Dear Friends in Christ:

As I have seen the images of violence and destruction in Kenya the last few days, my heart has gone out to you and my prayers have gone up to God for our friends and partners in Kenya. It is with great sadness that I write this letter on behalf of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), hearing the stories of those lives that are affected by the unrest and violence that is taking place in Kenya due to conflicts over the recent elections. We are praying for all those who have been and continue to be threatened by the situation.

The Christian community worldwide, and especially the leaders of our fellow Christians in the Middle East — in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the Gulf Sates, and not least in the Occupied Palestinian Territories — are deeply concerned about the plight of the people living in Gaza.

As we enter this new year, and as we still reflect on the recent special high and holy days of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, and al-Adha Eid, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) views with genuine alarm the worsening conditions affecting all of Gaza’s inhabitants. We are especially disturbed by the fact that the tiny minority of Christians, that already shares the suffering experienced as well by its Muslim neighbors, endures an added threat of violence and persecution by some of those very neighbors in the district.