamson says, “These Christian resources are going to be booklets which will emphasize the resurrection story, to help children remember what Christ did for them and all of us.”

About one-third of the total population in Lebanon identifies as Christian, while in Syria, Christians are roughly six percent of the population. Thimar invites believers to pray for the churches reaching their communities this weekend, “praying that this will be an incredible opportunity for children to hear about what Christ did for them, that they’ll hear the real story of Easter,” says Williamson.

You can support future outreaches in Lebanon and Syria by donating to Thimar-LSESD.

Photos courtesy of Thimar-LSESD.

Christian organizations such as Thimar-LSESD quickly mobilized to help the displaced. MERATH, a ministry of Thimar, provided emergency aid for food, blankets, winter clothing, and hygiene products. Thimar’s Hunter Williamson says, “Thimar remains ready to respond to further needs if things escalate.”

Before the conflict, daily survival was already a challenge for many Lebanese, including Christians. More than 80% of Lebanon’s population lived in poverty due to numerous crises.

“There are Christians in southern Lebanon, and across the country as a whole who are either caught in the crossfire whose lives have been upended by this conflict, or who otherwise in some way or another are being greatly affected by this war,” Williamson says.

In addition to MERATH, Thimar has five more ministries that work together to serve the many needs of Lebanon. Williamson says Thimar supports local Christians while also showing the love of Christ to others.

“Thimar aims for a holistic ministry approach. And in short, that means that Thimar doesn’t just want to proclaim the Gospel, but it wants to demonstrate it as well,” says Williamson.

Get a free prayer guide from Thimar here.

“People can pray for Lebanon and the Middle East as a whole that there’ll be peace, and they can also donate and partner with Thimar through its website.”

Header photo courtesy of MERATH on Facebook.

“We’re seeing renewed fighting in some countries like Syria and completely new conflicts erupting in other places,” says Hunter Williamson with Thimar-LSESD.

Photo courtesy of Thimar-LSESD via Facebook

“When the war between Hamas and Israel began in October, some of the armed groups here in Lebanon, who are allied with Hamas, began attacking Israeli positions, which has created a conflict here which has displaced about 83,000 people.”

Israel has also returned fire into Lebanon. In the middle of these tensions, LSESD seeks to provide relief and development aid as well as education and church discipleship. (More on that here.)

Today, the needs are enormous.

“The country has really been suffering under a severe economic crisis since 2019. It’s been hosting a tremendously large refugee population of Syrians. It also hosts a few 100,000 Palestinians as well,” says Williamson.

“Some of the latest figures show more than 80% of the population being cast into poverty.”

Pray for Thimar-LSESD as they provide aid for displaced persons in Lebanon, and consider supporting this critical ministry.

“Every donation, every dollar helps tremendously,” says Williamson.

Header photo courtesy of LSESD.

Hunter Williamson with Thimar-LSESD says, “There are conflicts here in Lebanon [and] down to Sudan, Yemen, Libya. We’re in a very difficult and dark time; we need a lot of prayer.”

Thimar-LSESD serves the MENA region through six branches of ministry organized into three divisions: church discipleship, inclusive education, and community development. More about that here.

“Some staff from one of LSESD’s ministries, Middle East Revive And Thrive, went to Ethiopia to host a basic relief training event that included (Sudanese) pastors who had previously studied at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary,” Williamson says.

“This training was meant to teach pastors who have been displaced by the conflict basic skills for how to provide relief to the communities, if and when the situation allows,” he continues.

“We still have brothers and sisters who are being affected every single day by these conflicts.”

Habil, a Sudanese graduate from ABTS. (Photo courtesy of Arab Baptist Theological Seminary)

Sudan’s unrelenting war makes relief and development work practically impossible.

“We hope that when the situation becomes a bit more stable, and these pastors can return … that they’ll be able to help with relief efforts … both for their church members and their community at large,” Williamson says.

“It is critical that regional organizations like LSESD continue to provide the limited help that is reaching them.”

Thimar-LSESD reaches refugees and other vulnerable populations for Christ through its community development branches. Needs have only increased across the MENA region over the past decade.

Ask the Lord to provide all the resources needed to continue this vital work. Consider partnering financially with Thimar-LSESD to meet urgent needs in the MENA region.

“We not only hope to develop leaders. We also want to complement this work with tangible service-based efforts, going out and providing relief to affected people,” Williamson says.

Header image courtesy of Thimar-LSESD.

Through it all, the Lebanese Society for Educational & Social Development (LSESD) has worked through a coalition of ministries to be the hands and feet of Jesus across the Arab world.

(Image courtesy of LSESD)

This week, from September 26 to October 1, LSESD is hosting an event called Loving God & Neighbor Together — celebrating what God has done in their 25 years of ministry and looking to the next 25 years!

Wissam Nasrallah, the COO of LSESD, says, “Whether through theological education, academic or spiritual resources, through training for special needs, or through camps [for] children or medical camps, or through relief and development — our purpose is to enable the local Church to be fruitful, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus on the ground, and bring about positive Christian witness wherever the local Church is.”

When talking about the future of LSESD and its ministries, Nasrallah says, “Our region is going through major changes. One of the biggest changes is the disappearance of historical Christian communities. Whether they are Catholic, Orthodox, or Evangelical, the historical Church has been struggling.

“When we look around us and we see all these major changes, we realize that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. There are so many things that we would like to do, but we have limited capacities and resources. So we want to be good stewards of what God has given us and do the right thing.

(Image courtesy of LSESD)

“Our posture is to be listening to God’s voice. Where does He want this to be? How does He want our ministries to evolve? We’re really open to let Him shape the the type of ministry, the size of the ministry, and the form of ministry in the next 25 years.”

Ministries housed under LSESD include The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Salt & Light, The Beirut Baptist School, and others.

Click here to learn more about LSESD!

During the Loving God & Neighbor Together event this week, Nasrallah asks, “Please be praying for wisdom for our leaders, for our participants, but also for the church leaders as they navigate this complex time. As they see their churches shrink in some areas or even [are] persecuted, this needs lots of patience, lots of faith, and lots of discernment.”

Header photo courtesy of LSESD.

Wissam Nasrallah with the Society for Education and Social Development (LSESD) says, “While we’ve had vacancies in the presidency before, this is the first time the government is not empowered to take decisions, as it is a caretaker government. Most likely, we’re going to face a prolonged power vacuum.”

“This country is going through hyperinflation, massive devaluation of the currency, and an exodus of people.”

Lebanese have mixed feelings about Aoun, a Maronite Christian. Some saw him as a defender of the Christian community. Others criticized him for participating in the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon.

Nasrallah says, “His presidency was marked by a lot of turmoil and changes in the country. Lebanon is going through an unprecedented crisis. He’s not the only one to blame for that.”

Lebanon’s future

Nasrallah expects even more people to leave Lebanon in the coming months. Nasrallah says, “If you want to be optimistic, we might say some of some people could return when things get better. But many of those leaving are fleeing despair and leaving the country with a lot of hurts. I’m not too optimistic about a lot of them coming back.”

The more that leave, the harder it will be to rebuild Lebanon’s economy in the future.

LSESD provides education for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. Nasrallah says, “Especially within the relief and development arm, MERATH, we have about eight informal education centers throughout the country that cater mainly to Syrian refugee children. These programs are operated through the local church.”

In a situation that seems hopeless, pray the care of Lebanese Christians will point to Jesus.

To support LSESD’s work, visit mebo.org.

The header photo shows kids at Beirut Baptist School, run by LSESD. (Photo courtesy of LSESD on Facebook)

But in May, a small Catholic parish invited LSESD to hold a children’s event. Over 170 children met in Maghdouche, a small village with Greek Catholic roots and home to a well-known statue of Mary.

Wissam Nasrallah says their first interaction with this community happened during the pandemic. “We were able to step in and support with some food aid to the most vulnerable people of the community. We also had the opportunity in the past to organize a medical camp in this town and a Christianity Explored workshop.”

“So with time, we were able to develop a relationship with the Catholic leadership there.”

LSESD staff spent the day in town, teaching Bible stories, singing, and eating food with the community. Nasrallah says, “We picked some of the hymns that they already knew from the Catholic Church. And we’ve integrated these as part of our worship time. This was one way to adapt and to build bridges.”

The Catholic leadership stayed closely involved with the teaching, Nasrallah says. “We were working hand in hand with them. This really removed any idea or perception that we were trying to impose or hijack the event.”

Religion in Lebanon

Lebanon has 18 official religions, including several Christian denominations. All these groups tend to huddle together.

In fact, they have separate legal systems. Nasrallah says, “Everything related to marriage, adoption, and personal status is determined by one’s religion. You need to belong to a religious community to get married, to get a proper burial, and so on.”

Amid the financial crisis, people in Lebanon are looking for hope. Pray the radical unity of God’s people will attract many to Jesus.

The header photo shows kids gathered for the event. (Photo courtesy of LSESD)

Wissam Nasrallah with the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD) says, “Two years out of school has had a tremendous impact on kids and students. Our teachers have a lot on their hands. But they’re doing an amazing job day in and day out.”

LSESD education wing

LSESD operates Beirut Baptist School, an inclusive K-12 school, as well as the SKILD program, which focuses on learning differences. SKILD, which stands for Smart Kids with Individual Learning Differences, was started in 2011.

The Lebanese government often provides no educational aid to these kids. And that’s even more true as the country falls deeper into financial crisis. Nasrallah says, “Students are tired. They know that they live in a country that can offer them very few prospects of a better future. Most of them just want to want to leave.”

“But at the same time, kids know that education is one of the only lifelines they have. So they work very hard.”

Nasrallah says the stress on families is severe. “When you have to worry whether you will have electricity tonight, or enough to eat, or enough for your parents to pay for tuition, it affects children. We’re seeing this at the schools. We hear this from the school counselors and the therapists.”

Get involved

Ask God to strengthen the LSESD team as they show Jesus’ love to their students. While many Lebanese want to leave the country, they are choosing to stay.

Want to visit LSESD? You can, either through a Virtual  Vision Trip or by volunteering.

Header photo courtesy of LSESD on Facebook. 

LSESD Partner Relations Coordinator Daniella Daou says, “In Lebanon, we have no mandated special education, so students we serve at schools would leave at grade 9 or 10, with no future in sight in terms of academic or vocational education.”

How the partnership works

On NDU’s campus, SKILD operates an office that helps students struggling with their academic performance. NDU psychologists work with the students to help them find the best academic practices for their education.

The partnership also led to a new, 2-year certificate program for students that cannot enroll in traditional institutions. Daou says this program is the only one of its kind in Lebanon. “The students take academic courses, as well as life and social skills courses. They audit regular university courses, they have internships on campus and off-campus.”

“We want them to be equipped academically and in their social skills to become independent citizens.”

Daou says LSESD wants to foster a culture of inclusion in higher education. “That’s what we don’t have right now. We are modeling the inclusive community on campus that we hope to see on a larger scale someday.”

SKILD’s work has brought together Christians from many different Christian and religious groups in Lebanon.

How to pray

Pray God’s love would be evident in the work of SKILD and the other branches of LSESD.

Since the economic crisis began, SKILD has lost a lot of qualified staff members as people flee the country. Daou says, “This has affected our capacity to run assessments as usual and serve kids. Please pray that we find qualified, passionate, people.”

LSESD expects more power cuts this month as well, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ask God to sustain the ministry.

The header photo shows Lebanon’s Notre Dame University. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)