Written by Dr. Riad Kassis, OC Middle East/Central Europe Regional Director

Dr. Riad Kassis, OC Middle East/Central Europe Regional Director

I recently visited our Polish partner seminary, the Evangelical School of Theology (EST), and it was clear to me that this small seminary is concerned with meeting the needs of church and society as they creatively devise programs and events. To my amazement, the faculty and church leaders I met wanted to hear about and pray for the Church and its ministry in the Middle East and North Africa. They were concerned about what is going on in my part of the world as well.

Following the earthquake in Haiti, I spoke at the chapel of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) in Lebanon and reflected on the meaning of pain in our lives. We prayed for our Haiti partner school, the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Port-au-Prince (STEP), and all the suffering people there. It was amazing to see the reaction of one student from Algeria. She felt a deep concern for the people there and suggested taking a collection for STEP.

So what is your concern? Each and every one of us has many things to attend to; however, the Gospel call is to take care of the needs of one another and be concerned about the welfare of others. I believe that one of the best ways to achieve this is to support relevant theological and leadership training as it contributes to the well-being of church and society.

Many theological institutions around the world feel a deep sense of gratitude to their American brothers and sisters who are concerned about their ministries as they prepare men and women for the service of God's Kingdom. May the grace of the Lord continue to enable us to show concern for those who are in need and for those who lack the proper training to lead their churches and societies.

Founded in Jordan in 1981, the contextually relevant and strategic Program for Theological Education by Extension (PTEE) provides evangelical theological education for church leaders wherever they live in the Arab World. With the growth of evangelical churches, extension centers have been added progressively in Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine to respond to the need for sound evangelical leaders. The unique program is a thriving and growing ministry attracting quality students, despite operating in restricted areas and in countries that have experienced decades of war and extreme hardship.

Expanding into Syria
The affordable accessibility of PTEE courses and their use of local leadership was the right fit for the needs of the Syrian Church, and enthusiasm quickly grew for the program. OC's Middle East Regional Director Dr. Riad Kassis has had a direct role in strategic planning and introduced PTEE's program in Syria in 1989. "Since then, I am delighted to see the progress of this program in ways that I did not dream of," Riad says. For example, over 400 Syrians have taken PTEE courses in the last decade, which is a significant number in the Syrian context. "In addition to the numerical growth, it is interesting to notice the widespread geography of this program in Syria." Syria also has experienced an enormous influx of Iraqi refugees over the past decade, and PTEE is meeting this refugee community's need for training.

Riad says the program's students are bright, well-articulated and committed Christians who have found the courses to be extremely helpful in their lives and ministries. Through the training he received, one PTEE graduate is now the Dean of the program in Syria and is helping to strengthen its foundations there. "From an economic perspective, [PTEE] is the most efficient theological training program that I have ever seen...[and the program's] philosophy and concept are very relevant to the Church context in the Middle East," Riad says. PTEE's impact is immeasurable: with no theological institutions in Syria, the substantial Christian community has been deprived of proper leadership training until PTEE.

Please pray for: PTEE students, volunteer tutors and staff across the Arab World; the program's Ministry Center in Jordan, which is the key to the continuation of PTEE's work (OC helped purchase the building); for funding sources to grow and enable the ministry to grow as well; and that God would open doors for PTEE to start classes in more countries.

Sergei Sizonenko and his family

Sergei Sizonenko praises the Lord for "those whose hearts are open to support Christian ministers in study. My scholarship gives me the opportunity to study as I am not able to cover the expenses of my studies and research work...[It] fills my heart with gratitude for those who support me, gives me the opportunity to receive theological education and positively influences my ministry."

Sergei is a faculty member at the Zaporozhye Bible College and Seminary (ZBCS), Ukraine, and the school deeply values his influence in the lives of students, "especially those whom he has more personally mentored and involved in his church ministries over the years." He says his studies also help him minister better in his role as pastor of City-Center Baptist Church and supervisor of a new youth center targeting non-believing youth, a critical need in Zaporozhye. "[His] connection with our student body provides him with a pool of ready and eager young believers who can interact with the non-believers at the center."

Graduate and post-graduate training for faculty members is critically important to the efficiency of our partner institutions and the graduates they train to serve the Lord. Sergei is pursuing his master's degree through the help of an OC faculty scholarship in order to better serve his institution and church. Studying at the International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) in Prague, Czech Republic, Sergei's dissertation looks into how the evangelical movement in Ukraine became one of the strongest evangelical denominations in Europe.

In 2010, OC will hold seven Institutes for Excellence in Christian Leadership Development for leaders of strategic training programs around the world. This year's theme is "Re-envisioning Seminary-Church Relationships" and will assist our partner seminaries as they work more effectively with churches to serve the cause of the Kingdom. Click here for the 2010 schedule.

Please join Overseas Council in prayer for the Middle East and Europe:

• Stability and peace in Moldova after political and economic hardships
• Protection for students and graduates who face persecution for their faith
• God's provision for our partner institutions' ministries, in spite of the worldwide economic crisis
• Christian satellite television programs
• Training of house church leaders
• Courage for disciplers
• For the Church to grow in the midst of turmoil
• Shepherd Society's ongoing relief efforts in the Gaza Strip
• "Christ at the Checkpoint: Theology in the Service of Peace and Justice" Conference, an international gathering of scholars and church leaders at Bethlehem Bible College (BBC), West Bank; OC's Special Ambassador Dr. Manfred Kohl is a featured guest speaker
• Arab Writers' Workshop held in April; OC's Middle East/Central Europe Regional Director Dr. Riad Kassis is a facilitator