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Ministry team finds a solid answer to harassment in Egypt

Egypt's constitution gives preference to Muslims, and Christians are treated as second-class citizens, reports MNN.

According to I.N. Network, Egypt is a tough field. Islam is the state religion, and Cairo is the intellectual capital of Islam. Archaic discriminatory laws and the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism has resulted in the authorities turning a blind eye to a culture of police brutality and to Islamist violence and terror against Christians.

In some cases, the threat isn't made directly against believers but against those who are helping them. I.N. Network's Rody Rodeheaver says they've felt that firsthand. Fundamentalist Muslims have been running their IN Network team off rental properties. "Nate has been working there for a number of years doing correspondence courses, training, discipling and working under a great deal of duress. We've had to move our offices because people would threaten our landlords. It affects your ability to build teams; it affects the areas where you can work."

What started as a bad situation, God turned for good. "God has allowed us to find a property where we can now own that property, and therefore it will not be subject to the pulling of our lease. In this property, we're actually able to expand our training, to do more of the work that God has called us to do there."

The I.N. Network Egypt ministry currently offers a Bible correspondence course, providing over 8,500 copies monthly to participants in Egypt and neighboring countries of Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

They're also training 50 pastors a year in a professional Bible school program. Half of the trainee's time at the Bible School is spent ministering in villages and house churches. This hands-on ministry gives them real-life experience which supplements their classroom training. The other half of their time is spent ministering to the needy, providing them with blankets, shoes, clothes, school fees for children, and food.

Additionaly, I.N. Network Egypt annually runs three leadership training seminars in Egypt and two in Jordan for Sunday school teachers, pastors, church leaders, worship leaders, and young people. The average attendance at each conference is around 110 people.

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TAGS: Egypt second-class citizens I.N. Network Islam Bible correspondence course persecution Bible school

[08/30/2009]

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