All ASIC members safe, but church building damaged
Dear church family,
We are all facing a new catastrophe, on top of the very challenging COVID and economic problems the Lebanon is dealing with. As far as I
have heard, all members of All Saints Church (both International and Arabic congregations) are safe and uninjured. (If you know of anyone to whom this does not apply, please let us know.) For this we thank the Lord, while we also very much grieve at the tragic accident that left
(so far as I’ve heard today) over 100 dead, 4000 injured, and 300,000 homeless.
Rev. Imad sent photos and reports about damage to the All Saints church building, and I’ve attached one of his photos of the downstairs
fellowship hall. Apparently there was no further serious damage beyond all the glass doors being shattered. In the sanctuary upstairs, two (but only two) of the stained glass windows, and the small window in the vestry, were shattered. So the building sustained relatively little
damage given how close it is to the port, and compared with other nearby buildings. Perhaps the surrounding skyscrapers helped to protect it. Rev. Imad is organizing cleaning and repairs; please keep him in your prayers as he carries much on his shoulders now.
The All Saints offices at the NEST building were also damaged from shattered glass doors, as was much of the rest of the NEST building.
There are very few residents in NEST these days, since there are no classes during the summer and most students are home. We have heard that all of the NEST community, in the building and off-campus, are safe.
We had already decided that we would not be holding a service in the church building this coming Sunday, 9th August, since that day is
supposed to be part of the current lockdown. I hope that we can still provide an email service for this Sunday. After that, we will see what
develops regarding the building, the COVID issues, and government declarations. Please keep us in your prayers concerning these matters.
Thank you for your prayers as we continue to seek to be a light for Christ in this bleak city which is suffering so much.
Dr. Peter Ford on behalf of the ASIC PCC
