Jerusalem First Post

I have tried to do these blogs in chronological order, but we have had such an incredible last couple of days that I wanted to go ahead and share with you.  I will catch up with earlier experiences later.

We arrived in Jerusalem by bus on Monday.  Each day of this week has been filled with deeply moving experiences,but Saturday and Sunday have been overwhelming.

On Saturday evening each week, NETS has partnered with the Filipino Baptist Church in Tel Aviv to provide courses toward a Certificate in Christian Leadership.  Pastor Aries has done a great job in developing this congregation.  One of his more creative outreaches is sponsoring bus trips to various areas in Israel over the weekend. Most of the Filipinos work six day weeks and have either Saturday or Sunday off from work.  So he periodically conducts bus tours each of those days.  One of those trips was Saturday and included a sunrise service on the Mount of Olives!  He asked me to share with the group.

So Lynda and I made our way across the city from our apartment at 6:30 a. m.!  We watched the sunrise over the Mount of Olives and watched the colors of the Old City change from gray to a wonderful golden glow!

Then a little after 7:00 a. m. we gathered for worship on the hillside. 

We were even joined by a camel!

Great praise music!

So I had the opportunity to share the story of Christ with three busloads of wonderful people from Tel Aviv on the top of the Mount of Olives.  Many indicated that they made a commitment to become a Christ follower!  An amazing experience!

Pastor Aries is doing a phenomenal job of leading his church but also providing effective and creative ministries to the larger community.  Through these many come to a new or deeper commitment to Christ. In the last blog I asked for your prayers for this service.  Thank you!

We then headed to the Old City for a day of sightseeing.  We walked through the busy market area.

 But first stopped for tea and some snacks for breakfast!

At the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City, they have restored and created a wonderful museum, Tower of David Museum, which provides an historical overview of the city of Jerusalem.  

Then we were able to do one of the things we had most looked forward to--walk the rampart walls around the city!  You can actually walk almost the entire circumference of the Old City along the walls.  We did about half of the city!

It was a wonderful walk and provided fantastic views across the city!  We finished the day with a visit to David's Tomb and the Upper Room and then to a place called Peter in Gallicantu, where tradition locates Caiaphas' house and the location of where Peter denied Christ.  The church even has a rooster on top!

Easter just added to the excitement of our time here.  I will post another blog tomorrow about our experiences being in Jerusalem for Easter!

Please pray:

For the Vice-President of NETS Azar Ajaj.  His father passed away Saturday evening.

For the NETS courses being taught at the Filipino Church that new leaders will be trained, encouraged and then step up in ministry.

For NETS students who are in the midst of completing papers and other assigned projects.

For peace in this land

Thanks!

Stan and Lynda

This is such a rich and diverse country and the opportunities that Lynda and I have enjoyed have made it almost impossible to keep up with each day's new experiences.  Let me catch up on a few items:

Nimrod's Fortress sits high on a hill in northern Galilee like a fairy-tale castle.  It was built in the 13th century to protect the route from Tyre to Damascus.  The drive up to the fortress as well as the view from the top were breathtaking!  We then headed further north to Mt Hermon, which sits on the border with Syria. 

 It is now a very popular ski resort for all kinds of people from all over Israel.

This ridge on Mt Hermon is where the countries of Lebanon, Syria and Israel meet!

Our next day trip took us to Mt Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration (although many argue that it was at Mt Hermon.)  Mt Tabor is just a short distance south of Nazareth and sits in the middle of the Jezreel Valley like a huge haystack. 

On top is the beautiful Basilica of the Transfiguration with incredibly diverse and colorful gardens.

Several villages line the base of the Mountain including Deborah and En Dor where Saul sought out the counsel of a medium.

In the midst of these traveling opportunities we continue to participate with the weekly prayer gathering of NETS staff and the Tuesday evening classes.  Lynda and I are working on implementing the first stages of a development plan for the seminary.  We are updating and revising their mailing list and preparing a series of publications to tell the story of NETS, its students, faculty and alumni.  When the first issue is ready to be sent I will let all of you know how you can be on their e-letter list.  NETS continues to provide theologically sound and academically rigorous training which is unlike anything else in the country.  It has been a privilege to be associated with them.

On a recent Sunday we had the privilege of traveling with Pastor Afif and Mimi to the Jordan River and then out for lunch.  Yardenit is the place along the Jordan where tradition says Jesus was baptized by John.  It may not be the actual place but it provides a wonderful setting to consider it.

Lynda and Mimi on the Jordan River

Church groups come here daily to conduct baptismal services.

Here is a gentleman who was just baptized who paused in the river and had a private time of praise and worship!

We are getting ready for a road trip to Jerusalem, so we spent a week just in Nazareth, visiting places we had missed and enjoying this wonderful city.

We really enjoy the food!  These are five "salads" that are often served as  preliminaries to the main meal!

The massive Basilica of the Annunciation dominates the skyline of Nazareth

.We continue to enjoy our Saturday mornings at the local market.  Where each trip we meet new people and enjoy tea, coffee and sweets with our friends!

Our bread lady makes a fantastic bread with anise.

Plus making new friends!

Our apartment sits behind this tan building.

At the end of this lane.

Here is the view just below our apartment as we walk down into town.

 I will be posting another blog in another day or two from our trip to Jerusalem.

Please pray for me on Saturday morning as I have been asked to speak at an evangelistic rally on the Mount of Olives!  Thanks for following us on our journey in Israel!  Have a blessed Easter!

A Day at NETS

Blog Post March 21

For today's blog we thought we would walk you through a typical day at NETS.  The Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS) opened its door in September 2007. NETS is an independent, inter-denominational evangelical seminary with links to and historic roots in the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel. NETS offers Bachelor of Divinity, Master of Theology, Certificate in Leadership Development and Bachelor of Theology in Arabic.  Since most of the students also maintain full-time jobs, ministry in a local church and are married with a family, the class schedules have to be creative and flexible, usually in the evening.  

So the day begins . . .

The building housing NETS is located in the American Quarter of Nazareth in a city of over 65,000 where 70% are Muslim and 30% are Christian.  It is located not far from Mary's Well and the rest of the historic center of Nazareth. Previously the building was the residence and ministry home used by Southern Baptist ministers serving in this area.

As the day begins the classrooms sit empty.

The library shelves are quiet.  NETS hosts the only evangelical theological library in all of Israel that is open to the public.

But for faculty and staff the day has already begun. 

Dr. Bryson Arthur, a native of Scotland and founder of NETS, serves as President and Professor of Systematic Theology.  Today he will teaching a course on suffering for the MA students.  He is a passionate visionary and keen theological mind.  

Azar Ajaj serves as the Vice President of the Seminary and a lecturer in Pastoral Studies and the Old Testament.  He will soon be taking on an expanded leadership role for NETS.   He is a native to Nazareth and brings a warmth and gentleness that provides great encouragement to students, faculty and staff alike but also a depth of wisdom that helps NETS make wise decisions.  A well respected pastor he now serves full-time with NETS.

Alex Miller is a distinguished teacher and in addition to serving as Academic Dean lectures in Church History and Theology.  His knowledge of Arabic makes him an invaluable resource to faculty and students alike.

Phil Hill (on the right in the photo) leads in Ministerial Formation and lectures in Pastoral Studies.  He is well-known  in the UK as well as Israel as a premiere preacher.  

Brent Neely is the product of ministering parents who served in a number of countries throughout Europe and the Middle East, which has instilled in him a great passion for sharing the gospel with all people.  In addition to serving as  a lecturer in New Testament, Brent has been actively involved in a church outside of Nazareth.  He will continue teaching a course on the Book of Ephesians.  He also brings a knowledge of Arabic which adds much to the fervor and passion he brings to teaching.

Philip Sumpter is a recent addition to the team at NETS.  He is a lecturer in Old Testament and is currently involved in the publication of his Ph.D. dissertation and translating a work written in German about theological understandings in this area into English!  Note that the facilities of NETS are stretched to their maximum and so Philip is working on his lesson material while enjoying the sunshine on the porch!

Bill and Marie Kirk are the newest additions to the NETS Team.  Bill is tutoring a student in the West Bank, working with the library and also mentoring several of the students in the MDiv and MA programs.  Marie serves as the Personal Assistant to Bryson.  They come to Israel after years in ministry in Scotland and other parts of Britain.

May Arthur provides a wealth of administrative  help for NETS.  She also helps to tutor students .  Her gift of hospitality is a blessing to the entire team.

Maye Ashkar serves as librarian for NETS.  Her grace and gift of helps assists students and faculty in finding the resource materials needed for their work.

Each Tuesday morning the faculty and staff gather for prayer.  Prayer for the staff, students, courses and the challenges facing NETS.  It is a deeply moving experience.  It is a time to pray.  Fervent pleading with God kind of prayer recognizing the incredible challenges and obstacles to do what NETS does in its setting but with complete confidence that NETS is in the stream of God's amazing activity in Israel!

So the day begins.  May and Marie are updating student information and responding to the numerous inquiries from potential students, potential partners, and various requests from local churches and pastors.

 But we do take time for a cup of Arabic coffee or tea!

 Here are four of the "leading ladies" at NETS.  In addition to Marie, May and Lynda, Ibtisam Ajaj has joined the group today.  She is a teacher and has tutored many of the faculty in Arabic.

 The day continues as pastors and other church leaders drop by.  Here Azar is joined by Bader Mansour, on the right, who serves as the General Secretary of the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel and Andrew Abu-Ghazaleh, Executive Director of International Leadership Seminars.

Ziad Farraj drops by for tutoring with Philip Sumpter as he works on his paper.  Ziad also serves as part of the leadership team at the Tur'an Baptist Church

Bryson is joined by Munther Na'um, chairman of the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel and a leader of the Council of Evangelical Churches in Israel.

Here are three of our students in the MA program from left to right, Samer Artouf, Hanni Sayir and Afif Saba.

Plus the library is no longer just quiet shelves but a buzz with activity as Brent coaches the students in how to do research on the background to the book of Ephesians.

It has grown quiet around NETS after a full day but relationships have been formed and strengthened, the word of God has been taught, deep theological issues have been considered and leaders in the evangelical churches of Israel are being trained all with attention to quality, excellence and high academic standards.    NETS really is an amazing place where God continues to do amazing things!

Please join Lynda and me in praying for NETS:

• Wisdom as it deals with the challenge of finances
• Vision as it anticipates significant leadership changes over the next several months.
• Recruitment of students with a passion for learning and serving
• The Filipino Leadership course and that it might be a pilot of a new and expanded role for NETS in training church leadership in Israel
• For Lynda and me as we enter the last half of our sabbatical time here that we might be attentive to what God has been teaching us and we might make a meaningful contribution to the extraordinary work of NETS.

Next blog we will pick up on more of our travels!