The Evangelical Theological Seminary (ETSC) held its 152nd graduation exercises at the Heliopolis Evangelical Church. Seventy graduates received diplomas, including 12 MDiv ordination track students, 1 Master of Theology student, and 33 Master of Theology students. The MDiv students will be taking ordination examinations with the intention of serving as pastors in churches across Egypt. The other students will move into various positions of service.
Read MoreRev. Dr. Youssef Samir, ETSC Board Chairman, announced the unanimous election of Rev. Dr. Samuel Rozfy as the new president of the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo.
Read MoreThe Outreach Foundation works closely with the Pastoral and Outreach Ministries Council of the Synod of the Nile in Egypt (POMC). Rev. Manassa Nesem serves as the Executive Manager of POMC and shared the following information about how refugees in Sudan are being aided by brothers and sisters in Egypt:
Political conflicts erupted over the reigns of power in northern Sudan between two leaders of the Sudanese army, which led to an increase in the frequency of skirmishes and resulted in a fierce internal war. These conflicts started on April 15 and continue. The repercussions of these events have created problems in all aspects of life in northern Sudan. As a result, there is a lack of food, water, and means of communication; moreover, several reports have included a large number of civilian deaths.
Read MoreIn November, a team from The Outreach Foundation made a trip back to Egypt (the second one in 2022) and traveled to the south of the country, not far from the border with Sudan. This southernmost Presbytery of the Synod of the Nile is geographically large, but the Presbyterian churches are few — but not for long, as a vibrant church planting initiative is on the rise here. Rev. Kimmy Briggs (on her fourth trip with Outreach), reflects on a day of visits to a country rich in culture and history — and in opportunities for the Good News!
Read MoreSharona Island is a medium-sized village in Upper Egypt that is actually an island in the Nile River. With a majority Christian population, the Presbyterian Church was established in 1898. The ministry of this church grew rapidly in recent years under the leadership of Rev. Mahrous Ayed, a graduate of the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo (ETSC), an Outreach partner.
Read MoreAfter decades of difficulties and hesitation to build churches or renovate the old ones, the Egyptian church is now able to build in a massive way. Many building projects are taking place in different parts of the country. A great example is a church in a village in Upper Egypt called Kalandol. This church is very old and has a building that has been there for almost 100 years without any kind of renovation or reconstruction. Peter Gamal, a new graduate from the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, was sent to pastor this church. Miraculously, he managed to get a license to rebuild the church — and the entire congregation is involved in the project!
Read MoreIn February, I was pleased to lead a small team back to Egypt to be “mutually encouraged” by our partners there. A member of our team, Rachel Segars, was making her third trip with Outreach. In this excerpt from one of our trip blogs, she beautifully reflects on our visit to ETSC. Marilyn Borst, Associate Director for Partnership Development
Read MoreYellow Mountain became “Green with growth”
“Yellow Mountain” is a rather picturesque-sounding name for a sprawling slum area in greater Cairo to which many people migrated from other parts of the country to find more opportunities. Most of those people are from poor backgrounds and had lived in small villages. About 10 years ago, one of the seminary students from ETSC (Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo), Jimmy Wageeh, went to the area to meet some of those families. He started by visiting them in their homes, forming a Bible study group, and then serving kids. After the number of families increased, they rented a place to have ministry and worship. The church grew in both number and quality of services.
Read MoreMy name is Mofreh Abdelmasieh (pictured on the left). I’m from a village called Dashloot. I grew up in an evangelical family. My father is an elder in our village church, which was founded by American missionaries in 1886. My father loves the church, and I was raised hearing about the important role of the church in people’s lives. When I was young, my father talked to me about becoming a pastor, but I rejected that idea until I went to university. I started serving with a ministry helping students develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ then leading them on the journey of discipleship. I continued for three years until I graduated and began my military service. While serving in the military, I heard God call me to pastoral ministry, so I made the decision to attend ETSC.
Read MoreA New Church Begets a New Church!
The population of Egypt is more than 100 million people, making it the 14th most populous country in the world. The phenomena of internal migration opened many doors for God’s work as thousands of families began moving to megacities like Cairo and Alexandria. As a result, the need for new churches continues to grow. The Egyptian government will give land for churches in new cities but the building must begin within 3 years or the land will revert to the government. This is both an exciting opportunity and a big challenge! In previous eras, churches had a very difficult time obtaining permits to build, or even to make minor repairs. Thus, this season is a “golden window” that the Church in Egypt is trying to take advantage of while it lasts.
Read MoreIn an October ceremony overflowing with gratitude, after two decades of service, Dr. Atef Gendy passed the baton of leadership, to his friend and colleague, Dr. Hani Hanna. Numerous dignitaries including members of the Egyptian Senate and House of Representatives attended the event which was hosted by the Heliopolis Evangelical Presbyterian Church. After welcoming comments by ETSC Board President Dr. Youssef Samir, a video collage illustrated the seminary’s remarkable growth over the past twenty years. It noted Dr. Gendy’s gifted leadership, including his work in building partnerships across the world, strengthening the faculty, renovations of the campus, and recent accreditation by the European Council of Theological Education.
Read MoreAs the Egyptian church is growing in church planting ministry, there are many stories about honest and dedicated lay people who gave their lives for the Lord. Although they might be simple in their appearance, their faith is very strong and deep.
One of these stories is about the head of a family in a remote village in Upper Egypt. Al Kom Alahmar is a village on the edge of the desert that is home to Bedouin tribes. Some of them are fundamentalist in their attitude against Christians and the work of the church. Our story is about Elder Khamis, the head of a Presbyterian family in the village. He passed away this summer but he was a man of integrity who built peaceful and healthy relationships with the neighborhood. He dedicated himself to the work of the Lord when he gave part of his own house to be a church and invited ministers from the Presbytery to hold Bible study and prayer meetings. He began to win over those who were against the work of the church as this house church served the needs of the community in healthcare, education, and other services.
Read MoreHis 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.
Read MoreAlthough the world is suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) celebrated the graduation of its 149th class. The graduation was supposed to happen last summer, but because of COVID, the celebration took place in April at the Presbyterian Church in Heliopolis. The number of graduates this year was historical – 75!!! Fourteen graduates received an M.Div. and will be pastors in the Presbyterian Church of Egypt (most of them had already started their ministry in village churches, church planting, and other fields of ministry). The graduates included laypeople who came to ETSC to be better equipped for ministry – they are key leaders in local churches, Christian non-profits, and other Protestant denominations. Many of them are working in the marketplace but are demonstrating God's love in their circles. Some of the graduates are focused on leadership and church management. Through these capacities, they will serve their churches and organizations through strategic planning, biblical leadership, and management to achieve more goals for God's Kingdom.
Read MoreA Pastor with a Mission Heart
Pastor Manassa Nesem Sadek graduated from the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) in 2008. As a student, Manassa’s heart was captured by the mission classes that he took. Then ETSC arranged for him and another student to do a mission internship, twice, in Sudan. Traveling throughout Sudan and South Sudan, preaching, teaching, and encouraging the churches there, was deeply impactful to him.
Upon graduation, Manassa received a call to be the pastor of the village church of Al Tayeba, located in Minia Province, about 150 miles south of Cairo, and quickly led his congregation to be missional. He discipled many young people in mission, evangelism, and church planting, and within a short time, the congregation had planted three new churches in other villages in the nearby desert.
Manassa’s congregation began offering literacy classes and health care to the needy in the community. Manassa and his congregation are helping the village of Tayeba and other small villages greatly during the pandemic by providing medication, oxygen tanks, masks, sanitizers, and food supplies for the poor.
Read MoreMike Kuhn currently serves in the International Theological Education Network as a specialist and consultant. Mike’s ministry focus is discipleship and spiritual formation among both Arab Christians and those who have come to Christ from a non-Christian background. Read more about Mike’s work in the following update:
Greetings, friends!
Steph and I are grateful for your concern and prayers for us. Here are a few items that occupy our prayers over the next months. Thanks for sharing with us in your prayers.
As we feel the COVID cloud beginning to lift, opportunities for travel and ministry are becoming frequent. I spoke recently in Memphis, TN, and Ephrata WA. We hope that international travel will return soon.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) trains over 300 students each year to serve the Church in Egypt and beyond. Students serve as pastors, church planters, elders, and teachers in churches across Egypt and the entire region. Ekram Atta graduated from ETSC in 2013, here is his story:
Ekram Atta: God’s Weak Jar
It is said that one of Martin Luther’s teachers would bow to his students before each class because he said he did not know which of his students would rise to prominence. Likewise, no one knows what God will do with the lives of the students who come to the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo.
They come with their aspirations for ministry and the gift matrix given them by God, but who is to say which of them will have the greatest impact on the kingdom of God? More than a decade ago Ekram Atta came to the seminary from a village in South Egypt, bearing a calling born from his own grief and experience of grace following the death of his mother. Seeking comfort for his pain, he discovered the grace that would allow him to strengthen others.
Read MoreWith 20 million people, Cairo is the largest city in the Middle East and is home to 20% of the population of Egypt. It is growing at a rate of over 2% a year which doesn’t sound like much until you “do the math” - that means that Cairo adds over 400,000 people each year. Or think of it this way: each year, Cairo adds the equivalent of a Tulsa or a New Orleans. Every year. These new residents come from other (often rural) parts of Egypt, hoping to find better jobs and better schools for their children. They end up living in “suburbs/extensions” of Cairo which are makeshift and ramshackle communities often with poor roads, dense apartment complexes, and few available services.
In the last 20 years, the Church of Egypt recognized the importance of planting churches in these new communities. Planting a church is not a luxury or an extra place for people to only practice spiritual activities like worship and Bible study. The new church is a place of enlightenment, services, and refuge for many people.
An established congregation in Ain Shams, located in the northern part of Cairo, adopted a vision of planting new churches in some of these new communities. It is one of the churches that recognized the call to go out and spread the message of salvation and hope. Pastor Eid Salah and elders from the church are eager for evangelism and church planting.
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