Bethlehem Bible College - November 2016 Update
Bethlehem, Palestine
Dear friends of Bethlehem Bible College,
We trust that the end of the year is wrapping up well for you!
As the year 2016 comes to an end, we reflect on where we have come from but also plan for where we are headed. The past year has been full of amazing opportunities for BBC to reach out to our community through our students and staff, our faculty and those that partner with us from abroad or by coming and volunteering locally. Our hope and focus is that what is taught and modeled here at BBC will extend beyond the classroom, and that our students will be ambassadors to whatever workplace or ministry they work in on behalf of the kingdom of God.
In order to continue in this ministry of equipping our students, we need help from people like you! In the past, we were fortunate to receive matching funds from our donors. This year, while matching funds will not be available, we trust that support and commitments to BBC will remain strong. We have witnessed first-hand the generosity and investment of our supporters on our students and in turn, also the community. We hope that you will join with us in helping this legacy to continue.
A Grander Vision for Bethlehem and the Middle East: BBC Hosts Third Global Leadership Summit in Bethlehem
For two days in October, Bethlehem Bible College’s staff, students and faculty joined efforts and worked diligently to host, for the third time, the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) in Bethlehem. Started by renowned pastor Bill Hybels, the GLS is a two-day leadership event telecast LIVE in HD from Willow Creek’s campus near Chicago to hundreds of locations in North America and to 675+ sites in 125 countries.
The summit, which drew more than 150 participants here, is an opportunity for the whole college to work together and serve the community. Leaders from various backgrounds and disciplines from all over Palestine attended the conference. The college was thrilled to receive Christian and Muslim leaders from Hebron, Nablus, Jerusalem and Galilee. A wide range of sectors were represented including business, government, nonprofit, education and religion.
Bringing the GLS to Bethlehem is a catalyst that empowers more and more leaders for Christ and for the greater good. The government is striving for a fresh, new awakening among politicians to find a way to build a concrete civil society. As a church and ministry we are striving for that, too. We work with leaders from all communities – men and women, politicians, the marketplace and business leaders – to help them learn more about leadership, especially moral and ethical leadership.
The speakers at the summit this year were exceptional. Palestinian leaders learned from the vast experience of world-renowned leaders such as John Maxwell, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, identified as the #1 leader in business by the American Management Association and the world’s most influential leadership expert by Inc. in 2014. The participants also watched an interview with Melinda Gates, married to founder of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates. Melinda is the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; her work has led her to focus on empowering women and girls to bring transformational improvements in the health and prosperity of families, communities and societies around the world.
One highlight of the conference was the live panel discussion of three successful Palestinian female leaders. Honey Thaljieh is the co-founder of women’s football in Palestine, the first captain of the Palestinian national football team, and the first woman in the Middle East to obtain a FIFA Master and to be employed by FIFA. She encouraged attendees to believe in themselves and fight for their dreams even if it means breaking social stereotypes.
The panel also featured Madleine Sara, who is a Christian counselor and the founder of “I am a pot in his hand” women’s ministry. Her aim was to empower women to be active in their external roles in society. For Madleine this begins with understanding their worth, value, and God given purpose in life.
Lastly, the participants heard Mary Sakran, who is the director of the largest college of Human Development in the Arab world and author of the first children’s story book about human development. Mary shared her passion to develop the potential of each individual by urging and motivating them to develop themselves and exploit their potentials.
Bethlehem Bible College is honored to serve the Palestinian community with events that empower leaders to sharpen their skills and develop the people they lead. We are excited for our next leadership summit in October 2017.
Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Jack Sara, President Bethlehem Bible College
Read more about Bethlehem Bible College by clicking HERE.
THE NEED
Outreach is seeking $2,000 per month to support the mission and ministry of Bethlehem Bible College.