As we completed our conference with the pastors and church leaders and took the team back to Cairo, we would have to say that it was a wonderful time of ministry. Once again our pastors' conference has brought great encouragement as we prayed together and sang songs of praise to our God, and the well prepared teaching that our team from US brought. But as we leave our time together, there are several things that the pastors are taking home with them...
As Dr. Dan Iles (Indigenous Ministries) has shared with the pastors from the book of Jonah, they learned once again of the grace of God within the call that God places upon us. Even when we step aside to other things, God moves us into His perfect plan for the people we serve, and Jonah learned to respond to God's call.
Pastor Johann Knies: (Pastor of Stillwater Chapel, Grand Lake, CO,) gave great encouragement in that no matter the storm that we are in, the Lord Jesus is there with us in the middle. Many were blessed by this, as political and religious issues assail the believers and churches here. We have confidence that Christ is with us.
Pastor John Baker: (Pastor of Grace Church, Molalla, OR) shared concepts about Heaven. They wrestled with the physical, bodily resurrection, and the levels of awareness we will enjoy in being with Christ.
Pastor John Craft: (Pastor of First Baptist Church, Sheridan, WY) shared the importance of teamwork in ministry. As church leaders we need to raise up people that will share in ministry with us and help us.
Mr. Ron Brown: (Senior partner of The Brown Group, Ft. Collins, CO.) taught on personal finance; to be systematic with the resources that God brings to the pastor.
I shared on the personal relationships that we have both with the Lord and with each other. The gracious provision of the table of the Lord in Psalm 23, forgiveness, and the endurance that pleases the Lord.
We finished the conference with sharing the table of the Lord.
The response of the pastors was overwhelming. Tears of appreciation and the blessing that they shared with us blessed us, knowing that the Lord had allowed us to serve them again... and to bring a blessing within the backdrop of what happened in Cairo the Sunday before.
In my last email, I shared with you the horror we felt on the Sunday night, October 9, just before the conference, we watched on local TV as military vehicles ran down Christians. They were peacefully standing in Cairo's Maspero Square conducting a peaceful prayer vigil and quiet protest for the burning of a Church in Aswan. As the night progressed and the reports came from the military, that 24 had died in the "Violent Protest held by the Christians." But, sadly the number was (according to the number of funerals in the Coptic church,) well over 50 as the result of two incidents. In the first incident, Islamic militants incited the violence and cause the military to retaliate, the second incident was a group of Muslims who started to shoot at the door way of the Christian Hospital, to keep people from entering. Then the unthinkable happened as they stormed the doors of the hospital shooting anyone that was standing in front of them. They went from room to room shooting patients in their beds and the total of the night's wounded is counted (unofficially, according to the Coptic Church, Egypt) as over 500.
After hearing that 18 Egyptian pastors had felt they could not come as the result and also after calling the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, we were told there was no threats or alerts for U.S. travelers, we made our way to join with our Egyptian pastors and church leaders. As the conference progressed the Egyptians saw the courage that the Indigenous Ministries team showed as they stood to share their love for Christ and the lessons that they had prepared. One said, there is no other motivation than to see your love for the Egyptian people.
How can we help our Christian Brothers and Sisters in Egypt?
Pray:
Pray for the upcoming elections to be held starting the 24th of Nov.
Pray for the continued discussions to bring Egypt in to the freedoms they desire.
Pray for the believers to be encouraged as they have gone through many difficulties
Pray for the advancement of the Kingdom through IMI and that the Lord will bring the resources to do so in this moment of opportunity.
John Cook
Executive Director, IMI