New Church Development in Egypt - Update
His name means “Job.” And for Ayoub, like his namesake in the Bible, God’s call to be faithful came with costly discipleship. As a young man, Ayoub, pictured right center, had a vision to plant churches around Ismailia, a city in northeast Egypt (aka the Delta) on the Suez Canal. For over 20 years, he nurtured four new congregations, sharing the Good News, and seeking to meet the needs of these largely poor communities through microloans and agricultural training, along with medical care and projects to improve local education.
Ayoub poured energy into developing teams of young people to work with him and many of them, in turn, would go out to “export” this ministry into other parts of the Delta. While doing this vital work, Ayoub was also working on his university degree and had enrolled in a Lay Training diploma program at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) which would hone his church-planting skills and gifts to even greater effectiveness. He would then go on to study for his M.Div. degree at ETSC, which he will soon complete. Ayoub is an example of a servant of God who put into his heart to expand God's Kingdom and who is reaching out to many people from different backgrounds.
Throughout much of the South, one of the main challenges for the Presbyterian Church in Egypt is the need for church revitalization where congregations were diminished because of internal migration. One of these churches in Edfu, not far from Aswan, lay in that most challenging southern part of the country. Rami Mishmish, a third-year student in the M.Div. program at ETSC, decided to accept the challenge and go to live there in the time of COVID. Because ETSC had moved to online classes, Rami was able to continue his studies while bringing much-needed energy and vision to a dying congregation that had been without a pastor for many years.
Rami began with visiting people, giving food supplies, and caring for those who are facing COVID. He quickly worked to build up a new generation of young believers for the future of the church and helped to restore good relationships with the Coptic Orthodox leaders of the city and with Muslims, as well. Slowly but surely, weekly meetings and organized Bible study and discipleship groups were begun, and a revival was happening! We praise God for Rami and for other students who put in their hearts to go to hard places and serve the Lord.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Tharwat Wahba
Egypt Mission Consultant for The Outreach Foundation
Professor of Mission, Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo
Read more about New Church Development in Egypt HERE.
A return journey to Egypt has been scheduled for February 18-26, 2022. Click HERE for trip details and for more information, please contact: Carol Dublin carol@theoutreachfoundation.org.
The Outreach Foundation works closely with the Pastoral and Outreach Ministries Council of the
Synod of the Nile which has identified three areas in which God is calling the church to pursue outreach:
1) revitalization of village churches, some of them centuries old and primarily in Upper Egypt, 2) planting new churches in urban suburbs, and 3) planting new churches in the new “satellite” cities. The Council works very closely with the seminary in Cairo which is producing excellent students who are called and equipped for ministry in a remarkable season for the church’s mission.
THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking $7,000 a month to support the planting/revitalization of Presbyterian churches in Egypt. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.