Egypt (MNN) — We want to introduce you to a new ministry partner – the largest Evangelical church in the Arab world!
Kasr El-Dobara Evangelical Church (KDEC), located in Egypt, was founded by Dr. Ibrahim Said in 1949 with a “missions DNA.” Since then, the church has grown into the largest Arab Evangelical congregation, with 12,000 members.
(Photo courtesy of KDEC)
KDEC’s Pastor Sam emphasizes, “It’s not about the number, actually. It’s about the Kingdom. We are Kingdom-minded, not church-minded.
“We believe that the Church exists for the Great Commission, to continue the message that Jesus Christ started, and help people to get to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We pass the message of hope for people.”
Out of Egypt’s 118 million people, Pastor Sam says, “At least 20 million are Christians. The majority are Coptic Orthodox — 93%. Five percent are Evangelicals, and the rest are Catholic. So we are a minority among minorities — but thank God that we can reach the multitude!”
KDEC meets people where they are through creative outreach. Pastor Sam says, for example, “We have the largest sports ministry program in the Middle East. We serve around 750,000 per year across Egypt and also in the Middle East. We are using sports to reach people [with] the knowledge of Christ.”
(Photo courtesy of KDEC)
Another outreach draws thousands to music festivals. “We developed a program called Count It Right in partnership with Palau’s organization. We have a festival, and people come from different backgrounds to watch the shows. In each station, we share…the Gospel.”
Whatever the method, Pastor Sam says it all comes down to one goal — telling as many people as possible about Jesus.
“We are using different ‘languages.’ I don’t mean like Arabic and English. I mean languages like sports, music, apologetics, media, [and] social media to grab people’s attention to the message of Christ.”
When asked how Christians can pray, Pastor Sam responds with sincere reverence: “Pray for grace and wisdom as we’re serving the Lord. [Pray] for the Church in Egypt to be in the center of God’s will, and to be brave, and to continue sharing the Good News without fear.”
Learn more about KDEC at their website.
Header photo courtesy of KDEC.
