Lent Support Appeal 2017

Lent Support Appeal 2017

Lent and Fasting in Christianity is neither to be hungry, giving pain, suffering to your body, nor it means to show to others that how much a fast keeper, you are.

Lent is meant to repent wholeheartedly and bow down to God almighty with a perfect faith, because we don’t keep fast to pleased people around us but to glorify God Almighty.

Pakistan is a land of martyrs, where intolerance is fueled by illiteracy and religious extremism. Christians and others are living in constant fear of life threat, unjust and malicious accusations of blasphemy, which can mean a death sentence.

Religious biases, discrimination, violence and targeted attacks against Christians are frequent, the latest 2017, Taliban suicide bombing in Pakistan has reached death toll at 141.

James Rehmat, Executive Director of Ecumenical Commission for Human Development – (ECHD) said, “We are a small minority having rich faith in Pakistan. The great number of oppressed Christian families is living under the constant threat of violence and struggle for survival of their daily life”.

Christians in Pakistan have had to give up everything for their faithfulness to Christ, so this Lent we are asking parishes, schools and groups, to support these vulnerable families with Survival Packs – emergency aid to help them to transform their lives and communities.

ECHD ask for prayers for the huge numbers of forgotten Christians in Pakistan, where growing Islamisation is leaving them vulnerable to targeted attacks and to displacement on a huge scale, such as in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, where Christians rely on the Church for basic essentials and for spiritual support and comfort.

ECHD aims to reach out more than 1,000 families in this Lent appeal to strengthen our capabilities to transform the congregations and marginalized communities for promoting Christian unity in faith, witness and service for just and peaceful world.

There is a time of renewal for us by working together to make the most of the richness of this season, our actions of charity, fasting and prayer can lead to a deepening of our faith and can bear fruit not only in our lives but in the lives of those we reach out to in solidarity and communion.

Please donate generously to support the vulnerable communities in Pakistan by sending your donations to Ecumenical Commission for Human Development.

May our Lord God reward each one of you abundantly.

Look forward to your support to the success of the Lent Support Appeal.

JAMES REHMAT
Executive Director

ECUMENICAL COMMISSION FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
House No. 88, Street No. 8, Modern Colony, Nazareth Road,
Kot Lakhpat, Lahore 54000, Pakistan

Mobile: +92-321-4269537
Email: james@echd.org.pk