News / Thoughts

Iran: Christians helping those in need

Iran is one of the countries that has been hit the worst by Covid-19 – possibly 20 times worse than the reported figures. Like most of us, believers had to stop meeting – but, for Iranian Christians, meeting together already had to be done in small, secret house churches. “As soon as the outbreak of the virus was announced, we stopped all our face-to-face meetings,” says Salomeh*, a secret believer in Iran. “Everyone is obeying the rules and doesn’t even visit his or her family.”

Image: Covid-19 relief aid being distributed in Iran

But Iranian Christians haven’t been left isolated. With your support, they have been able to worship together online – and they’ve received food and aid that they desperately need.

“In this time of crisis, we have over 10 hours of prayer meetings every day,” says Salomeh. “We created a special prayer schedule that we call ‘Frontline’ where prayer members can virtually walk in and out to come to pray together.”

Open Doors partners have helped equip the church with these online resources. They’ve also responded to the dire economic conditions in the country: “The situation is not good at all,” reports a believer. “Inflation is so high that people cannot afford to buy meat, poultry, or even fruit.”

In these dark times for the country, the underground church is shining brightly. Thanks to the gifts of Open Doors supporters, and from their own means, they share their food and sanitising items with their communities.

Members of the underground church in Iran report how blessed they feel to be able to do this work and how much impact it has: “The distribution was a fabulous and unbelievable experience,” says one Christian. “People were astonished when we gave them the food. They praised God with thanksgiving psalms, crying, hugging and shouting. The relief packages were a big blessing and God had guided us to the right people.”

Showing Jesus’ love

Building a strong church in the area – even if it’s one that has to remain underground – is key to supporting the whole community. And that’s why the local churches are distributing aid to anybody who needs it – Christian, Muslim or anyone else.

There have been stories of great generosity: a church leader reports how a poor Christian family decided to share half their food package with a neighbouring family that was struggling financially. Their neighbour asked how it was possible to be this kind in such dark times: they told him that it wasn’t them helping him, but that it was Christ that helped this neighbour through them.

This poor family wasn’t unique in being able to show the light of Christ through this relief. Another church leader shared how the non-Christian family members of believers are encouraged by the packages. A 17-year-old boy said: “I had almost reached the point to say the world is absolutely dark, but now I see there are still some good people with good hearts living in this world and they are Christians!”

The daughter of another church member said: “If this is the God who thinks about and takes care of His children then I would like to know Him more!”

What you can do…

• If you can, please give to our Cover-19 Crisis Appeal (just £14 can get emergency relief to a vulnerable Christian)…
• Raise money by taking on a sponsored challenge…
• Take part in the #1suffersallsuffer plank challenge…

Finally, you can pray now…

• That Open Doors partners and other Iranian believers would be protected and strengthened during this time
• For the light of Christ to shine to non-believers in Iran who will ‘see [their] good deeds and glorify [their] Father in heaven’ (Matthew 5:16)
• Thank God for His provision to Christians and Iranian communities.