**To protect the identity of those preaching about Christ in Iraq, we’ll refer to the pastor who shared with us as “Pastor G.” We would appreciate your caution in sharing his name with others, particularly over the internet. Any correspondence with him or donations to the ministry he’s doing in Iraq should come directly to SCG, and we’ll forward everything on to him. Thanks for your understanding.
At our weekend services on August 18/19, we heard from Vernon Brewer, the president of World Help, and one of his ministry partners, whom we’ll call “Pastor G,” who is pastoring the
largest evangelical church in Iraq.
I don’t think any of us was prepared for what he shared.
Pastor G told us about the instability in the country – the continued bloodshed, the danger, the bombings, the kidnappings – some of which we’ve included on this site. The situation is devastating and – with all we hear on the news – it may seem hopeless.
But Pastor G told us that
there is more to the story. In the midst of the bloodshed and instability in Iraq, there is hope for Christ-followers. Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, there were only 5 evangelical churches in all of Iraq. Today, there are 30 Christian churches throughout the country. Thousands of Iraqis are coming to believe in Christ. Pastor G’s church in Baghdad, which started out with only 25 people, has grown to over 1500. Thousands of bibles are being distributed, and
the Word of God is changing people’s hearts.
But the situation is still precarious. Iraqis fully expect a bloody civil war to break out as soon as US troops pull out of Iraq. Even now, Iraqi Christians are
victims of persecution. Of the 1500 believers that are members of Pastor G’s church, 500 have fled to Syria, and another 500 have fled to the Kurdish area in the north, the only safe haven in Iraq.
There’s no way to know how long religious freedom will last in Iraq. Pastor G feels God is calling him to act now, while his church – and the very freedom of religion – has the protection of the US army. In order to do that,
he needs our support through prayer. While he was here, Pastor G said to us, “Your prayer is my power.” Here are some points he’s asked us to pray about:
- Pray for his family – his wife and three children, for their continued health, safety, and strength
- Pray for protection for the 500 members of his church who’ve remained in Baghdad
- Pray that the Christians who’ve fled the country would return to witness to their fellow countrymen and women
- Pray for the 500 believers who fled to Kurdistan, and for the 600 converts in the area
- Pray that Pastor G’s church would be able to buy a building in Dahuk (Kurdistan) to offer a meeting place for all the believers in the Kurdish area
- Pray that the people of Iraq would be open to the gospel of Jesus Christ
If you’d like to send emails or letters of support to Pastor G, please send them to chris@seacoastgrace.org or to the church office, ATTN: Kristen Taylor. To support Pastor G financially, please click here , or designate on your check “Pastor G, Iraq” and drop it in the offering or mail it to the church office. To hear Pastor G’s interview with Doyle, click here. 
