Message from the Executive Director

by Richard Haney

Towering pyramids cast giant shadows under the watchful eye of the Sphinx. The sun burns bright over miles and miles of golden sand. The mighty Nile River waters the Delta and turns sand into fertile soil. This land is immortalized by mummies and sarcophagi adorning museums all over the world. Once pharaohs ruled; names like Ramses and Nefertiti are etched into history.

This is Egypt, an ancient power whose influence on the world lives on.

In Old Testament stories, Egypt was the land of captivity. Born into slavery, Moses was cradled among the reeds of the Nile––his family’s attempt to save him from Pharaoh’s death sentence on all newborn Hebrew boys. He was found and adopted into the royal family by Pharaoh’s daughter. Yet God called him to lead his people to the Promised Land. Along with Moses, Jacob and Joseph were Hebrew leaders whose stories intertwined with Egypt.

In the New Testament, Egypt turned from hostile power to a place of refuge when the Holy Family settled there after fleeing Herod’s sword. The early Church spread into North Africa, where the Coptic Church today remains one of the oldest in the world.

Monasticism was born in the Egyptian desert. Anthony, one of the earliest monks, lived an ascetic life in the wilderness imitating Christ’s battle against Satan’s temptations in the desert.

Does a prominent past predict a significant future?

Today Egypt is the most populous Arab country with nearly 100 million citizens, and almost 10% of its population is Christian (both Coptic and Protestant), the highest number of any Middle Eastern nation. It’s one of 22 Arabic-speaking countries, giving followers of Jesus tremendous potential to impact communities without access to the Gospel throughout the region.

One well-known congregation is Kasr El Dobara in Cairo. It’s the Middle East’s largest Arab Christian church and seats 1,500 with additional overflow seating and live-streamed services. The Bible Society of Egypt, the world’s largest Arabic Bible publishing operation, is making God’s Word available in print, audio and visual forms. The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo is training ministry leaders using an Arabic translation of Perspectives on the World Christian Movement as part of their curriculum.

You’ll read more in the following pages about how we see God working through the Egyptian Church to impact the Middle East and beyond. We celebrate the faithfulness, wisdom and enthusiasm of our partners as they pursue God’s coming Kingdom. Join us in thanking God for our many years of partnership with these dear friends.