Persecuted Christians
““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
- John 15:18
A Global Crisis
Today more than 340 million Christians suffer persecution, and this number continues to rise.
A combination of religious nationalism and state authoritarianism places countless families at risk of violence, deprivation, and worse on a daily basis.
Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world.
Advocacy
Advocacy is the principal work of Fr. Ben’s priestly ministry and includes, among many things – writing, media, speaking - educating and informing audiences about the widespread assault on Christians which is, according to Pope Francis, worse than at any time since the first centuries of the Church.
Advocacy work includes working with governmental organisations and others of goodwill who are seeking to help the suffering Church. In particular, Nasarean.org has developed a very positive relationship with the government of Hungary, the only nation in the world with a specific government Ministry for Persecuted Christians.
Advocacy work also includes working for Persecuted Christians to receive priority for immigration as victims of Genocide. Father Ben has visited Iraq on multiple occasions since early 2015 and is working hard to establish relationships in Syria.
Aid
Nasarean.org’s unique role in aiding persecuted Christians to stay in their countries is supporting and encouraging mini micro-financing to create small businesses – what we call “Project Jonah” - to help families rebuild their lives, feel empowered, and break the culture of dependency.
Without job creation, Christian families have no future in their ancient homes – and Nasarean.org’s “small is beautiful” philosophy (it takes only around $3,000 - $5,000 to create a start up in Iraq) is one of the very few organisations addressing job creation.
In the last six years since Nasarean.org started, it has helped families driven out by ISIS in both Iraq and Syria who have returned to their homes to start small family businesses.
These include in Iraq a taxi business, a cake/bakery shop, a small furniture business, a chicken farm and a shop for women’s goods. In Syria - specifically in Damascus, Nasarean.org has helped several families start small food and vegetable shops.
Nasarean.org has just begun helping some small businesses in Beirut, Lebanon, including a gym and a bakery, and is looking at expanding very soon.
Find us here:
St. Anselm’s Catholic Church
Lower Green Road
Pembury
Kent
TN2 4DZ
Email: edwardtomlinson@rcaos.org.uk
Phone: 01892 825009
