Reaching Kurds in Syria
Ministry Leader (left) and one of the team members working on the translation of the NT
The Kurds are a nomadic people group native to the mountainous regions of the Middle East. With 25-30 million people, they are one of the largest stateless people groups in the world. 94% of the people group is Muslim and resides primarily in Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. GCP is currently partnered with a Kurdish native ministry that is dedicated to reaching the Kurdish nation across several of these countries. This ministry has taken significant risks for the kingdom of God, as these Islamic countries have dire consequences for Christians spreading the Gospel.
About 3 million Kurdish Kurmanji live in Syria. Over the last 15 years, Syria has been devastated by war, as well as the attacks of ISIS on the Syrian Kurds. However, this has also caused many hopeless people to respond to the call of salvation of Jesus Christ. One of our leaders in the Middle East has recently shared with us the following: “We have started our ministry in Syrian Kurdistan for about two months. One of our missionaries established a house church in Ministry Leader (left), and one of the team members is working on the translation of the NT Syria. There are currently four families. And we have plans to expand the service to 20 families soon. I must point out that, by the Lord’s grace, people are responding very enthusiastically to the Gospel, and God is working very powerfully there. I also hope to visit Syria soon to expand our ministry to several churches in this difficult country. That is why we decided to start a project to translate the New Testament into Kurdish-Kurmanji.
Currently, 60% of the translation is completed by a team of volunteers, and according to our expectation, it will take another three and a half months to finish the translation, and then go to the revision and audio recording stage.” GCP has decided to come alongside this ministry for this project and cover the remaining essential costs. These costs include rent of the studio, accommodations, and food for four people – 2 translators, one theology supervisor, and one IT specialist. Any contribution towards this very important project will bless these missionaries reaching this unreached group with the Good News of Jesus.
Please pray that the Kurdish community in Syria will continue to respond to the call of salvation in Jesus Christ! Pray that our native ministry can continue to reach this nation and provide them with the most important gift, a Bible in their own language.