Author: Jacobse

Christ is born!

We are thankful to God who is always with us and encourages us in our Mission.

Now the First Orthodox church is almost completed and we are trying our best to beautify the house of God. The Altar is ready and red carpet is put on the floor inside the church. The faithful are strengthening their faith day by day.

There are many things which are in need to strengthen Orthodoxy here in Pakistan.

Your moral support which makes us brave and healthy in awful situation.

We are Pakistani and we have motto of bringing peace in our country. In these days a big operation is going on against terrorists and a new law has come to deal with them strictly. Our communities are not safe but we ask you to remember us in your prayers that God may bring peace in Pakistan.

We have to work according to the signs of time. That is why we are trying to have good relations with everyone like the good Samaritan. This is the way to promote Orthodox faith in our country.

Your financial support is very much important.

We have to spend for food, utility bills, children`s school high fee, house maintenance , medication, transport etc.

Pastoral travelling

We need a small van which could be beneficial for my pastoral activities like visiting the sick in the hospital, visiting communities in different areas.

A request

I request you please, try to understand me and my situation. To look after the flock is not so easy. I have to see my own family and the family which is given to me by God in Pakistan.

I am very much afraid that I cannot fulfill the needs of my family because of my limited resources.

I appeal you kindly, do some thing for the promotion of Orthodox Mission in Pakistan. Church is extending day by day. Your penny is valuable for OMP

With thanksgiving to God for His gracious blessing and protection, the first service in the first Orthodox Church in Pakistan was held yesterday. The Church is not yet furnished for Divine Liturgy, but Fr. John gathered the faithful there for a time of prayer and thanksgiving. As you can see, they were not reluctant to proclaim the joy of the season to their neighborhood! Glory to God for all things!

Fr. John sends this message of greeting to us: “People are happy and praying for all of you in the world, that Lord Jesus Christ bring peace, love, unity and truth in the world.”

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Fr. John Tanveer is interviewed by a priest from the Russian Orthodox Church about the Orthodox Church in Pakistan.

My heartiest thanks to you who are always on our side not to let us be in despair. Thanks for your love, kindness and concern.

Life is such that being humans many times we lose hope and are discouraged because of enormous problems. The fact is this that God lets us feel so to assure us that He is with us to the end of the world.

Our prayers continue to rise before God Almighty for all who love us and who are a means for our survival. May the Good Lord fill you with abundant blessings and grant you all that you need to spread His Kingdom.

Through these few words I want to thank the donors who painstakingly think of the Orthodox Mission Pakistan to continue the work of spreading the Word of God.

God bless you.

Fr.John

The Orthodox Mission in Pakistan continues to grow. Below are photographs of the baptism of a new baby.

The walls are rising on the first Orthodox Church building in Pakistan. The Church is built through the support of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC).

In attendance were numerous Christian groups as well as some of the Muslim leadership of the local community. Funds for this building were made possible by the Orthodox Christian Missions Center (OCMC) in the U.S

On Saturday, March 9, 2013 a crowd of Muslim Pakistanis attacked a small Christian neighborhood known as the St. Joseph Colony in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. This was shortly after an incident earlier in the week, when one Muslim resident had accused another Christian resident of blasphemy against Muhammad after the two had engaged in a dispute. The police arrested the Christian accused of blasphemy on Friday, and the mob action took place the next day.

The secular press (including the New York Times) reported this incident, using Pakistani government supplied figures of 178 houses, 18 shops, and 2 churches damaged by the fires that the mob started. Some news reports carried estimates of the mob size as approximately 2,000 to 3,000. What they failed to report – obviously because the government did not supply these figures – is much more disturbing.

Fr. John Tanveer is a Pakistani Eastern Orthodox priest who lives in Lahore. While he does not live in the St. Joseph Colony, a few of his parishioners do, and they lost their homes. He visited the area the next day, and has been returning almost daily to try to bring some comfort and aid to those affected. His reports are based on his own personal observation, as well as many interviews with the residents of the Colony about what they experienced. Here are some of the facts that he has reported.

• The number of homes destroyed is at least 350, or about twice the size of the government estimate.
• The residents estimated the crowd at over 5,000, again approximately double the numbers used by the press.
• Residents stated that the entire operation was very well planned and deliberate, not a case of a peaceful demonstration getting out of hand.
• Residents report that chemicals of some sort (perhaps gasoline?) were used to start and fuel the fires. If you look at the photos, you will notice that the structures in the Colony are all brick and stone. Thus, a single fire or a few fires would not have spread to decimate hundreds of buildings without the widespread use of artificial accelerants.
• The police told residents in the Colony the previous day (Friday) that they should leave the area. This clearly indicates that the government was aware of the planned mob action, and wanted to minimize the loss of life.
• During the mob violence, the police were present in small numbers, and took no action to stop the rampage.

The St. Joseph Colony is located on land near a number of industrial sites including steel and iron-making plants. It is well-known that these industries would like more land to expand their operations, and many residents believe that is why the entire incident took place – to force the Colony residents to abandon their homes leave the area.

Fr. John states that neither the government nor any of the large international humanitarian NGO’s have responded with any significant aid. He has been preparing and bringing food to the St. Joseph Colony every day, but his parish does not have the funds and resources to give the sort of aid that will be needed to care for these displaced residents and help them rebuild.

Please consider making a tax deductible contribution to help. This is an all-volunteer effort so there are no administrative costs – every dollar sent goes straight to Fr. John who will use it to provide food and other assistance to the St. Joseph Colony residents. Donations may be made by mail or Paypal as stated on the website. Please pray for these displaced fellow believers, and please pray for Fr. John, his wife Rosy, and their three children as they minister in the name of Christ.

Please forward the link to this article to others you know that may be willing to pray for and consider assisting these fellow Christians in their time of great need.

Pictures from Fr. John

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LAHORE PAKISTAN: More than 100 houses belonging to the Christian community were vandalized and burnt by a mob of muslims in Badami Bagh area of Lahore on Saturday over alleged blasphemy committed by a Christian man. More than 35 Christians were injured.

Several houses were attacked and hundreds Christian families were forced to flee the area. There was advance notice of this attack within the government of Pakistan and that no action was taken to stop it.

Fr. John Tanveer spent a full day today (Tuesday) in this neighborhood, and says it is just absolutely devastated. Eyewitnesses there say that the incident was actually much worse than reported in the media. The whole incident seemed very well planned, and he says there were over 5,000 in the mob. They used some sort of chemical (perhaps gasoline?) to start the fires.

The residents say that police were in the area but did nothing to intervene. He counted about 350 houses destroyed, far more than the official count of 178. So far the government has not provided any relief for these families.

The community is a poor one, near a lot of factories and industry. The residents are primarily Christian, both Protestants and Catholics. Fr. John is distressed because there has not yet been any response from any Christain NGO’s.

From Fr. John Tanveer

Dear Supporter of the Orthodox Church in Pakistan,

Since this morning I was with the victims. I tried to visit each and every house. They are attacked by 5 to 6 thousand peoples mob with weapons and a dangerous chemical which they thew into their houses,which burnt each and everything. There is left nothing.

So much cruelty is seen that they felt no pity for a dog and a parrot in his cage. They had no pity for a faithful dog and a beautiful parrot. I am really finished after visiting the people ant their properties.

Muslims always come together to support one another worldwide but we Christians enjoy and think of ourself as selfish people. They are one but we are all divided and broken into many different parts.

O Lord my God, please, give us courage so that we may come together without prejudice and hatred.

Why are we accused? The answer is that we are Christians among the majority of Muslims.

Please, remember our country in your prayers especially the victims who lost all because of being Christians.

Yours,

Fr. John

Pictures from Fr. John

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Read more: Muslims Desecrate and Burn Christian Holy Bibles in Lahore