Rev. Rob Schenck reads from the Bible to Minister Nimrud Youkhana of Kurdistan (left) and Institute on Religion and Public Policy president Joe Griebowski in the Faith & Action prayer garden on Capitol Hill.

Faith and Action hosted a diplomatic delegation from the government of Kurdistan as part of our cooperation with the Institute on Religion and Public Policy. Kurdish Minister of Tourism Nimrud Youkhana is visiting the United States to promote exchanges between Americans and Kurds, but is also forging alliances for the historically persecuted Christian minority in the region.

The Minister was joined by Mr. Elias Shamuel, a native Kurd who now lives in Chicago.Both men are members of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, the Church of the East-Assyrian. This is one of only a few Christian bodies in the world that preserve the language of Jesus and His disciples, Aramaic or “Syriac,” for Bible reading, prayer and worship.

After a long discussion with Minister Youkhana, Mr. Shamuel, and Institute on Religion and Public Policy president Joseph Griebowski, Rev. Rob Schenck read a passage from the New Testament Book of Acts, Chapter 16, where Paul the Apostle experiences a vision in which a man from the ancient Mediterranean region of Macedonia calls for help in ministering to the Macedonian people.

“This is like that Macedonian call to us today,” Rob told the Minister. “Like St. Paul, we believe your cry for help and friendship comes to us from God. We must respond by helping your people and we will.”

The two men prayed together, with Minister Youkhana offering the Lord’s Prayer in its original Aramaic tongue and Rob responding by leading the same prayer in English. 

Watch Minister Youkhana and Rev. Schenck lead that prayer below or follow us on our YouTube page.