The National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon

THE OUTREACH FOUNDATION

For 40 years The Outreach Foundation has connected Christians in the United States with church partners around the world. We help our global partners train leaders, start new congregations, expand their outreach programs, and strengthen their ministries of compassion. We raise funds to support missionaries, projects and partners who are sharing God’s love in word and deed. We help congregations build long-term partnerships with the global church that are mutually transformational. Every person, project and partnership we support is directly engaged in sharing the good news of God’s love in Christ in word and deed.

​In honor of the decades-long ministry of Rob Weingartner, who retired from the

Outreach Foundation at the end of September 2020, FPC has sent a gift to:

The Amar al-Hosn Retreat Center in Syria

The Center will serve small and large churches in Syria and Lebanon as that region heals from years of war and unrest. The Center was one of the last projects that Rob helped develop.

THE NATIONAL EVANGELICAL SYNOD OF SYRIA AND LEBANON

The first Presbyterian missionaries arrived in “greater Syria” in 1823. As the Gospel message these missionaries shared was embraced by local communities, new believers came to be known as “Evangelicals” due to their commitment to following Christ daily and solemn devotion to the Scriptures. Eventually, these Presbyterians (Evangelicals) became the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, which today, includes about 40 congregations. Since the cornerstone of Presbyterian witness in the Middle East was education, healthcare, and evangelism, the missionaries soon established schools, hospitals, and churches. The Evangelical Church in Syria and Lebanon is still known today for the quality of their education and healthcare programs, and many of the finest colleges in Lebanon have Presbyterian roots. Since the start of the war in Syria, The Outreach Foundation has been focused on securing funds to sustain congregations and families in Syria and in supporting Schools for Refugee Children (4 of these) run by the Synod in Lebanon. FPC's support to Syria and Lebanon is focused on these schools through the project called, "HOPE FOR SYRIAN STUDENTS IN SYRIA AND LEBANON."

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In light of the shifting realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Outreach Foundation prays that God will re-open the door to being physically present to both churches here and to partners there. But they remain grateful to the technologies which allow us to span the miles, regardless!

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In the summer of 2019, Lois Andrews joined a dozen women from the United States in attending a Women’s Retreat at a Center north of Beirut, Lebanon.  The Outreach-sponsored trip was to come alongside eighty women from the Presbyterian churches in Syria, and ten Lebanese women who are all part of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon.  Her trip introduced her to many new Syrian friends pictured here and gave her a first hand look at the work of the Syrian and Lebanese churches serving their communities through church-sponsored schools, and provision of food and necessities during a very difficult time.