Dustin and Sherri Ellington

Lebanon

About Our Partners

Dustin and Sherri recently shared important news, here are excerpts from their letter:

Dear friends,  

Sherri and I have some big news to share with you. In recent years, we’ve had a growing sense that God is tugging on our hearts to return and do mission service in the Arabic-speaking world again.

Many of you will remember that we served in Egypt from 2005 to 2009. We had thought we were called there long-term and were deeply saddened when we were forced to leave. It felt as though our ministry, dreams, and future were taken from us – though in the end we landed well and have deeply appreciated our 11 years in Zambia.

In the last few years, a seminary in Lebanon where I’ve sometimes taught short intensive courses has been reaching out and inviting me to consider joining their full-time faculty. They offer their courses in Arabic. They welcome students from across North Africa, the Middle East, and the Arab diaspora. These students come from a wide variety of Christian and other backgrounds, all with a longing to go deeper in their relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and to be trained and formed for ministry. 

Sherri and I have a sense of unfinished work to do, and the move to Lebanon also feels like wise stewardship. We spent thousands of hours studying Arabic in the past. In Lebanon, I can use both my training as a New Testament scholar and my training in Arabic. For me, Arabic can shift from being a hobby in Zambia to being a tool and medium in Lebanon for building relationships and serving the gospel. I feel if I were to live a long life but didn’t do my best to return to the Middle East, it would be something I’d regret. Sherri would love the gift of time to refresh her Arabic and be prayerfully present in the Middle East, to discern a path of ministry while being there on the ground. She’s excited to get to have a ministry of presence and ask open questions about what God is doing there and how she might fit.

What does this mean for our relationship with Presbyterian World Mission? We are very thankful for our 17 good years serving through Presbyterian World Mission (WM), but we need to share that we are ending our service with WM on May 15 and joining another mission organization.  

Sherri and I are excited about our future mission service and long to lean into this new direction as faithfully as possible. We would love for you to continue walking with us and praying for us. As you can imagine, 2022 is going to be a major year of change for us. We very much appreciate your prayers as we step forward toward ministry in Lebanon. 

Yours in Christ, 

Dustin and Sherri

The Impact

Through their ministry at Justo Mwale University, Dustin helped to prepare pastors and Sherri coordinated the Young Adult Volunteer program. Their transition to serving in Lebanon will include building relationships while sharing the gospel and teaching.

The OPPORTUNITY

The Outreach Foundation will continue to support the mission and ministry of the Ellingtons during this transition. All gifts of any size are welcomed to help with support funds for the Ellingtons and for scholarships for students at Justo Mwale University.