Egypt #3: Mutually Encouraged
by Ken Tolley
Tuesday morning presented us with the exciting opportunity to make a trip (too brief!) to the Bible Society of Egypt (BSOE) where we met with General Director Ramez Atallah, Administrator Lois Naguib, and others. BSOE provides the Bible in Arabic and recordings, children’s books, videos and other presentations of the Christian scripture not just for all Protestants, but also for Coptic Orthodox and Catholics in Egypt.
BSOE is very creative in coming up with materials and programs to encourage Bible-reading and study, and have had great success in getting Christian youth (mostly Coptic Orthodox) to read their Bibles! BSOE has begun putting “In His Image,” an American-idol-style talent competition for Christian youth and children including a Bible Quiz which draws over 5000 participants. They also report a number of Muslim youth visiting to read more of the book their Christian friends are reading.
While most of us learned from Ramez and Lois, Paul Arveson met with Mahrous and Mumtaz, who work at BSOE but are also engaged in ministries in the Garbage Recycler’s Village. Paul had brought and set up a small solar cooker that could easily be made from recycled materials and used for cooking entirely with the abundant resource of sunshine in Egypt. They were so enthusiastic about the opportunities it could represent for the impoverished population that Paul explained how to use it and left his demonstration model with them.
After BSOE, the team met with Dr. Atef Gendy (President), Dr. Tharwat Wahba (Chair of the Mission Department), and Mariam Hanna, Director of Development and heard more about The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo’s (ETSC’s) history and programs. Dr. Atef will soon be returning to full-time professorship.
The seminary was founded in 1863, the same year as my home state of West Virginia. The seminary began as mobile missionaries visiting and training by bicycle, donkey, and sailboat on the Nile. Much of their initial support went towards helping to reduce illiteracy.
In 1996, the seminary began to offer classes for lay pastors as well as women. They currently offer 5 graduate degree programs and have 440 students enrolled. Mariam offered the team a tour of the new facility which includes a sound studio, dining hall, guest suites, as well as a new office for Alumni Support. The seminary is trying to combat the stigma around mental illness, but it’s particularly daunting in this cultural environment. The team spent time in prayer, asking that God would bless this wonderful new space as well as those that work in it and are served by it.
Our team member, Kathy, led a seminar for the seminary in her area of expertise, speaking to them about strategies for a healthy marriage based on the material by John Gottman.
In the afternoon, our team took a felucca ride along the Nile with Mena Kolta, from the office of International Relations, and seminary students Ameen (M.Div) and Deena (MAT) to talk with them about their studies and faith journeys. The team joined with them in a meal together, the college favorite worldwide: pizza. We discovered a great deal that we shared in common, including favorite authors. After we had prayed for the students, we returned to the seminary and finished our day with a devotion on Romans 1:8-12... “that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”