Kinship Network

01/30/2026

If you are up for a long, statistics-heavy piece that provides evidence for an unprecedented movement of Muslims to Christ in the Levant, you can find it here.

01/30/2026

Justin Long's weekly Roundup included a link to this article on the very serious threat Syrian Kurds are under. Please pray for believing Kurds caught in this conflict and for the Holy Spirit's building of His Church even under dire circumstances.

Along with this brief overview of the threatening situation facing the Kurds in Syria, we add urgent prayer requests. Let us unite in prayer to prevent a new catastrophe.

01/02/2026

An update from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency:

A year after Assad regime fell, over 3 million displaced Syrians have returned home, but greater international support is urgently needed to maintain the trend and ensure stability. More than 1.2 million Syrians have voluntarily returned from neighboring countries since December 2024, alongside over 1.9 million internally displaced people (IDPs) who have gone back to their areas of origin. Many more have expressed a desire to return….

In Lebanon, UNHCR had closed refugee support for some 379,000 Syrians as of the end of November based on confirmed or presumed return. Of these, 45,000 have received counselling, repatriation forms, and return cash grants from UNHCR….

There are still immense challenges in a country shattered by 14 years of war. Entire neighbourhoods remain in ruins, including schools, hospitals and water systems. Electricity, clean water and health care remain patchy. Livelihood opportunities are limited and local markets are short of supplies.

Many returnees lack civil documents, hindering access to property rights and essential services. Unexploded ordnance continues to threaten lives; 577 people have lost their lives since the beginning of the year….

UNHCR's $1.5 billion 2025 appeal for the Syria situation is only 33 per cent funded, leaving millions without adequate shelter, basic services and support for the looming winter. Approximately 4.5 million Syrian refugees remain in neighboring countries, most living below the poverty line.

DAMASCUS - The fall of the Assad regime has opened an extraordinary window of hope for peace and stability in Syria. A year on, displaced Syrians are returning to their homes – over 3 million to date – but much more international support is required if the trend is to prove lasting.

11/19/2025

Here's an interesting article about Germany's new effort to send Syrians back to their homeland. It's a complicated question addressed in a discussion of Christianity Today staff.

But will some Germans lose their local doctors?

08/16/2025

Here is a helpful summary of the history of the Druze and an overview of events in recent days. Pray for peace for all minorities and pray that current conflict will open many hearts to the love and hope in Jesus.

The violence that overwhelmed Sweida in July 2025 reflects challenges under the transitional government, but also age-old tensions over Druze autonomy.

08/15/2025

Missions news reporter Justin Long writes, "A political earthquake is looming in Lebanon. The cabinet has ordered the army to draw up a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms—effectively disarming all factions—aimed above all at the Iran-backed Shi‘ite group Hezbollah. Can they actually do it? Hezbollah itself is weakened, battered by Israel, but the deeper question is whether Lebanon’s Shi‘ites will allow it. Many view Hezbollah as the only force that defended them when the state could not or would not. But if Hezbollah is disarmed, "it's a whole new Lebanon." And various Gulf powers are dangling incentives, if disarmament is accomplished.

Lebanon's cabinet has told the army to draw up a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms in a challenge to the Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah, which rejects calls to disarm.

07/26/2025

A clash between Druze and Bedoin people in Sweida also involved the new Syrian government troops and Israel. At least 1400 people have been killed including an evangelical pastor along with 20 men, women and children in his family. In as separate situation, an elderly Christian woman was killed in a nearby village. Food and water are very limited across the region.

God has been building His church among the Druze in this region. Please pray for the believers there at this time. Some of you met two beautiful young Christian women from Sweida several years ago when we held the retreat/training conference in Lebanon for our Syrian friends. Pray for them as you picture their faces and lift up to God the pastors and believers there who are deeply grieving and looking to God to give them faith in the midst of fear.

07/11/2025

An article about rising fears among Christians in Syria especially after the church bombing that killed 25 in Damascus reminds us to pray:

The Maronite Archbishop of Aleppo said threats have emerged in its aftermath, including graffiti in Hama reading “your turn will come too” and leaflets posted on Christian homes with the phrase “Syria must be cleansed,” alongside images of bombs and rifles.

While authorities have pledged protection and deployed security during Christian celebrations, confidence is low, the archbishop explained. “People do not believe in them. Fear and despair prevail.” He added that many armed groups do not heed the current government. He warned of increasing Islamist influence, citing gender-segregated public spaces and intrusive moral policing.

“In such episodes, many people begin to say: This is no longer our country,” he said, noting that many young Syrians are seeking to emigrate. Much of the country remains unstable. “There is no police on the streets… Bread still costs ten times more than it used to,” he said. “The worst thing is the high prices of medicines, surgery and rents.”

03/10/2025

From Welcome.US, a large secular organization that has championed refugee resettlement. They write:

Recent media reports have indicated that the U.S. government is considering revoking AS SOON AS APRIL the parole status of newcomers who arrived in the U.S. through the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) sponsorship program. This policy change could be applied THIS MONTH to newcomers who arrived in the U.S. through the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.

In the midst of rapidly changing policies for so many newcomers, it’s an important opportunity to make your voice heard in support of sponsorship programs and newcomers. Your representatives in Congress need to hear directly from constituents like you who support sponsored individuals who entered the U.S. through legal and orderly pathways.

Our easy-to-use tool connects you directly with your federal representatives, providing sample messages that you can personalize to share why this issue matters to you.
https://engage.welcome.us/a/uscis-parole-message

There is much helpful information on their site. https://welcome.us/

A national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans and institutions nationwide to welcome and support those seeking refuge in the U.S.

02/14/2025

This is a helpful article about the current state of Syria and why few refugees may return there in the near future.

Although the political landscape has changed drastically, many factors work against a mass return of refugees to Syria.

01/17/2025

Here is a helpful overview of the potential external players that will have some role in the political and economic future of Syria. Pray that, regardless of motive, the new Syrian regime will honor it's word to respect the rights of minorities including Christians.

Riyadh meeting also discussed keeping pressure on Syria’s new leadership to meet commitment to inclusive transition

01/10/2025

This week the US government removed some restrictions on aid designated for Syria from humanitarian organizations. Pray that this aid reaches those most desperate. Some had had little to eat since the rebels took control of the country. Ask God to work in the hearts of the new government to allow Christians to worship.

The authorization comes after rebels toppled the Syrian government last month and is intended to allow humanitarian groups to operate more freely without running afoul of U.S. sanctions.