Baptists help The Baptist World Alliance®


displaced by civil war led a response


to assist Syrians displaced by the civil war in the Middle Eastern country. The BWA sent an initial grant of US$15,000 for the relief effort and encouraged Baptists around the world to make donations to the BWA to alleviate what has developed into an urgent need. Baptists in Syria have appealed for prayer for peace as the


civil war drags on, severely affecting the lives of the country’s citizens, including the lives of Baptists and other Christians. Mouner Ajji, pastor of Aleppo Baptist Church, reported that


Baptists in the area of Aleppo known as Midan were among those who were able, for the fi rst time in days, to get out of their houses on Sunday, September 16. Government forces had re-established control over that section of the city that had fallen into the hands of rebels, enabling freer movement. He reported, “I did not have a chance to visit the area to see the damage but I hope that there is not that much destruction there.” He, however, attempted to go to Jdaide, an old area of the city, but had to abort his tour due to heavy shelling and gunfi re. Ajji expressed concern that schools and universities were


unable to reopen for the new school year. “Mid-September is the time that schools and universities start, but it seems that they won’t now, because thousands of refugees are living in schools and in the university campus and fi ghting is still going [on] in many areas in the city!” He indicated that parents were too afraid to send their children outside due to the fi ghting. Aleppo, the largest city in Syria, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It was largely spared during the earlier stages of the Syrian civil war that began in March 2011, but was gradually drawn into the confl ict toward the middle of 2012. The Battle for Aleppo began on July 19 between the Free


Syrian Army and the Syrian military. Rebels and government forces fought for control of the city. Hundreds were killed in the violence and many Aleppo neighborhoods were badly damaged. In an attack on September 9, more than 30 civilians and two security force members were killed near the Municipal Stadium as a result of a car bomb blast. A number of churches were badly damaged or destroyed. The


Presbyterian church in Aleppo was bombed and destroyed, in addition to St. Gregorios Church for the Armenian Orthodox and the St. Vartan Church and monastery for the Jesuits. The Baptist church in Aleppo had near misses with two mortars destroying a building next to the Baptist church building. In Homs, a city that has seen some of the fi ercest battles, the


al-Zinnar Syriac Orthodox, St. Georges Greek Orthodox, and Holy Spirit Syriac Catholic churches were destroyed, as well as St. Ilian Jesuit Monastery. The Lady of Peace Malekit Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Church of al-Arba’ain Greek Orthodox, St. Maron Church for Maronite, and St. Is-Haqian Church for the Armenian Orthodox were badly damaged, as was the Savior Monastery for Catholics. Many of these were historic structures hundreds of years old. Ajji reported on November 24 that things had improved in


12 BAPTIST WORLD MAGAZINE


Syrian refugee children in Lebanon


Cooking area in a refugee shelter


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