Ministry Supports Growth of Christianity in Iraq
by Allie Martin
December 15, 2003
(AgapePress) - A California-based ministry that reaches out to the persecuted Church worldwide is helping believing residents of war-torn Iraq as they prepare to celebrate the first Christmas since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.Open Doors International is distributing 50,000 Christian-themed coloring books to Iraqi children, and early next year children's Bible story books will be printed for distribution in Iraq. Devotional materials for adults are being selected as well and are scheduled to be distributed next year. The ministry is also supporting the training of Iraqi Sunday School teachers.
Now that the tyrannical rule of Hussein is definitively over, Open Doors is making efforts to take advantage of the current climate of openness and relative religious freedom in Iraq. Although the nation's future is uncertain, some Christian leaders are suggesting that this period in the history of the liberated but still embattled Iraq may be a window of opportunity for Church growth and the spread of the gospel. (See Related Story)
Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors, says the mood in Iraq is more positive than it was immediately after the war. "The Iraqis are sensing that God is doing something significant," he says.
"In the churches that we work with, we're being asked to provide many more resource materials," Moeller notes, "and a Christian praise team from Egypt is going to be holding concerts in Iraqi churches during the Christmas holidays."
According to the ministry president, Open Doors is planning activities to support believers in Iraq all through the coming year. "We have initiatives that center on children and also on literature distribution," Moeller says, adding, "I'm excited to know that what we'll be doing throughout 2004 is standing close and strong with the persecuted Church there."
Open Doors is also supporting Christian bookstores in Iraq with thousands of books, cassettes, and videos, and a Christian resource center in Baghdad, scheduled to open early next year.
