Trips Blog

by Marilyn Borst

On my 7 hour layover in Paris on the way home, I  had a lot of time to reflect, with gratitude, on the excellent team of The Outreach Foundation who shared the journey together in Egypt, meeting family-by-faith in numerous churches of the Synod of the Nile, celebrating the good work of the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC), taking deep dives in the rich history of the place, praying together, laughing together, and taking care of one another over long days.

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by Peen Hardy

We left our hotel at 7:30 am to travel two hours to the Presbyterian church in Dendera, Egypt. Normally, the church services begin at 8:30 am because Christians are allowed by Egyptian law to come to work two hours late (10:30 am) on Sundays. Sunday is the first day of the workweek in Muslim countries like Egypt.  

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by Brian Stewart

Months ago when I first saw the itinerary for our trip, the name jumped out at me: Nag Hammadi. Just about everyone who has studied early Christian history knows this is the site of the 1945 discovery of a collection of 3rd and 4th century Coptic manuscripts called the “Nag Hammadi Library.” These documents reflect a system of thought called “Gnosticism” which draws a hard distinction between the spirit and the body. I chuckled to myself and thought, “I wonder if I’ll see any Presbyterian Gnostics when I visit Nag Hammadi?” Instead, what I found were a bunch of heroes who are deeply committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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by Peggy Shirley

Today, we were filled with great joy to visit El Adaima Church and once again see Reverend Shenouda Girgis his wife, Angel and their children; Joshua, Jonestta and Justin, and their congregation.  We were excited to be in fellowship with them again and celebrate with them the new church they are building.

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by Kendra Norton

If God is on the move, then his church is on the move too -- sometimes in surprising ways. That is exactly what is happening here in Luxor, the latest stop on our church journey through Egypt.

After a restful evening in this small, quiet city (at least compared to Cairo), our group divided in half to visit different churches, and one group had the privilege of visiting the Presbyterian Church of Luxor and meeting Pastor Mahrous Karam. This church is on the move in the most literal way.

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by Tim Norton

Word and deed. The phrase has been ringing in my ears all day. Christians join God's mission by proclaiming Christ with words and demonstrating Christ with actions. The two cannot be separated. Making Christ known is an epic pursuit of show and tell -- word and deed. The phrase is a fitting summary of our final day in Cairo before journeying to Upper Egypt.

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by Matthew Hornaday 

After sleeping in a bit, we enjoyed a life-giving day with leaders and students of the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) learning, worshipping, laughing, and even riding on a felucca boat.  Dr. Tharwat Wahba*, Dr. Atef Gendy, and Dr. Sherif Nakhla shared about the history of ETSC and how ETSC has evolved since Dr. Atef became President in July 2000.

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by Deena Candler

After a couple of busy days visiting churches, today was a day to experience Egyptian history and culture. We began with a visit to the pyramids of Giza and the sphinx. This is the only remaining wonder of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, and it truly is magnificent.

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by Mark Mueller

The Middle East has many lessons to teach the church. In Iraq, the church has remained the faithful remnant despite war, sanctions, and upheaval. In Lebanon, the church moves forward amid protests, poverty, and instability. In Syria, the church is rebuilding after invasion, strife, and migration. In each of these countries, the church has served as a model of resiliency and faithfulness.

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