We are used to hearing more general reports from ministries, but receipts tell a story of their own. Would you like to know what has been done with donations you have sent for the work of underground churches in Iran? It provides a lot of insight into how these networks operate and what they prioritise!
Travel
The underground church is served by people who are often on the move. Many receipts we get are for evangelists who travel the country, visiting small house churches both in cities and in remote areas to teach, disciple and encourage believers.
Small, young churches being served by travelling evangelists reminds us both of the early church and of the Chinese churches. It is a very appropriate way of working when there are not enough trained teachers in every church, and it connects the often-isolated believers to eachother. However, this is no walk in the park for the evangelists. Some areas our contacts work in even lack electricity and cell coverage. Add to this the security risk of being a travelling evangelist in a country with a notoriously cruel Islamic regime, and it is clear that it is not an easy job.
Bibles
Of course, there are receipts for the delivering of Bibles and other Christian books. This too is dangerous work but in order to grow healthy and strong, these young believers need the Word of God. So, when one contact reports 210 Bibles and 60 Christian books have been delivered in the past quarter in about 8 different cities, we see how the spiritual growth of the young churches is prioritized.
International
The ministry of the Iranian house church is not limited by national borders or ethnicity. There are also receipts of people serving Iranian refugee churches in neighbouring countries and evangelising Muslim refugees. The Iranian church feels called to minister to Afghan refugees in their own country, as well as travelling to Afghanistan to help the most vulnerable with life-saving aid and the life-giving gospel of Jesus.
TV and internet
As many parallels as we could make between the early church and the Iranian underground churches, there are differences too. The Iranian underground networks use internet as much as they can to reach Farsi speakers in and outside of Iran. Through Instagram they reach tens of thousands. People become believers through online discipleship and join physical groups from there. Video courses are used to teach remote churches. That is why we get receipts for internet connections, a TV and a satellite dish, and for the support of a Christian web developer. Thank God for all the creative ways in which He is using people!
Humanitarian
Many people in Iran live in dire poverty. Sanctions have destroyed the economy, and many young people cannot find enough work where they can earn enough to support their family. The preaching of the gospel never occurs in a vacuum, but within physical circumstances which need to be addressed and transformed by the people of God. So, with our receipts we get a picture of a baby, who was about to be aborted, but whose mother received help so she could keep the baby. We get receipts for families in very hard circumstances, who received food; for a roof which was repaired; for treatment for a skin disease; for a doctor helping refugee children with cancer.
Our list of receipts is more than a bookkeeping formality. It gives us precious insight in how the churches in Iran operate and grow. And it gives much to pray for. Please join us!
