Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo (ETSC) Update
In June, the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo, Egypt (ETSC) honored 86 graduates during its annual commencement ceremony. Graduates completed degrees across seven unique programs. While the classes and components of each program are unique, their purpose is the same: prepare pastors and leaders to serve the church in Egypt and Christian communities in the Arab world and beyond.
The variety isn’t just about the degrees. As ETSC continues to stretch its impact and reach, these graduates came from all over the world. In this graduating class, in addition to Egypt, graduates represented eight countries including Canada, Lebanon, Kuwait, Sudan, Italy, the Netherlands, Oman, and Syria.
For each student, graduation marks both individual and collective triumph. It represents the fulfillment of their dreams of a diploma. Each persevered in the face of countless obstacles and disappointments to reach such a milestone.
Though it would be a mistake to think they did so alone. Their families, especially their wives and children, shared their quest, sacrificing time and money to fulfill this goal. The faculty and staff of ETSC joined the journey too, working tirelessly to prepare these graduates for ministry and leadership.
“We learned how to research with integrity, to disagree in love, and how to read the Word of God with trembling and responsibility,” said Master of Divinity valedictorian Emad Magdy.
While such a triumph is worth celebrating, graduation also marks a new beginning. The work of ETSC is to train pastors, church planters, and theological leaders who will carry God’s message of hope and love to Arabic communities in Egypt and around the world.
The education and formation that happens for students attending ETSC is just the beginning of what they will do for the kingdom of God.
Emad came to ETSC from the Al-Sharquia Governate in the Nile Delta region of Egypt, a region with few churches and few pastors. He grew up in the church, but it wasn’t until he was 17 years old that faith became real for him. He became a leader in the church’s youth ministry, then church leaders began encouraging him to preach. In time, he was elected as an elder of the church.
Eventually, Emad felt God’s call upon his life to become a pastor, and specifically he felt called to return to the Delta region where he grew up. Emad began his journey at ETSC as a student in the Master of Theology program but later switched to the Master of Divinity with plans to pursue ordination. His experience at ETSC broadened his thinking and opened his mind to think through challenging ideas that he might have dismissed in the past.
Reflecting on his time at ETSC he wrote, “I am deeply grateful for my professors and colleagues, from whom I received immense love and support. They served as encouraging role models and mentors.”
This summer, Emad will take all that he learned at ETSC and return to his home congregation having been appointed as their pastor by the presbytery.
It won’t be easy; the church building is dilapidated and needs a lot of work, and funds are limited. But nothing about Emad’s journey thus far has been easy and he takes this next step with confidence and joy having been educated, trained, and formed for just this reality while at ETSC.
So, he’s ready! And the Al-Sharquia Governate in the Nile Delta is ready for his ministry!
ETSC is not simply an academic destination, it is a path to spiritual formation. Working with the Synod of the Nile, ETSC trains many pastors, church planters and theological leaders, just like Emad, who go on and carry the message of hope and love to Arabic communities in Egypt and around the world. And that’s where you come in.
Please join ETSC in prayer:
for graduating students, that God will guide them in their ministries and enable them to offer faithful and fruitful service in God’s kingdom,
for the current Master of Divinity students who are spending the summer in internship, that they would have meaningful learning experiences as they transform their academic learning into practical ministry skills,
for the faculty and staff, as they select new students among the applicants and prepare for the upcoming academic year.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Scholarships are critical to making it possible for students to undertake the rigorous work of preparing for ministry. A gift to the scholarship fund empowers the church by creating a well-trained cadre of leaders.
You may make a gift by sending a check to the address below with ETSC in the memo or you can donate on the GIVE page of our website: www.theoutreachfoundation.org.
