Refugees regularly enter Jordan from life-threatening regions of Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and more. Some families flee because of war; others are Christians and will be persecuted and even killed for their faith if they stay. Mercy and Truth Church in Amman, Jordan welcomes all refugees and shares resources, training, and hope in Jesus Christ. In November, a team from FEC visited Pastor Noor after partnering with Mercy and Truth Church through a recent FEC initiative.
Partnerships with FEC churches can stretch across state lines or continents, and bring Christ followers together for encouragement, prayer, shared resources, training, visits, etc. Harold Mansfield, the youth pastor and associate pastor of missions and outreach at Evermore Church in Hartville, Ohio led the trip to Jordan to get to know the people at Mercy and Truth and brainstorm ways for their partnership to grow.
One impactful component of Mercy and Truth Church is its outreach ministry. The building is at max capacity continuously, Pastor Harold says. “Every square inch was being utilized for some form of ministry.” They teach school, and provide medical treatment and job training for refugees like sewing, jewelry making, barber training, and more.
Pastor Noor also travels to various places in the Middle East to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Harold witnessed this when they traveled toward the Syrian border to meet with shepherds and donate tent materials for protection during the upcoming rainy season. Seeing Pastor Noor engage a man on the topic of Christianity and Islam “left a lasting impact on me,” says Harold.
After receiving an invitation from Pastor Noor, Harold hopes in the next year or two to bring a team of college-age students from Evermore to meet and encourage the young people at Mercy and Truth. He also wants to start pen pal letters of encouragement between the children’s ministry at Evermore and the school of refugee children in Amman “so the refugee children know there are other Christians, their brothers and sisters who care about them and want them to keep the faith.”
