Iraq (MNN) — The Evangelical Church of Kirkuk, Iraq, needs to raise
money to buy the building that houses its Kindergarten and Child Care Centre,
said its pastor who works with SAT-7.
The centre has been operating for three years and is
recognized as the best institution of its kind in the city of Kirkuk. The demand from local families, especially Muslim families and
influential VIP’s, to enroll their children at the school has exceeded its
capacity. The centre offers quality
educational instruction, health care, athletic activities, art and music,
computer technology, and clean swimming pools.
90 percent of the centre’s students come from Muslim
families, and their families are observing marked changes in their children’s
character and behavior. They have noticed
that the children pray before their meals and that they do not believe
that God orders vengeance. The children have been taught at school that “God is
love.”
The students at the school reflect the diversity of the
population of Kirkuk,
which includes many denominations of Christians, Shiite and Sunni Muslims,
Arabs, Kurds, as well as other ethnic groups. The church holds get-togethers for students and their families in order
to preserve harmony among them.
The church is thankful that “the centre has been an
extremely effectual instrument in delivering the Lord's message of love and
forgiveness through the redemptive work of Jesus our Lord,” said the
pastor.
However, the building that houses the centre belongs to a
former member of the church, who gave the property to the church when he left Iraq
during the Gulf War. He now lives in Australia, and
personal circumstances compel him to sell the building. He has graciously allowed the church some time to
raise money to buy the building.
The building is located in a highly-desirable, safe area of Kirkuk, and its price is
several times larger than the church’s present capital. A lot of generous support will be needed for
the church to continue running the centre “as a tool to glorify the Name of the
Lord in this war-stricken land,” said the pastor.
