A Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Update

In the early morning hours of February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southeast region of Turkey, close to the border with northwest Syria. It was followed by hundreds of aftershocks, a few almost as strong as the initial quake. The number of dead and injured continues to climb and currently stands near 25,000. Millions of internally displaced people (the majority are women and children) live in the impacted areas of Syria, a nation plagued by conflict for 12 years. Most of these refugees already depend on humanitarian assistance for survival.

The Church of the Nazarene is active in Syria, and churches in impacted areas survived the damage. Congregations have opened their buildings to serve as shelters, and church members and pastors are reaching out to impacted community members by providing food and necessary supplies.

One pastor in Syria shared an update this week, saying, “Thank you for your prayers. [This] is very difficult and confusing because we have never dealt with such a situation. The weather is very cold, the means of heating are very limited, the shock from the earthquake is horrific, and the fear of aftershocks still exists. The church is open as a shelter, and the brothers work around the clock to help. We pray for divine protection for all and for wisdom and grace so that the church can play its role in helping and reassuring people. Thank you for your prayers.”

You can support relief efforts by giving here: ncm.org/syria.

Lord, we feel helpless watching the despair in Turkey and Syria. We pray today for all suffering, especially refugees who have already endured much trauma. They sought shelter in the impacted region and now face another kind of tragedy. We pray for those who have lost family members and friends. Comfort the grieving. Give strength to the rescue workers. Enable churches to be places of hope in the darkness now and in the days to come. Lord, hear our prayers.