Near East School of Theology (NEST) — February 2023 Update

When the Rev. Sally Azar was ordained on January 22, 2023, by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the Church of the Holy Redeemer, in the Old City of Jerusalem, was packed. Rev. Azar becomes the first Palestinian woman to receive that honor. She joins a small cadre of Protestant women in the Middle East ordained to Word and sacrament which was “founded” in 2017 with the ordination of Rev. Rola Sleiman of Tripoli, Lebanon. This small, but visionary group of women have an important thing in common: they are all graduates of the Near East School of Theology (NEST) in Beirut, which on November 11, 2022, marked its 90th anniversary.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 3, 2023Near East School of Theology, NEST, Lebanon

Near East School of Theology — July 2022 Update

The 89th commencement service took place on June 11, 2022, in the Grace Chapel. Five students graduated: one with a bachelor’s degree in theology, one with a bachelor’s degree in theological studies, and three with master’s degrees in divinity. The speaker was Dr. Peter Ford, assistant professor of Islamic Studies at NEST, who is retiring after ten years in Lebanon and over 40 years of missionary service in the Middle East and Africa.

Middle East, Projects, PartnershipThe Outreach FoundationJuly 20, 2022Near East School of Theology, NEST, Lebanon

Near East School of Theology - December 2021 Update

A timeline of history from a Beirut seminary

PAST
On The Outreach Foundation’s October visit to Lebanon (and on into Syria), we stopped by to visit our beloved partner, N.E.S.T. As always, President George Sabra made time for us, and we got caught up over the little cups of Arabic coffee which seem to be perpetually “on tap” in the faculty lounge. As no one in our group was making their first visit, we did not need to tour the facilities. But I did have a special request, mindful that most of our team was unaware of a “treasure” tucked away in the library here: the translation papers of Dr. Cornelius Van Dyke (1818-1895), a Presbyterian missionary who completed the translation of the Bible into Arabic (from the Hebrew and Greek). That translation is still the most used and beloved one throughout the Middle East.

Near East School of Theology (NEST) - July 2021 Update

After a difficult year, N.E.S.T. joyfully held a Commencement Service on June 12. The last hymn sung, “Here I am, Lord,” is a hymn that became very popular at the seminary, especially after they acquired the Presbyterian hymnal for their Chapel services in the early 1990s. The words are based on Isaiah 6 where the prophet receives his call. The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send; who will go for us?”, and Isaiah responds, “Here I am Lord, send me.” The four M. Div. graduates asked that this hymn be sung. During the service, they presented a gift to the seminary in remembrance of their time at N.E.S.T. – a plaque on which is written those very words of Isaiah 6:8.

Dr. George Sabra, N.E.S.T.’s president, reflected:

I was deeply moved by their choice of the hymn and those verses from Isaiah. Here are fresh Middle Eastern graduates from a theological seminary who are declaring, “We are ready to serve you, Lord. Send us where you will.”

Syria Appeal

Julie Burgess has made 17 journeys with The Outreach Foundation to the Middle East. She agreed to tell the stories of several graduates of the Near East School of Theology (NEST). This is the first installment of these compelling stories. The next installment will be emailed and posted on our website.

Near East School of Theology - January 2020 Update

Dear friends,

It has been a difficult time for our partners in Lebanon. We have been praying and reaching out to them and you have been standing in the gap with them. God continues to work and walk with them. We would like to share this update from our partners at the Near East School of Theology (N.E.S.T.) to provide you with a closer look from our partners on the ground.

A Word from the President Dr. George Sabra

An uprising has been spreading in Lebanon’s cities and towns. Since October 2019, thousands of people have gathered in public squares and on streets and roads to vent their anger against the corruption of the ruling political class that has led the country not just to the brink of, but to actual economic and financial collapse. Decades of corruption, mismanagement of the country’s economic problems, and sectarian power struggles have led to this situation, and the people are fed up.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJanuary 16, 2020Near East School of Theology, Lebanon

Near East School of Theology - Update

From the President to the Graduates
(excerpt from Near East School of Theology (NEST) President Dr. George Sabra’s commencement speech)

A report conducted and published annually by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ranks countries as part of an analysis project called the “Best Countries Report.” Thousands of people from over 80 countries responded to questions on the basis of 65 country attributes, e.g. economic influence and quality of life, to determine each country’s success as a modern nation. In 2018, for the second year in a row, Switzerland ranked as the world’s best country. Nowhere on the list can any country from the Middle East be found. There is also a section on the best country to raise children – Denmark ranks first. Again, no Middle Eastern country on the list. If you check the report about the safest countries in the world, Iceland ranks first but no Middle Eastern country is anywhere on the list.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJuly 9, 2019Near East School of Theology, NEST, Lebanon

Near East School of Theology (NEST) - June 2017 Update

Future generations will no doubt look upon 2017 as a historic year for the churches and societies of the Middle East, especially for the Near East School of Theology. Two of NEST’s alumnae were ordained in the Presbyterian Church of Syria and Lebanon, known as the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. Rola Sleiman (‘97) was ordained in the Tripoli congregation on February 27, and Najla Kassab (’87) was ordained in the Rabiyeh congregation on March 24.

NEST community members, faculty, and students were in attendance at both ordinations. We are proud of these alumnae who became pioneers of women’s full ministry in the Protestant churches of the Middle East. Along with a being proud of our graduates, we are also overwhelmed and gratified by their success.

For years, our seminary has been promoting women’s full ministry in the church, including ordination; for years, our faculty has taught and supported and argued for women’s ordination, and now it has become a reality.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJune 29, 2017Near East School of Theology, NEST, Beirut, Lebanon

Partner Updates