Near East School of Theology - January 2020 Update
Lebanon
Dear friends,
It has been a difficult time for our partners in Lebanon. We have been praying and reaching out to them and you have been standing in the gap with them. God continues to work and walk with them. We would like to share this update from our partners at the Near East School of Theology (N.E.S.T.) to provide you with a closer look from our partners on the ground.
A Word from the President Dr. George Sabra
An uprising has been spreading in Lebanon’s cities and towns. Since October 2019, thousands of people have gathered in public squares and on streets and roads to vent their anger against the corruption of the ruling political class that has led the country not just to the brink of, but to actual economic and financial collapse. Decades of corruption, mismanagement of the country’s economic problems, and sectarian power struggles have led to this situation, and the people are fed up.
This popular movement has mobilized young and old, men and women, Christians and Muslims. The keywords are corruption, social injustice, and thieving. But why are some people corrupt? Why do they steal and rob from other people? Why are those in power and in control of economic and financial resources insensitive to social injustice? Theologians bring their perspective on the crisis, not in place of, but in addition to, the other perspectives. The root of the crisis is the love of money, or Mammon, as the New Testament puts it – the Semitic term for wealth and riches. Mammon is the god of many in the ruling class in this country, their guarantor of security, their means to more power, the god whom they seek and love and in whom they take refuge.
The word of God in the Bible is an ongoing battle against false gods and against injustice and oppression of the poor. The shouts and cries of the Lebanese protesters against corruption and injustice ring very similar to those of the biblical prophets. We read that God punishes Israel and its leaders “because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes – they trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted” (Amos 2:6-7); “Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil upon their beds! When the morning dawns they perform it because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them away; they oppress a man and his house.” (Micah 2:1-2); “They do not know how to do right... those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.” (Amos 3:10). And one could go on and on citing similar prophetic denunciations of the powerful and wealthy and corrupt. The final word was uttered by Jesus: “You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) How can a seminarian not protest with the Lebanese?
Beginning of the School Year
The academic year began in September with an Opening Convocation led by President Sabra. This year there are students from nine different countries – Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Armenia, Germany, Canada, U.S.A., Switzerland, and South Korea. N.E.S.T. remains a multicultural, multilingual community of learners, with students from a variety of Christian traditions. The majority of students come from Evangelical Churches, but there are also students from the Armenian Orthodox, Maronite and Roman Catholic Churches.
Christmas Celebration for Palestinian Refugee Children
A group of 25 students and faculty members organized a Christmas program for children aged 10-13 in the Palestinian refugee camp of Dbayeh, north of Beirut. The N.E.S.T. group sang and prayed with the children, performed a play, taught them crafts, treated them to a pizza meal and then brought Santa Claus who distributed gifts to about 45 children.
As always, God is on the move with our partners. They have not stopped reaching out to their neighbors including refugees and children. Thank you for providing financial resources that allow Outreach to continue ministering to the needs of our partners.
Gratefully,
The Outreach Foundation Team
Read more about the Near East School of Theology HERE.
THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts totaling $20,000 for student scholarship support and for general seminary operations. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.