August 2017
Dear Salam Supporter,
As you know the Vision for the Salam Christian Fellowship is to develop a word and sacrament ministry among Middle Eastern Muslims that is based on the word of God offered in a spirit of love and humility while meeting their most spiritual and temporal needs in a Biblical way. Missionary Hesham Shehab reaches out every day sharing Jesus with Muslims.
Most Middle Eastern immigrants are refugees who have nothing when they arrive in Chicago. The Salam Fellowship is a new “community” for these people in the Chicagoland area that provides them with support and encouragement from Christian mission volunteers who show them the true love and grace of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Bringing together Middle Eastern people with different tribal and cultural backgrounds involves creating new relationships and confidences. Relationships or “community” are an important part of Middle Eastern cultures. These people come from a world where people tend to associate with specific family or tribal units that visit on a daily basis — having coffee and fellowship with each other. Coming to America they miss these traditional units and social interactions. Salam’s goal is to move Salam attendees from individual tribes to the one new tribe – the tribe of Jesus Christ. Although this is a slow process, the Salam’s Christian community is growing stronger in its faith and numbers through the power of the Holy Spirit with each weekly fellowship, fellowship meals, Bible study groups, one on one visitation, women’s and children’s ministries as well as the direct help and encouragement between Salam members and volunteers. A measure of Missionary Shehab’s mission ministry success is 25 adult baptisms during the last 4 years.
Your support has helped Missionary Chehab to reach out to people with help for their daily living and providing meals for fellowship opportunities. Summer is a slow time for support for most organizations and we are no different. Would you please consider sending a gift to help us through this time? A gift of $100.00 would provide the meal after the fellowship service. A gift of $155.00 would pay for the gasoline expense we incur each week as Missionary Hesham drives many people to their doctors, various appointments and picks them up for worship. A gift of $40.00 will help pay for the weekly fellowship “coffees” that Missionary Hicham has, to build relationships with Muslim men, and that his wife, Mona, has to build relationships with women.
God’s Riches Blessings,
The Salam Board of Directors
- Doug Kowert, Peace Lutheran Church, Lombard
- Tom Griffin, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Alsip
- Rogene Lis, Trinity Lutheran Church, Roselle
- Linda Wallace, Peace Lutheran Church, Lombard
- Wendy Steward, Salam Administrative assistant
- Rev. Ron Weidler, Pastor Emeritus – Director of the N.I.D. Enviando Campaign
