Serving the Orthodox Church in Pakistan
Dear friend,
The Orthodox Mission in Pakistan would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Check out this video to see how the parishoners of the church of the Annunciation in Wazirabad have decorated the nave in honor of our Lord’s Nativity.
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Dear brothers and sisters,
Recently, Fr. John contacted us with tragic news. Two of his parishioners, a mother and her adult son, were killed by a neighbor who accused them of blasphemy after a dispute. And earlier this month, a 13-year old Christian girl was forced to marry a Muslim boy.
As shocking as these stories may seem, sadly, they are not shocking to Fr. John. It is not uncommon for Christians in Pakistan to be the victims of crimes and persecution such as these. In addition to the challenges brought on by the pandemic this year, Fr. John and his parishioners continue to confront the daily struggles and injustices that come with being poor and Christian in Pakistan.
Fr. John writes:
“While we are so helpless, we should pray, we should cry. To be poor is painful. Lord have mercy!”
As we enter the Advent season, we ask you to consider giving a gift to Fr. John and the Orthodox Christians of Pakistan. As Fr. John has no income, your gift will help support him and his family, and enable Fr. John to provide basic assistance to his parishioners, including food and medicine. 100% of all donations go directly to Fr. John in Pakistan and there is never any overhead or administrative fees.
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17
May God bless you richly for your generosity.
Dear friend,
The uncertainty of current events, the coronavirus, and their affects have reached every corner of the world. These times are full of hatred, anger, fear, and doubt, and our brothers and sisters in Pakistan have not gone without these struggles. Fr John reported that all of Pakistan “is in a state of panic. Physical, mental, and financial suffering has reached us all, especially those on daily wages. Mosques and churches are closed, and people are locked in their homes. We are trying very hard to support our people, but this is not an easy task.” Much of Fr John and Pb Rosy’s time has lately been spent teaching proper sanitation practices, as well as providing hand sanitizer, masks, and gloves to those who cannot afford them. However, they can only do so much because to their limited financial resources, and decreased giving in the last few months. Fr John humbly asks that we “join Pb Rosy and I in our mission, and show your solidarity to your brothers and sisters in Pakistan.”
As we approach the dormition fast, would you consider giving to the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan to enable Fr John and Pb Rosy to serve others? You can also help the mission by joining our prayer team. Please reach out to us at info@orthodoxpakistan.org for more details.
| Dear friend, Fr John sends his gratitude to you for your generosity, and has the following updates concerning the mission: Pb Rosy is getting better every day. She has finished her sixth chemotherapy session. Her doctors ordered lab tests for her, and we are waiting to hear the results from them. |
| The parishoners of Annunciation Orthodox Church in Wazirabad are being harassed by another group of “Christians”. These people have disturbed the community by stealing crosses, bibles, Holy Icons, and attempting to convert people by bribery. Fr John has approached the Pakistani government concerning the troublemakers, and the government has posted guards around the church’s compound. |
| Fr John recently performed a wedding, and brought four families into the church as converts. Fr John said “The work of God will never stop”. Please continue to pray for our Pakistani brethren, and remember them when deciding how to bless others with your generosity during the Advent season. |
| Consider joining our Prayer Rotation! You can do so by sending an email to info@orthodoxpakistan.org. Contact us to learn more! We look forward to hearing from you. |
Dear Friend,
As we embark on the season of Lent, we ask you to remember Fr. John and the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan in your prayers and in your almsgiving.
Your generous support makes Fr. John’s ministry possible. He and his family depend entirely on donations for their livelihood and ministry. He does not receive a salary from the church, and his parishioners live on little more than $3 a day. What they lack in financial means they make up for in devotion and labor, and yet they need our financial support.
With your help, Fr. John can continue to support widows who have no income. Just $5 a month helps feed one widow and her family.
With your help, the OMP sewing center will continue to provide a safe haven for girls and young women, giving them a place to learn a valuable skill while protecting them from being preyed upon.
With your help, Fr. John can continue providing medicine for the sick, and assisting families experiencing hardships.
With your help, lay volunteers can continue to help Fr. John in his ministry. Fr. John ministers to a large territory, and lay volunteers help bring Orthodoxy into rural areas. Your support provides a small stipend to these volunteers so that they can provide for themselves and their families while they work for the growth of the Church.
Would you consider making a monthly commitment? A monthly gift of even $10 or $15 will go a long way. Our goal is to be able to provide Fr. John with a consistent amount of support each month, so that he doesn’t have to worry month to month. Your help, in any amount, can make this possible.
As always, 100% of your donation goes directly to Fr. John and his ministry.
We thank you and pray that you have a blessed Lenten journey.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We present our good wishes to you all on the great occasion of the celebration the feast of Nativity. For us this is great opportunity to thank you for your great support which you have provided to us in the year 2018. The Orthodox Mission in Pakistan is trying to enrich the people in Orthodox Faith. Through your great help we are trying to look after our infrastructure, the sick, widows, orphans, needy as well as the students. Firstly, we have made renovations to the church building and conference hall and covered the foundation of the building with mud and stone.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are really thankful to God and to you that Presbytra Rosy is recovering from her sickness. We pray that God may give her complete and good health that she may constantly support Orthodox Mission through her spiritual and social activities. Presbytra Rosy is very popular among the people not only Christians but in Muslim community also due to her counselling abilities.
Dear brothers and sisters, please be constant in supporting the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan, though we are facing many different problems, your encouragement is keeping us always active and loyal to God.
Please come forward and help us so that joy and happiness which we have received on this great feast may we be able to share it with others in different ways.
Your generosity is always appreciated by the Orthodox Faithful in Pakistan. We pray that our Lord Jesus may grant you blessings in abundance, give you health and long life so that His Holy Name may be spread in the whole world.
May the year 2019 keep us united forever!
The blessing of the Lord God is with you all,
Fr. John Tanveer
Orthodox Mission in Pakistan
Dear Friend,
Everyone in the world has a story. Our stories can be happy, sad, and everything in between. Today, we would like to tell you the story of a few people that the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan serves.
“Anna” was the beauty of her village. Every young man who knew her wanted to marry her. She finally chose the best and most handsome young man from the next village, named “George”. George and Anna lived on a farm in the north of Pakistan. After some time, George and Anna learned they could not have children, which grieved them terribly. In that part of the country, it is common for the Indus River to flood during the summer. One year, the Indus flooded tremendously, forcing them to leave the family farm, and head to the capital, Islamabad. George had a difficult time finding work for a very long time, and he and Anna struggled making ends meet. George eventually found a job as a janitor, which was the cause for much joy! One day on his way to work, George stepped into the street, and was suddenly hit by a car, dying instantly. In an instant, Anna was widowed, alone, and without financial or moral support. She had no one to help her. She learned from a friend about the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan. She learned that Fr John Tanveer and his family regularly gave food and basic necessities to widows in need. Since she was a Muslim, she hesitated asking a Christian for assistance, but she decided to take a chance, and went to them for help.
“Peter” lives in Lahore. He grew up in a Roman Catholic family, and married a woman who had known him his entire life. He and his wife have five children, and the two of them continuously instructed their children from the scriptures. They pray together, eat together, and live their lives together. One day, a friend invited him to hear a preacher speak. Peter had always been enthusiastic about the scriptures, and opening his mind and heart to Christ’s words, so he readily agreed. That preacher was Fr John. Teaching from the Epistle of St James, Fr John opened the scriptures before Peter in a way he had not before experienced. Peter decided he wanted to discuss the scriptures with Fr John. Peter then introduced himself to Fr John, and then invited him to his house for further discussion. Their conversations turned into a close friendship, and after several months of theological dialogue, Peter decided that he and his family would all become Orthodox Christians. As time went on, Peter could not contain his love for Christ, his enthusiasm for communion with the Church, and devotion to the Mother of God. Fr John recognized Peter’s zeal, and asked if he would consider becoming a lay catechist, as this would give Fr John more time to fill other needs. Unfortunately, Peter had no time to spare. His work and family demand much of his time. With five children and a wife, he needs the means to support them if he worked less.
“Sarah” is a fourteen year old who grew up in a Hindu family in Lahore, the youngest of a family of four daughters. Her parents have been searching far and wide for an eligible sutor for Sarah, but this has proved difficult as most of the Hindu families in their neighborhood either have no children, or their children are already married. Sarah has been afraid of her marital status for the last year, as she heard many rumors of women like her being abducted and forced to marry muslim men. Whenever her father leaves home to go to work, she weeps in fear at the thought of someone breaking in and stealing her while her father is away. Her mother happened to meet and become friends with a Orthodox Christian woman who attends a house church that Fr John leads. This woman told Sarah’s mother that she and her daughter could go to the OMP Sewing Center to be safe while Sarah’s father worked. Not only that, the instructor at the sewing center would teach them to make bed sheets they could sell!
Helping those in need is not only the calling of the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan; it is the calling of us all. $5 gives a widow like Anna food for several days. $100 enables a lay catechist like Peter to spend less time at his job every month, and more time preaching the gospel. $1,000 enables the mission to purchase a motorcycle Peter can use to travel between cities, preaching the gospel as he goes. $400 per month covers the costs of the OMP Sewing Center, which include the materials, electricity, and an instructor’s salary. You can find more information about how to give on our give page. We humbly ask that you consider giving to support one of these extremely important ministries.
An update from Pb Rosy concerning her health:
Happy Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Hopefully you are well .
This morning I went for blood tests. The reports have improved.
I shall have the 6th and last chemotherapy June 30th. I need your prayers so that the miraculous power of the Theotokos may help me to accept all that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that I will be healed soon.
With love and prayers.
Pb Rosy
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We hope the fast has provided the means to draw further into life in Christ, and that you have stayed strong in our mutual, spiritual struggle. “During the Lenten season we are trying our best to perform our duty in the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan,” said Fr. John. “Though sometimes we get stuck, God always encourages us to carry on His mission.” It is with heavy hearts that we must inform you of developments with the health of Pb. Rosy.
Pb. Rosy was recently diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). She began her first round of chemotherapy recently, which has caused extreme amounts of pain. Her doctors have recommended she undergo six rounds of chemotherapy, one every three weeks, at which point she will undergo further testing to see how the cancer has responded. Her doctors remain optimistic her condition will improve. While this is encouraging, Pb. Rosy’s treatments are very expensive, costing around $1,500 per treatment. Fr. John has saved money for an emergency over the years, and has paid for all her medical expenses thus far. “Rosy is very precious for the Orthodox Mission in Pakistan,” Fr. John said. ”She supports the mission through her writings, catechesis, translation of spiritual texts, teaching, and especially counseling.”
However, supporting Pb. Rosy, and thus supporting the mission’s ability to serve the community, comes at a price. Fr. John cannot travel to serve Liturgy in Wazirabad as frequently. He cannot buy church supplies nor give to as many who are in need. In short, this illness has tied the hands of the mission. In this, one of the mission’s most dire hours, we must humbly ask, will you help? The mission needs your support, by your prayers and financial means, now more than any other time. “I, Fr. John, want to thank you for your kind and loving concern for us. We ask that you remember us in your prayers, and that God may heal her quickly.”
Please consider signing up for our prayer list and making a donation to help Pb. Rosy. You may sign up for our prayer list by emailing us at info@orthodoxpakistan.org.
