The hope of Jesus shines through in Syria amidst uncertainty

Instability has brought violence and Christians are caught in the middle—but your support helps them know they aren’t alone.

When the Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad fell in December 2024, no one knew what it would mean for the country. Assad and his father had ruled Syria for more than 50 years, and the new rulers of the country had ties to Islamic militant groups. Syrian believers were cautiously optimistic about the new leadership, who have pledged to protect religious minorities and bring stability to Syria.

There have been signs of positive progress. The European Union has announced the easing of economic sanctions on Syria, and US President Trump has announced intentions to do the same. Christian leaders have spoken about their intention to help restore stability and bring reconciliation to Syria, expressing their hope to work with the new government.

One church worker, Razzouk Al-Akhras, is part of the Alliance Church in Homs—a city in western Syria—and is supported by Open Doors partners. “I am present here, not because I can't leave, but because this is my calling,” he explains. “The Lord called me to be here, to glorify His name in this area. I pray the coming time is for the glory of the Lord, and that we will have a government that represents all segments of society, and that this government will support the church in its mission to glorify God's name.”

But there have also been ongoing conflicts—and Christian communities have found themselves caught in the middle.
 

A wave of violence

On April 30, a wave of sectarian violence erupted between Sunni Muslim and Druze—an ethno-religious group with long roots in Syria—communities. The conflict began in Damascus, the capital city of Syria, and swiftly spread to Suwayda, a city in southern Syria.

Forty-two Christian families live in the modest Sawara Al Kubra, located on the road between Damascus and Suwayda. Most of the Christians’ lives are primarily centered around farming and livestock. Though the town is mainly populated by Druze, it was a place where peace had reigned, where residents of different backgrounds lived side-by-side in harmony and mutual respect. But that tranquillity was shattered when a group of armed men came through the village, leaving behind a trail of fear and destruction.

In the face of this sudden terror, approximately 23 Christian families abandoned their shops and homes. Around 80 individuals, with nowhere else to turn, sought refuge within the walls of the church in a neighboring village, their futures uncertain, their hearts heavy with worry for their loved ones who remained in the village.

Mona*, a young Christian woman, recently told Open Doors partners how it all started. “It was an ordinary morning,” she says. “I was cooking, and everything felt normal. Then, without warning, at noon the horrifying sound of shells and bullets rained down on our village. We were trapped inside our home, desperately waiting for the shooting to calm down.”

Mona is a wife and mother to a second-grade son and lives with her husband’s parents. She works as a music teacher, while her husband works as a hairdresser. That afternoon, the family remained prisoners within their walls, gripped by the uncertainty of whether they would ever escape.

When the relentless gunfire finally ceased, armed men infiltrated their village. A significant number of men carrying weapons and clad in a disturbing array of clothing—some in green military uniforms, others in black, and still others in unfamiliar military attire—infiltrated their village.

The 23 families—including Mona’s—fled in cars to the nearby village and stayed in the church. Sawara Al Kubra was emptied of women, children and the elderly, who huddled together seeking sanctuary. But a hard choice fell upon the men: Most of them stayed behind, determined to defend their homes, their farmland and their livestock from potential robbery.

“It was a hard night,” Mona remembers. “My husband and my father-in-law stayed in the village, and the mobile network was cut. We were terrified and spent all night praying that nothing bad would happen to them.”

The gunmen entered the village and stole all electronic devices, money and gold from the empty houses.

Mona’s husband watched from his window as the armed groups descended upon his neighbor’s empty house. He witnessed them stealing every valuable possession and then set the house alight. A chilling thought echoed in his mind: “Now it’s our turn. What can we possibly do?”

Then, the terrifying sound of pounding on their door shattered the silence. Panic seized him, as he yelled from within: “I’ll open the door, don’t smash it down!”

The armed men barged in. “Who are you? What is your religious affiliation?” they asked. The husband declared they were Christians, but skepticism clouded the men’s faces. They began the search, hunting for any evidence to corroborate his claim. They found a cross hanging on the wall and a statue of Mary and immediately threw them to the ground, shattering each one. They ordered Mona’s husband to shut the door and remain inside their home.

After two days, Mona’s husband left the house for the first time since the violence started. Upon his return home, he discovered the house had been ransacked, and the robbers were on the roof. His elderly father who was inside could do nothing.
 

‘It felt like Pentecost’

Days passed, and the families were still in the church in the other village, waiting to go back to their homes. The leader responsible for the church in the neighboring village welcomed the families, providing for their needs. The villagers also rallied to help.

“Despite the church [building] not being ideally suited to accommodate so many, it consistently opened its doors to its community in all situations and with whatever resources that are available,” says the church leader. “Every day, we read the Word together, we prayed, and worshiped together. Some men who used not to attend the church even told me: Father, you entrapped us here at church and made us rethink the Lord. It felt like Pentecost during the past nine days here at church.”

After 10 long days, security forces finally managed to re-establish a semblance of control over Sawara Al Kubra. Mona and all the other families made their way back to their homes, only to be met with a devastating reality. Their homes had been ravaged by violence and blatant neglect. The village itself felt abandoned, stripped of the fundamental necessities of life. The school and the pharmacy had been pillaged. The stores were shuttered and empty; many people lost their harvest as it was stolen, and their livestock had either escaped or been stolen.

Most families sought refuge with relatives or rented houses in neighboring villages, clinging to the hope that their own village would one day be restored, allowing them to return. But others, with nowhere else to go, remained in the ravaged village, facing a new set of daunting challenges. Even the simple act of buying food required a 30-minute car trip to the next village.

“Our survival through this hardship is truly a miracle from God,” Mona says. “A dark cloud has passed over us. My constant prayer to the Lord is for enduring safety and for the village to become as it once was.” Mona and her husband are now jobless; with no workplaces available and the village depopulated, their future remains uncertain.

Open Doors’ local partner in Syria maintains contact with the local church leader to stay informed about the situation faced by believers there, and financial aid was distributed to 42 Christian families to support them in these trying conditions, and with the church’s accommodation costs.

“Thank you very much for caring for us,” says the local church leader. “It made me cry and made me feel that the Lord is truly with us. I feel reassured about the church of Christ knowing there are people like you in it. Thank you for everything.”

Even in the face of unimaginable terror and the desecration of their sacred symbols, their belief in the hope of Jesus remains a steadfast anchor.

This is the case across Syria: Christians are praying for peace and leaning on the strength of Jesus to carry them through the instability. And they’re asking us to join them. Pastor Edward Mossa is a church leader in Homs who works with a youth center that was created with the support of Open Doors’ local partner organization. “We are asking you to pray for us and we are also praying for you,” he shares. “We, as Christians, know that we are one body, we feel the pain of each other, and we rejoice in the happiness of each other.”

*Name changed to protect identity