In some developing countries in Asia, we received news about pastors dying from COVID-19 from time to time, which resulted in a leadership vacuum at churches where these pastors served. With churches being shut under the lockdown policy, the offerings have dropped sharply. We cannot help but wonder if the local churches and pastors can sustain to serve the congregations and the communities under the arduous circumstances.
A few months ago, the Asian Development Bank issued a report revealing that the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged about 80 million people in developing Asia into extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1.90 a day. In Bangladesh, one of our project countries, the cumulative number of COVID-linked deaths reached nearly 28,000 as of the end of November. The pandemic has severely devastated the social economy and the Christian communities, a small minority in Bangladesh.
To fight the pandemic, Bangladesh has repeatedly implemented lockdowns to restrict population movement, which only hit harder for families already living in poverty.
Our partner from Bangladesh [1] said that in rural areas, the tithing of church attendants before the pandemic was already far from enough to support the basic needs of church pastors’ families. Hence the pastors had to do other work on weekdays, for example, farming, fishing, carpentry, sewing, livestock breeding, small business, etc., and serve in the church on weekends. During the lockdowns, the church ceased gathering with no offerings, causing an overall decrease in their income. A Christian organisation supporting persecuted Christians worldwide has recently pointed out that Christians were often excluded from government aid distributed by local authorities because they were severely being looked down on as a community. We can imagine that the pastors experience greater discrimination accessing public goods and services. Our partner reported that many pastors from rural areas face difficulties in their livelihoods and have turned to them for help.
CEDAR has decided to allocate over HK$155,000 to support our partner in subsidising 100 pastoral families (total 600 people) from 16 church denominations across 13 regions in Bangladesh. Each pastor will receive nearly HK$1,200 to purchase necessary tools and materials to earn a living, while the remaining funds will support the partner’s administrative expenses and visiting budget. We believe that our aid to the pastors in need will make a lasting impact on the survival and sustainable development of the rural churches in Bangladesh.
In this project, our partner will talk with the recipient families to understand the side commitments of these pastors outside churches and allocate suitable tools and materials for their needs. When the partner and the pastor’s family reach a consensus, the partner will take the responsibility to purchase materials for the pastor in ensuring that the subsidy is used for its purpose. In addition to sending the purchased items to the pastor’s family, they will also communicate with the pastor regularly to give them advice and support.
Please pray for the pastors in Bangladesh and support our relief work through your offering. Your generosity will enable us to help them through difficult times.
[1] National Christian Fellowship of Bangladesh (NCFB) was established in the 1980s. It has been advancing Christians and the churches in Bangladesh to spread the gospel across the country through prayer, Bible study, relief and community development. In addition to shaping the local Christian communities into praying, sharing and maturing churches, NCFB coordinates development programmes that facilitate the transformation of the poor lives and communities.
Project Report
Donation Method
(Please specify: Supporting pastors in Bangladesh Through the Pandemic )
After donation, please send a completed Donation Form, enclosing with cheque, bank-in slip or screenshot of successful payment along with your name, contact phone number and mailing address to us via mail, email or WhatsApp.
Address: CEDAR Fund, G.P.O. Box 3212, Hong Kong
Email: sharing@cedarfund.org
WhatsApp (for donation matters only): 5160 7549
- CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please visit Inland Revenue Department website for details.
- CEDAR Fund will issue a receipt for a donation of HK$100 or above for tax deduction. For a donation of less than HK$100, please get in touch with us to issue a receipt.
- Please DO NOT fax any donation information.
If the donation exceeds the above mentioned allocation of funds, the excess amount will be transferred to CEDAR’s ‘Emergency Relief and Disaster Preparedness Fund’. The fund will enable us to respond to immediate needs, and support disaster mitigation in poor nations always being hit by disasters to reduce the amount of devastation.