Since 1912, there has been a Church of God presence in Lebanon, beginning with missionaries sent by the Missionary Board to start a school in South Beirut. Twenty-four years later the Church of God registered with the government. Over the decades the church has grown to eleven congregations with 500 believers.
In 1957, Church of God leaders in Lebanon were approached with the idea of running a shelter for children who had been separated from their families while immigrating from nearby countries. Out of this, Cedar Home for Girls emerged and was registered with the government in 1961. Since that time, Cedar Home has provided “a Christian community and residence located just outside of Beirut, Lebanon, that cares for orphaned and disadvantaged girls, building them up to become independent individuals.” (https://www.cedarhomelebanon.org/)
In addition to housing girls, Cedar Home also supports 260 families with basic necessities with the goal of keeping families together. This support also gives Cedar Home staff the opportunity to stay connected and build relationships with families, ultimately sharing the love of Jesus Christ with them through not only words, but action.
Most recently, due to sociopolitical unrest and economic challenges, many boys in Lebanon have experienced an elevated risk of unjust labor trafficking. Seeing this reality in his local communities, Cedar Home’s Executive Direct Karim Anayssi knew something more could be done. As he prayed and processed next steps, he recognized the opportunity that could be given through vocational training, allowing young men an alternative to help provide for their families.
As Karim began walking out this vision, he became convinced that a non-residential academy to train students in a marketable trade could be a viable solution. The additional benefit would be the opportunity to offer connection and discipleship to these young men through a local Church of God congregation.
When faced with the challenge of finding a location for this training to happen, Karim realized he knew just the place. Cedar Home already owned a building – the original Cedar Home for Girls – located near a Church of God conference center in Lebanon. Unfortunately, the girls living in the original home had been displaced from this location by the Syrian army, who occupied the building for several years during the war. The building had been vacated for decades since that time, but Karim knew there was an opportunity to breathe new life into it and began drawing up plans to renovate the war-torn facility.
Today, Cedar Home is steadily moving towards the goal of opening its Vocational Center for Boys. As funds are available, they are making strides to complete necessary building renovations and to begin filling it with the necessary furniture and equipment.
We continue to be inspired by Karim others at Cedar Home who are thinking innovatively to address the needs of those in their communities and sharing the love and message of Jesus Christ.
The Vocational Center for Boys can only be completed as funds are received. Please click on this link to learn a little more about the work being done: https://chogglobal.org/mission-projects/projects-europe-middle-east/cho/