Fellowship and Aid to the Christians of the East (FACE) is a Christian charity which draws on 170 years’ experience of helping Eastern Christians to remain in their homelands – the biblical lands – where Christianity was born and first spread.
In partnership with our sister agency, Oeuvre d’Orient, we enable people of all faiths and none in the Middle East, India, North Africa and the Horn of Africa to free themselves from a life of poverty, inequality and injustice. *
Together with the local Christian communities, we aim to bring lasting change to those regions through education, healthcare, pastoral support and community projects.
We strive to preserve the heritage of the Eastern Churches so that Eastern Christians remain a living testament to the roots, legitimacy and beneficence of the Christian presence in Arabic society, and continue to be mediators of peace and goodwill in their multi-faith communities.
Whether in times of peace or war, we support the work of the patriarchs, bishops, priests and religious of the Eastern Churches by offering grant aid to their local projects in education, health care and pastoral support – to the benefit of all in their multi-faith communities, regardless of race and creed.
FACE believes in the sanctity of life; in the dignity of the individual; in the right of each individual to liberty, equality, justice and well-being; and in the protection of the Earth’s resources.
There are more than 26 million Eastern Christians living in the Middle East and surrounding region, though many more have been forced into exile in recent decades, and those that remain are invariably treated as second-class citizens and face discrimination, inequality, injustice and poverty, with an uncertain future. For Western Christians, they provide a direct link to the Early Church, leading us to the roots of Christianity and showing us, through their tradition and witness, a living faith in Christ.
In spite of their precarious status in not being fully-fledged citizens in their own lands, they have found a role as mediators in Arab society, guaranteeing peace in a fragile socio-political system and making an important economic contribution through professional activity.
For over two millennia, the Eastern Christians have been proud custodians of their Biblical lands; they have remained true to their baptism; they have been loyal followers of Christ; they have been peace-makers bringing goodwill to all men; they have spread the Gospel to other lands – including our own shores; and they have always prayed for Western Christians.
Now Eastern Christians need the prayers and support of Western Christians. They wish to remain in their homelands, but they need our help to do so.
The Eastern Christians are a small flock, but one with a great responsibility in the land where Christianity was born and first spread…..They are like leaven in the dough…..Even more than the many contributions that the Eastern Churches make in the areas of education, healthcare and social services, which are esteemed by all, the greatest source of enrichment in the region is the presence of Christians themselves.
*The international aid agency, Œuvre d’Orient, based in Paris, is the oldest Catholic charity supporting Eastern Christians in the Levant.
Fellowship and Aid to the Christians of the East
Registered Charity: No. 1178592 – Trading Name: FACE
Principal Office: FACE Charity, Judge Sykes Frixou, York House, 23 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6YF
Copyright © 2020 Fellowship and Aid to the Christians of the East
