Recent years much has been written and said in this country regarding Arabs and evangelical Christians but for the most part not in the same sentence.
Shady Bishay, sales executive for a Boston high-tech firm and native of Egypt told some American friends that he belongs to an Arabic Evangelical Baptist Church in West Roxbury, Mass. Bishay said, “The first thing is that they are shocked that I’m a Christian who lives in Foxborough with my wife a native of Palestine.” “They have trouble understanding, it’s definitely not the norm.”
But in one of the most prominent places in West Roxbury right on Spring Street across from the Veterans Administration Hospital next to the Elks lodge stands the Arabic Evangelical Baptist Church. A modern building that is large with a faux lighthouse with meeting rooms and a television studio and attached gymnasium and underground parking area. A congregation around 200 is known as the largest church of its kind in the Northeast according to her leaders. A member of the Southern Baptist Convention who shares in the beliefs and traditions of the mega-churches that, are so influential in other areas of the United States. Khaled B. Ghobrial, the pastor said, “We are evangelical Baptists, we understand we are a minority of a minority, but we are reaching out.”
Most of the parishioners are first-generation immigrants of the Middle East and North Africa. They will come from the greater Boston area and for the most part the significant Arabic population from West Roxbury, Dedham and close by communities. The outreach will extend far beyond Massachusetts. The services are conducted in Arabic and recorded and video programs distributed to cable stations across the North America and by satellite to the Middle East.
Egypt native, Ghobrial came to Boston to head the church six years ago and finds it really amazing that his messages can reach such a far audience. In Ghobrial home country and for the most part the predominantly Muslim countries Christians are afraid to share their faith openly he said. “Actually God is opening the windows. Especially in the Middle East and North Africa, we never thought we could get our message into people’s homes,” Ghobrial said.
The largest Christian group in the Middle East is the Coptic Church then the Catholics and Evangelical Christians.
In 2006 the West Roxbury church opened on the site of an old lumberyard and warehouse. The church founded in the 1970’s and met for many years in rented space at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in West Roxbury. With the new building the church now has an outreach program, offering day care and language classes in Arabic and also English to the public. The church opens its space to community groups to use including Irish step-dancing classes.
According to Ghobrial “We have two symbols that summarize our vision: a lighthouse and a bridge.” The lighthouse shines brightly at night on top of the building. Inside the church lobby is a painting of a bridge. The main sanctuary will seat around 400, the baptismal pool is located at the front and to the side of the sanctuary. Music is provided by a band during the services includes drums, keyboard, electric guitar and other instruments.
“We are trying to be as wide as possible in our worship style,” Ghobrial said. “We have a multigenerational congregation.” Research assistant for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Jimmy Kamel, 22 born in the United States and has been a member of the church his whole life. His mother a Dedham resident is Syrian and his father is Egyptian. For the most part the programs are in Arabic with the offerings for youth are in English because they are the typical second-generation immigrants.
Kamel shared “My lifelong friends are from the church.” “The people there have been my core.” The members of the Arabic Evangelical Baptist Church like evangelicals anywhere take their message beyond the walls of their church.
During the summer months fifteen to twenty church members will go out once a month to spread the Gospel. “We go out in the streets, Downtown Crossing, Harvard Square, Revere Beach said Ghobrial.” ”We go to worship, to sing, to have free literature, to present the Gospel to all the Arabs, Christians and Muslims. We invite them to have a dialogue with us.” For the most part the people who speak Arabic a small number but in a day’s time a few will appear. “If you meet two, three Arabs through out the day who are interested to listen and to talk and to ask questions, this is a big catch,” Ghobrial said.
According to the pastor the church is growing and he has no visions of the church joining the evangelical churches of the American South. “Is the church growing? Yes! Is it growing like a mega-church? No! We’re not within the Bible belt. We’re in New England.”
Christian Web News - Jesus has a way of getting right to the point, doesn't He? There was certainly no mincing of words, He came right out and said, "why are you fearful?" and then went on to say, "O you of little faith." You don't have to read between the lines to see what He was saying, they had little faith.
Christian Web News - Galatians 3:13-14. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree''), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Recent years much has been written and said in this country regarding Arabs and evangelical Christians but for the most part not in the same sentence.
Shady Bishay, sales executive for a Boston high-tech firm and native of Egypt told some American friends that he belongs to an Arabic Evangelical Baptist Church in West Roxbury, Mass. Bishay said, “The first thing is that they are shocked that I’m a Christian who lives in Foxborough with my wife a native of Palestine.” “They have trouble understanding, it’s definitely not the norm.”
