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An American pastor has raised more than $49,000 for Christians living in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel-Hamas.
Pastor William Devlin, the missions pastor of the Infinity Bible Church in the South Bronx, told The Christian Post that one requirement for the funds to reach Gaza is to go to the West Bank first. At the same time, however, the current conflict has made it difficult to transfer funds.
“As soon as the banks in Western Union open up, we’ll get that money over there to alleviate some of the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Jesus,” Devlin said.
“I stay in contact frequently with people in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church,” he continued. “Oftentimes it depends if the network is working and they are able to charge their phones since electricity is at a premium and often they cannot charge their phones, nor get on the internet or use WhatsApp.”
Devlin, who first conducted ministry work in Gaza in 2010, runs the charity organizations REDEEM! and Widows & Orphans. As of late December, Widows & Orphans has raised over $49,000 for Gazan Christians, using funds from donors across the United States and 52 churches of varying denominations.
“May God protect our brothers and sisters in Jesus there in Gaza,” Devlin said. “That’s my hope and prayer.”
Gaza, which has a population of 2.2 million people, has only about 1,000 Christians, the pastor noted. Meanwhile, many displaced Gazan Christians have taken refuge in the Roman Catholic Holy Family Church or the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrios. Meanwhile, a building on the compound of the Greek Orthodox Church that had been sheltering roughly 500 Palestinian Christians and Muslims was damaged by an Israeli airstrike last October.
Devlin, who won a Purple Heart serving in Vietnam, has been commended for his continued support of marginalized Christians worldwide. Last December, the pastor received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the President’s White House Council on Service and Civic Participation.
As part of his work, Devlin has visited 18 countries, including Egypt, Gaza, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Jordan. He also has a local team leader on the ground who speaks the language and informs Devlin of any arising need.
“I know these people; I know their families,” Devlin said. “And they’re going to give me families that they’ve already vetted, and that they can ensure to me that the money is going to help buy food, it’s going to help buy medication.”
He also encouraged faith leaders to travel to Gaza once it becomes safe to travel there again.
“Why aren’t more Christian leaders going into Gaza to help alleviate the sufferings of their brothers and sisters?” he asked. “Why are we not going in and being a blessing for them?”
“They need practical help; they need prayer,” Devlin continued. “They need to be blessed by your presence, just as Jesus did for us.”
Photo Courtesy: @Getty Images/Ahmad Hasaballah / Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
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