ETSC August Update 2015
August is a time for transitions in many calendars. Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) students gathered for their midsummer “check-in” during their practical training/internships in July. Over the next two weeks they will finish their assignments and return to their families for a break before the M.Div Student Retreat at Biet El Salam in Agami, Alexandria from September 19 to 22.
Acceptance letters were issued to seven M.Div candidates and 30 M.A. candidates who are now preparing for this big step forward in their vocational and academic pursuits. Please pray for holiday refreshment and ongoing discernment as these students move into September.
Our students are the best people to speak from their hearts about why your partnership with us is so important. Please click here for the first in a series of videos of our students telling about their experiences at ETSC. Tharwat Mosa was married this week in Upper Egypt and will return to Cairo this Fall for his final year of studies.
We invite you to also partner with us in prayer for these joys and concerns:
We give thanks to God for Jim Davis, who designated ETSC among the recipients of a generous one time donation. His gift designated support for New Church Developments in the Synod of the Nile as well as PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers who serve on the ETSC faculty and the ETSC Student Scholarship fund. It was his intention that this contribution be a “lead gift” that would encourage others to follow his example in identifying Egypt as an area of critical potential among PC(USA) World Mission Global Partners. In addition to prayers for all of our students and faculty members, we invite you to pray for the family of a recent graduate, Rev. Joseph Fathy. Joseph graduated at the top of his class in 2013 and was serving a village church in Upper Egypt. He died unexpectedly of natural causes on August 13. He leaves a wife, Wessa, and a son who is due to be born next month as well as his family and congregation. His death has brought a deep sadness to the ETSC community. So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart Psalm 90:12 ETSC begins the journey toward accreditation with two visitors from the European Evangelical Accrediting Association, a quality assurance network serving evangelical theological schools in Europe. We are preparing for their first on-campus visit September 30 to October 2.
Save the Date: It is our great honor to invite you to attend the second international conference organized by The Center for Middle Eastern Christianity (CMEC) at ETSC. The conference is entitled “The Arabic Translations of the Bible: Celebrating 150 years of the van Dyke Translation.” It will be held from December 1-3, 2015. The conference will focus on two main themes: Arabic translations of the Bible, and the history of van Dyke’s translation. Presentations will be in Arabic and English. Further details to follow.