PAOC and ERDO - Together in helping those facing persecution this Thanksgiving season

Wednesday October 9, 2024, 10:40 AM

Dear pastors, leaders and friends,

As we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, some families will feel the absence of loved ones at their tables. The usual rhythm of celebration will be different, and the quiet moments of gratitude will be mixed with a longing to be together again.

For families in war-torn countries, the family table may be long gone—crushed under rubble or set on fire by rebels. This Thanksgiving, as you celebrate the abundance we have and share a beautiful meal with your loved ones, I urge you to pray for peace and reconciliation. War, conflict, and despair are constants for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ, living as internally displaced people or fleeing persecution and potential death.

I am deeply grateful for how our Pentecostal Fellowship has welcomed and resettled refugees in Canada. PAOC churches have opened their doors to many lost and scared individuals and families, allowing them to grow in their faith and feel the love and peace of Christ.

While we have done much, there is still work to do. After you have prayed for peace, please consider giving to continue helping refugees through ERDO. The refugees and internally displaced people that ERDO serves do not yet have the opportunity for peace and food security. Many families are torn apart, hungry, and unable to celebrate a meal together.

This Thanksgiving, I ask you to give generously to ERDO’s appeal and support programs serving the needs of refugees and the displaced. ERDO’s programs include helping people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 6.2 million people are displaced and 26.4 million do not have enough to eat. With funding from churches and individuals like you, ERDO is serving 1,542 vulnerable households (7,500 individuals) with monthly food packages of maize flour, beans, vegetable oil, and salt. This program is matched 4:1 through ERDO’s membership with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

With the continued war in Ukraine, there is an urgent need for support. ERDO is working with partners to provide food, water, shelter, sanitation, and transportation to safety, assisting 20,000 individuals (5,000 households).

These are just two of the programs meeting the needs of refugees through ERDO. Please visit ERDO’s website to read more and give generously: ERDO Refugees. While online, please view and share the incredible story of how the local church is growing in Ukraine through the practical aid given by ERDO partners. “Anastasiia’s Story” is a video you will never forget, available on ERDO’s Church Resources web page: ERDO Church Resources.

As you draw your loved ones close around the table this Thanksgiving, please remember our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. As Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in” (Matthew 25:35).

Blessings,

David Wells
General Superintendent