Taking a long-term approach to Lebanon’s ongoing crisis, Horizons is planning to launch an agricultural project that will strengthen ministry in the Beqaa Valley, investing in community agriculture to provide a sustainable local food source and developing a missional community.

At the same time, Horizons is aware of the need to move as quickly as possible from short-term emergency relief to long-term development. This missional community agricultural project directly addresses this problem.

This missional community will support the physical and spiritual development of the surrounding community, by providing gainful work for individuals and a stable food source for the needy. This missional community will provide a place of safety, work, and rest where people can experience Christ in the context of a farm, orchard, garden, and ministry center. 

Finding Farmland

Currently, Horizons is looking for a suitable piece of land in the Beqaa Valley, ideally close to Horizons’ current Beqaa ministry center, in order to continue serving the same community with whom we have developed relationships since 2017.

Ministry Center’s capacity to serve the spiritual and physical needs of the community, expand its evangelistic reach, provide more opportunities for deep discipleship and mentorship, thereby bringing sustainability to the ministry.

Our ideal criteria for this parcel are as follows:

1. Size: Between 5-10 acres.
2. Location: Ideally in the area of Qob Elias, but possibly within 5-10 kilometers.
3. Soil: Must contain soil that is suitable for planting.
4. Water: Must have good access to an adequate water supply and good drainage.
5. Access: Must have good street access for vehicles and equipment.
6. Zoning: Must accommodate mixed use, including agricultural, residential, and commercial.
7. Structure: Optionally, the property could have a pre-existing building that would be suitable for a ministry center.

Project Goals

There are several goals for the project:

1. Increase our gospel witness in the community, both in the number of people reached and in our effectiveness in communicating the gospel clearly in word and deed. 

2. Contribute to the local economy by producing food. 

3. Provide gainful employment opportunities to poor refugees and Lebanese, in an environment that values and respects them. 

4. Support the efforts of local churches through employing their members in ministry and leadership capacities, opening pathways for seekers and new believers to begin attending their churches, and through food aid, resources, and training. 

5. Provide the infrastructure and the community to attract local and international short-term teams and long-term missionaries to increase their presence, activities, and witness in the area.

In recent years, Horizons has been working toward its vision to establish missional communities throughout Lebanon and the Middle East. An important component of this vision is to provide sustainable sources of support for these communities through income-generating work. These projects will employ many people who are out of work, and also serve as contexts in which to develop local spiritual communities.

Horizons staff members are currently searching for an appropriate land parcel, and communicating with international partners to determine the amount of land that can be purchased. The more funding available, the bigger a piece of land can be acquired, and the lower the price per square meter, allowing each dollar given to make an even bigger impact.

Properties currently offered for sale have ranged from $120,000 for 2,400 square meters ($50/square meter) to $500,000 for 30,000 square meters ($16.67/square meter). However, in light of the current economic crisis, there will likely be great opportunities to obtain a suitable property for an excellent price.

List of Activities

In 2021-2023, Horizons will implement the following project strategy:

Project Year 1 (2021):
Purchase Land: Purchase 5-10 acres of suitable land by February 2021.
Crop Planting: Within 2 months of land purchase, hire a farm supervisor (ideally a believing Syrian or Lebanese), and begin planting crops using local agricultural techniques. Crop types will depend on land type and seasonal considerations, and could include up to 20 different types of vegetables that would be planted throughout the course of each year. This will allow us to quickly begin producing food and providing employment to the needy.

Phase 1 Construction of Ministry Center: If a suitable structure is not already built on the land, construction of a new facility would begin, and take up to 18 months. If there is a usable structure, we will perform renovations/refurbishments in order to maximize the facility for ministry use, which we project would take up to 8-10 months. Phase 1 includes at least 1 meeting hall, 2 classrooms, 1 office, and 1 storeroom.

Abundantly share the gospel with 400 refugees and other Muslims through evangelistic services, house visits, and children’s ministry. 

Provide humanitarian aid for at least 300 refugee families per month, including 60-80 vegetable baskets from the land on a daily basis.

Expand discipleship activities to 5-6 classes for 45-65 new believers.

Add 1-2 additional indigenous evangelistic and discipleship interns who live in or around the Beqaa Valley to help implement ministry programs.

Maintain and grow the active network of churches to at least 4 local churches that are regularly involved.

Project Year 2 (2022) 

Crop Planting: Continue planting up to 20 types of crops using local agricultural techniques. Provide employment opportunities for 15-20 needy refugees or local Lebanese per month.

Complete Phase 1 of Construction of Ministry Center: If a suitable structure is not already built on the land, construction of a new facility would continue for another 6 months.

Plant Orchard of plum, apple and other fruit trees appropriate to the area. Within the orchard there will also be a path winding through it and courtyard thereby creating a garden space for people to spend restful time in prayer or in discipleship meetings.

Move Ministry Center: Move Horizons’ pre-existing ministry center, currently in a rented facility, to the new property, within 1 month of new facility completion. Begin conducting ministry center activities at the new location.

Abundantly share the gospel with 440 refugees and other Muslims through evangelistic services, house visits, and children’s ministry.

Provide humanitarian aid for at least 400 refugee families per month, including 100-130 vegetable baskets from the land on a daily basis.

Expand discipleship activities to 5-6 classes for 55-75 new believers.

Add 1-2 additional indigenous evangelistic and discipleship interns who live in or around the Beqaa Valley to help implement ministry programs.

Maintain the active network of at least 4 local churches, and increase their regular involvement.

Project Year 3 (2023) 

Crop Planting and Orchard Tending: Continue planting up to 20 types of crops using local agricultural techniques, and maintain the orchard. Provide employment opportunities for 15-20 needy refugees or local Lebanese per month.

Abundantly share the gospel with 480 refugees and other Muslims through evangelistic services, house visits, and children’s ministry.

Provide humanitarian aid for at least 500 refugee families per month, including 160-200 vegetable baskets from the land on a daily basis.

Expand discipleship activities to 5-6 classes for 75-90 new believers.

Add 1-2 additional indigenous evangelistic and discipleship interns who live in or around the Beqaa Valley to help implement ministry programs.

Grow the active network of at least 5 local churches, and increase their regular involvement.

Outcomes

In 2021: 

- Improve the nutritional health of at least 300 refugee families by giving them access to fresh produce that they previously could not afford. 

- At least 40 adult Muslims or Muslim refugees are likely to make faith commitments;
- At least 25 children will make faith commitments and be consistently discipled;
- At least 60 converts from Islam (children and adults) are likely to remain in discipleship relationships. 

In 2022: 

- Improve the nutritional health of at least 400 refugee families by giving them access to fresh produce that they previously could not afford. 

- At least 50 adult Muslims or Muslim refugees are likely to make faith commitments;
- At least 35 children will make faith commitments and be consistently discipled;
- At least 70 converts from Islam (children and adults) are likely to remain in discipleship relationships. 

In 2023: 

- Improve the nutritional health of at least 500 refugee families by giving them access to fresh produce that they previously could not afford. 

- At least 60 adult Muslims or Muslim refugees are likely to make faith commitments;
- At least 45 children will make faith commitments and be consistently discipled;
- At least 80 converts from Islam (children and adults) are likely to remain in discipleship relationships.

Furthering the Organization's Mission

Horizons International exists to communicate and demonstrate the love of Jesus so that the world, particularly the Muslim world, would be transformed by God’s love and forgiveness, by Proclaiming the Gospel, Discipling the Nations, and Equipping the Church. This missional community project will accomplish this by providing both practically and spiritually for the needs of the poor and vulnerable Lebanese people and Syrian refugees, offering them vocational skills and the opportunity to develop close relationships with believers in Christ. The project will also provide ample opportunities for evangelism and discipleship.

Problem Addressed

Lebanon is now suffering from a triple crisis due to the economic collapse as a result of months of political turmoil, followed by further financial collapse caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns, and then the huge port explosion. This combination of crises has driven millions of Lebanese close to destitution, alongside the over 1.5 million Syrian refugees that live in their midst.

Validation of Problem

Established in 2017, Horizons’ Beqaa Valley Ministry Center started reaching out to the refugees in surrounding camps through conducting thousands of evangelistic tent visits and hundreds of children’s events. By the grace of God, dozens of Muslims have proclaimed faith in Jesus and entered into discipleship relationships with Horizons staff members and our partner churches. Through our experiences gained by operating the Beqaa Valley Ministry Center, we have come into direct contact with thousands of refugee families, as well as Lebanese locals, and seen recurring themes of destitution, subsistence labor, exploitation by local farm owners, and a sense of hopelessness to change their situation, as the people in this area are truly among “the least of these” in a Lebanese society already in a state of economic collapse.

Exploitation has become a way of life that these people have learned to accept, as even their own countrymen take advantage of any opportunity to profit from the destitute. For example, those who are able to acquire a truck customarily use it to transport day laborers to and from the fields, but take a large portion of their minuscule daily wage, because they know the workers have no other option. It is often difficult to understand how these resilient people are able to survive, considering the extremely low pay they receive, combined with the fact that they even have to pay rent for the land on which their tents are pitched. This is exacerbated by the Lebanese currency devaluation of over 80%, which has reduced their daily wage from around $5 to under $1 in 2020.

The need for gainful employment in an environment where these people are respected and valued could not be clearer. The triple crisis in Lebanon has proved to be a catalyst, creating the urgency and opportunity to launch an agricultural project that can transform the Beqaa Valley Ministry Center into a fully-fledged missional community that brings glory to Christ in a dark area.

Why did we choose this solution to the problem?
Rather than relying only on international financial aid to purchase food, the cost of which is heavily impacted by inflation, this project provides long-term solutions to the on-going problems of poverty and economic vulnerability in Lebanon. This missional community will provide an environment in which Lebanese and Syrians can not only develop practical vocational skills, but also foster close relationships with believers in Christ and provide ample opportunities for evangelism and discipleship. It will also equip this community of seekers and believers with the skills and opportunities they need to develop from surviving to thriving; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Addressing this problem
Through this agricultural development project, Horizons would like to do it part in meeting the vast needs of the Beqaa region, which contains the largest number of refugees in Lebanon, with 339,473 registered refugees as of August 31st, 2020 (unhcr.org/lb/bekaa-zahle), and hundreds of thousands of unregistered refugees, who are among the most vulnerable.

The Horizons Agricultural Project in Lebanon will initially utilize local farming methods, well known to the population of the Beqaa Valley, in order to ensure that the project runs smoothly and is well-suited to the skills and experience of the refugees that will be provided employment by the project, and to make sure that the produce will fit in with the local economy and dietary preferences. Horizons has several indigenous staff members that have experience in local Lebanese agricultural techniques and are capable of launching and overseeing the project. 

The project will also be used to undertake research and development to see what else can be achieved. The plan will be to later add new farming techniques such as urban agricultural and hydroponic techniques and others. Our hope is that by the grace of God this project will develop into a thriving community both physically and spiritually in the Beqaa Valley.

Opportunity to know Jesus Christ

The poor, unemployed, and refugee Muslim people who will be provided with employment and vocational training through this project, will have the opportunity to work alongside Christians (Horizons staff members and partners) who will be sharing the love of Christ with them. This will be done through personal relationships as well as through the spiritual services and programs of the onsite ministry center, including worship services, discipleship classes, literacy programs, and children’s services. Having the ministry center on the same property as the farm will increase its exposure to the local community, giving more opportunities for new people to hear the gospel and receive discipleship and training.

Local Church Involvement

This project will involve and integrate churches in the immediate vicinity of the project in the following ways:

- Providing employment for believers from local churches 

- Giving opportunities for internships and volunteering
- Integrating new believers into local congregations
- Providing opportunities for international short-term teams and long-term missionaries to serve in the area and assist the local churches
- Providing food aid to local churches for distribution to the needy
- Providing training opportunities for laymen and leaders of local churches 

Local Leaders

This project will provide ample opportunities for local believers (including current and potential leaders) to serve in a Christian ministry context during the week, in addition to their church’s Sunday services. Many Christians, even those who live in areas with significant Muslim populations, are not accustomed to reaching out to Muslims with the gospel. The terminology used within the predominantly Christian-background Church often contains jargon that Muslims do not understand. This ministry center will provide opportunities for local believers to be involved and trained in ministry among Muslims, which will help them learn how to share the gospel appropriately and effectively, through training events and ongoing practical activities.

Serving in Horizons’ ministry centers also exposes volunteers and new staff members to believers from other evangelical denominations, which often broadens their outlook and encourages a Kingdom-oriented outlook. This center, like other Horizons centers, will give them opportunities to reach Muslims through leading discipleship groups, preaching and leading worship in evangelistic services, and serving in children’s programs and summer camps. We have found mobilizing local believers to be an extremely effective and sustainable way to increase the number of people working effectively among Muslims.

Collaboration with other Ministries

We plan to collaborate with international faith-based organizations that have extensive experience in agricultural development projects, in order to enhance and expand our agricultural activities beyond using the typical local farming practices that we initially begin with. In order to move beyond a simple farming operation, and to innovate in areas of hydroponic techniques and other strategies for urban and micro- agriculture, we plan to involve ministries such as Echo, Plant with a Purpose, A Rocha, and ministries that utilize the CHE (Community Health Evangelism) approach, like Medical Ambassadors International.

Sources of Funding

Since beginning to raise funds for this project in August 2020, the Lord has blessed us with several partners who have invested generously in it, with $697,435 raised so far. The majority of these funds ($417,435) are from individual donors. Additionally, two partner churches in the US have contributed a total of $60,000 toward this project, and a foundation has invested $220,000. We will be raising additional funds for the project throughout 2021.