‘Love Thy Neighbour’: The Lebanese church serving Syrian refugees
A town in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon
Against the backdrop of a crippling economic crisis and a gaping political vacuum, tensions are growing in Lebanon between Syrian refugees and host communities. With a marked rise in intolerance and even violence, one church in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon is going against the grain. As part of a network of local churches supported by Embrace’s partner, MERATH, this particular church is choosing to walk in the paths of love.
This long-read, written by MERATH staff, explains why the pastor of this church and its members continue to support Syrian refugees, even in a climate of fear and tension:
For the past 13 years, Pastor Tony* has stood nearly every Sunday before a congregation of Lebanese and Syrians.
In brotherly and sisterly communion, the two people groups sit together at a church in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, worshipping God and listening to His word. In a country with longstanding tensions between Lebanese and Syrians, it is a radical demonstration of the power of the Gospel. A shared love for Christ brings them together, helping them to overcome the division increasingly stirred by high numbers of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
After more than 13 years of civil war in Syria, no one knows for sure how many Syrian refugees now live in Lebanon, but a common estimate is 1.5 million – an enormous number when one considers that there are less than 5 million Lebanese estimated to be in the country. It has become one of the most contentious and complicated issues in the country.
POLARISATION AND DIVISION IN LEBANON
Demands are growing for refugees to return to Syria, with many Lebanese, including high-ranking officials, accusing them of causing or exacerbating Lebanon’s collapse. They say that Lebanon can no longer bear the burden of hosting so many displaced people, and that organisations are encouraging them to stay by providing aid. Pointing to history, some note how the wave of Palestinian refugees several decades ago helped create conditions that triggered a 15-year-long civil war in 1975. They fear that something similar could happen today or that Syrians will one day outnumber Lebanese and take over the country. Others point to crimes allegedly committed by Syrians and accuse them of taking jobs from the Lebanese.
Opponents push back, arguing that such claims are political scapegoating that fuels discrimination and anti-refugee sentiment. They say that billions of dollars in aid have offset the impact of the crisis and mitigated the fallout of an acute economic crisis. They note that refugees cannot safely return to Syria, and that they work jobs many Lebanese are unwilling to take.
The arguments go on, both sides backed by different data, narratives, and political viewpoints. The only clear consensus is that there exists no viable solution. And so it persists, fuelling ever more division. Amid it all, the church in the Beqaa, supported by Embrace’s partner MERATH, shines ever brighter for its kinship between Lebanese and Syrians.
LIVING OUT THE GOSPEL
Seated in his upstairs office on a warm morning in May 2024, Pastor Tony shared over coffee and tea about how such fraternal relations have formed out of the outreach the church has provided to Syrian refugees for more than a decade.
“We do believe that when conflicts happen, there are more opportunities to share the Gospel,” he said. “This opens a door amidst pain to present Jesus as a comforter for people.”
In that instance, Tony was referring to the Syrian civil war and how the mass displacement it caused had created an opportunity for Syrians – most of whom come from non-Christian backgrounds – to hear the Gospel. But the same was also true for the people in the church. Initially, supporting Syrians was not an easy thing for the church to do. Indeed, if it was not for the Gospel, its members may have never extended a helping hand at all. But Christ has the power to change hearts. Amid growing tensions, the support the church is extending to Syrians through aid and education attests ever more strongly to that transformative power.
The church’s support began just as huge numbers of Syrians fled to Lebanon.
An informal settlement in the Beqaa Valley (credit: MERATH)
As anti-government protests spiralled into an armed uprising against the Syrian government in 2011, thousands of people fled the country. Many Syrians travelled to Lebanon in search of safety. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians would go on to settle in the Beqaa Valley, a luscious strip of agricultural land situated at the feet of a towering mountain range separating Lebanon from its larger Arab neighbour. Many moved into informal refugee settlements that sprung up around the valley. In areas around the church alone, Tony said that 10,000 Syrians settled.
The church initially wondered how to respond to the large numbers of refugees. Relations between many Lebanese and Syrians were strained by bad history, particularly among older generations who remembered the disappearances, abuses, and violence committed against them by Syrian troops during Damascus’ nearly 30-year occupation of Lebanon (1976-2005).
LINGERING MEMORIES OF THE SYRIAN OCCUPATION
As a young man, Tony experienced his own encounters with Syrian forces. As frightening and traumatic as they were to many Lebanese, Tony always saw them as an opportunity to share the Gospel. Indeed, most of the soldiers he encountered would have come from non-Christian backgrounds. With laughter and smiles, he half-joked about a time he missed the opportunity to talk about Christ with one soldier.
It occurred as he was passing through a checkpoint in Beirut while riding in a taxi. The soldier manning the post ordered Tony to exit the vehicle. He wanted to see Tony’s papers, but Tony did not have them or his wallet. It was a predicament that might alarm most people, but not Tony.
This is a great opportunity to share about Jesus, he thought. He asked the woman seated next to him to move, but she refused.
“Do you really think I’m going to let them take you?” she asked.
Mistakenly thinking that the woman was Tony’s mother, the soldier decided not to detain him. To Tony’s disappointment, the soldier let him go.
“It was a missed opportunity to share the Gospel,” Tony recalled, laughing.
That encounter was not Tony’s only run-in with Syrian troops, but it reflected the different attitude that he holds towards Syrians from other Lebanese of his generation. It is an attitude shaped by the Gospel and Jesus’ instructions to love our neighbours and enemies.
In 2005, following mass protests triggered by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, Syria withdrew from Lebanon. Damascus’ troops were gone, but the pain and memories of its occupation would linger in the hearts and minds of many Lebanese.
“GOD DOES NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN A SYRIAN AND LEBANESE”
Indeed, only six years had passed before many Syrians returned to the country. But this time they came not as occupiers but as people in need of help. Still, some members of the Beqaa church wondered whether to help them.
Tony knew that refusing to help would be wrong, regardless of the historical justifications the church might have. As a church, they had a responsibility to assist others, to be examples of Christ, and to share the Gospel and the hope of salvation.
“God does not differentiate between a Syrian and Lebanese,” Tony said. “God loves all people, and just like God gave us a chance for salvation, He has given them this same chance.”
The church prayed and felt led by God to provide help. With support from MERATH, the church began to distribute aid, including food, medicine, clothes, mattresses, blankets, and more. They did so unconditionally, providing aid when the church did not have meetings or services, so that recipients would not feel pressured to come to church.
MERATH’s network of churches in the Beqaa support refugees by providing essential items during the cold winter months (credit: Hussein Kassir/Dreamstime.com)
Hearing of the support, huge numbers of people came. There ended up being more Syrians than Lebanese in the church, an imbalance that bothered some Lebanese members. Some asked why the church was helping Syrians. Still, Tony felt led to help. In sermons, he reminded people of Jesus’ teachings.
“It’s not every day that we face enemies,” he would say. “This might be the only time in our lifetime that we face our enemies. We should love them. This is an opportunity to prove we are true believers.”
In time, the Lebanese members came to love their Syrian brothers and sisters. Such Christ-inspired care and love surprised the Syrians, who had grown accustomed to hearing abusive and disparaging remarks from Lebanese. Moved by love, perhaps surprised by the church’s act of faith, some refugees started to attend church. Some even got baptised and continue to attend church today.
SERVING SYRIAN REFUGEE CHILDREN
As the Syrian civil war dragged on, it became increasingly clear that the refugee crisis would too. Hopes of soon returning home would fade, and Lebanon would find itself hosting a population of refugees almost half the size of its own citizenry.
The refugee settlements in the Beqaa grew larger in size and number too.
An informal settlement, home to many refugee families, in the Beqaa Valley (credit: MERATH).
While visiting one camp on a rainy winter day, Tony saw children walking barefoot in the cold, slimy mud. He entered a tent where children were using bits of plastic and shoes to light a fire. The scene moved Tony. He felt, as a child of God, that he could not witness such hardship and do nothing. He needed to expand the support of the church. That is when the idea of opening a non-formal education centre came to mind.
In 2016, the church launched the centre. Since then, hundreds of Syrian children have studied at the centre, receiving quality, biblically inspired education for free.
From the surrounding refugee camps, children come, sharing the same harsh living conditions. They have experienced similar events, faced the same trials, and left their homes and childhood memories behind. While most children wish for iPads and new toys, these children long for different kinds of gifts: education, friends, community, and perhaps a bit of childhood fun. Every weekday morning, the children rush to the centre, eager to arrive and see their friends and teachers. The centre, supported by MERATH, has brought joy to their lives and helped compensate for the many losses they have experienced.
“They show us love and care,” said Zeinab, a bright, 16-year-old student. “They teach us about love, forgiveness, gratitude, how to manage our anger, and help us become closer to God. On our way home, we hum and sing the songs of praise we sing every morning during chapel time.”
POVERTY AND RISING TENSIONS
The severe economic and political crises that have plagued Lebanon for more than four years have left many people in poverty. Syrians are particularly impacted, with the UN Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) saying that 9 out of 10 Syrian refugees require humanitarian assistance to survive. Such conditions have taken a toll on children’s mental health, particularly those living in remote areas. In a 2023 report by the UN Agency for Children, UNICEF, 66% of caregivers reported that their children felt anxious or worried, and 47% saw signs of depression. Additionally, 62% noted a decline in their children’s well-being over the past year.
The most recent spike in tensions between Lebanese and Syrians – triggered by the murder of an official of one of the most powerful Christian parties in Lebanon – has increased such anxieties. Lebanese security officials said that members of a Syrian gang kidnapped and then killed the official as he returned home from work in April. Shortly later, videos appeared on social media purportedly showing Lebanese mobs beating Syrians at random in the streets and driving through neighbourhoods, ordering Syrians to leave their homes.
Nancy, an English teacher at the education centre, told us: “I am often asked by Lebanese, why do I teach Syrian refugees, and how can I do so? I tell them, it is because of Jesus in my heart that I accept all nationalities without discrimination. Teaching those kids is my ministry, a means to share the Gospel through my interactions, stories, and lessons. These children are innocent; they did not start the war. It has been imposed upon them. It is my duty to show them love and provide them with education.”
STAYING FAITHFUL AMID THE UNCERTAINTY
Tensions have calmed since the murder of the Christian Lebanese official in April, but voices calling for the ‘refugee crisis’ to be resolved and for Syrians to return to their country continue to grow louder. Yet returning is not an option for many Syrians. Though not as intense as in years past, fighting in Syria continues. The economy is in shambles and the country still faces major security issues. Rights groups have reported that Syrians who have returned have faced unlawful or arbitrary detention and arrest, torture, kidnappings, abuses including rape and sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.
Refugee families in an informal settlement in the Beqaa (credit: MERATH).
But life in Lebanon is not much better for Syrians. They increasingly face restriction of movement, raids, new taxes, checkpoints, obstruction of residency permit renewals, evictions and deportations, rental restrictions, and more. All the while, cross-border conflict between armed groups in Lebanon and Israel has displaced more than 90,000 people, including Syrian refugees. Additionally, international aid assistance to both refugees and Lebanese has repeatedly been cut, due to crises elsewhere.
In recent years, Tony has adjusted the distribution of the aid provided by the church to also assist Lebanese affected by more than four years of economic crisis. Still, as long as there are Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Tony said that the church will continue to be an example of Christ, demonstrating the Gospel in both word and deed.
“We say that God has opened this door to serve people who are displaced from their homes,” he said. “If one day they go back to Syria or go to any other place, we are sure that this period they spent in our church or school was a great period for them. We planted the Word of God in their heart, and God can water and grow this seed.”
*For the safety of the pastor and the church amid the tensions outlined in this article, the name Tony has been used as a pseudonym, and the name and location of the church have deliberately not been included.
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