In a sea of violence, Cairo church praises God

Demonstrators in Tahrir Square in Cairo (photo by Ramy Raoof, via Wikimedia Commons)

On their Prayer Ministry blog, workers with Lubbock, Texas-based Sunset International Bible Institute give an update on a small Church of Christ meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The church meets near Tahrir Square, the site of much of the rioting and violence during the recent wave of protests against the Egyptian government.
The church recently began meeting at its facility. (See an earlier blog post about its closing.)
Doug Reeves, Sunset’s dean of ministry training for Europe and the Arabic world, writes:

Alfred Habashy and his wife, Hala, are nearing the end of their studies here at Sunset. They have been in constant contact with his father, Francis, and family members in Cairo. Alfred shared with us that the church did meet this past Sunday after being closed for two weeks. Only a small handful of brave members were in attendance. Understandably many were apprehensive and afraid but there was also a lack of public transportation.

Francis Habashy and his wife, Evon, have served the church in Cairo for several decades.
“They have personally suffered persecution and harassment while attempting the share the Gospel,” Reeves writes.
Reeves also details some of the Habashy family’s work in Egypt:

Sunset continues to work closely with Francis Habashy to translate Bible materials into Arabic. Already seven books have been translated, printed and distributed in Cairo, Athens, Greece and Paris, France. Translation is underway on four additional books that are scheduled to be complete in 2011. In the very near future, these study materials will be available on an internet website where anyone seeking to know more about God’s word and His Son can study without fear of persecution.
Will you join us in praying that our Lord will protect the Habashy family and all our brothers and sisters in Cairo and for a peaceful resolution to the situation in Egypt? We also pray that our Lord will use current events to bring greater religious freedom for non-Muslims and open a door of opportunity to share the saving message of God’s grace.

Read the full post.

• Feedback
  We pray that calm will come to Egypt along with the freedoms that we Americans take for granted. We pray that the government and the culture will not be hostile to the church that our Lord established.

  Stuart & Cecilia Jones

  February, 12 2011