Many live in tents or temporary shelters that are easily flooded by the cold deluge. A US project could soon provide housing for thousands of Palestinians, but it would require them to move to Israeli-controlled territory.

Gaza’s two above-ground churches shelter hundreds of Palestinian Christians from the harsh weather. However, believers are not immune to hardship. Essential supplies for daily life are in short supply there.

“We tried to help as much as we could, to strengthen them and support them, but it’s like living in hell,” President of Bethlehem Bible College, Jack Sara, says.

“They don’t know if they will survive the next day, because it’s a fact that even the churches were fire bombed and shelled. We had over 20 people who were killed inside the churches.”

Stepping outside the church walls – even briefly – also brought danger. “A few were killed by snipers,” Sara says.

“Two women, for example, at the Catholic Church; another who was a music teacher and music minister at the Baptist Church, was killed by a sniper bullet and left to die on the street.”

Help from afar

Before and during the latest ceasefire, family members outside Gaza – including some who work at Bethlehem Bible College – have worked to gather support.

Representative AI photo of Palestinian Christian created by ChatGPT.

“We mainly communicated and channeled whatever help we could through the churches that are there,” Sara says. “We have run a school for many months now, a medical clinic, food, clothing, and special gifts for children.”

Nearly half of Gaza’s known Christians left the war-torn enclave during previous ceasefires. “Before the war, there were about 1,000 Christians living in Gaza. Sadly, after two years of war, I think we have about 600 at a maximum,” Sara says.

Those who remain in Gaza need your prayers. Ask the Lord to help Palestinian Christians trust Him with an unknown future. “Pray for settlement for the Christian community. We need to pray that resources will be offered so they can rebuild their lives again,” Sara says.

“I cannot guarantee that those Christians who are there now will stay. It’s a horrible situation. If all of them lost their houses and were offered a way out to live somewhere else, I cannot blame them for that – especially if you have small children and you want them to live in a safe zone,” he continues.

“Nothing guarantees that Israel will not do war again in Gaza.”

Pray for a “just peace that is not just calming the war, but that people will have their dignity and freedom of movement,” Sara requests.

“They [can] live in their houses and cultivate their land without fear that it will be taken from them or confiscated.”

Header and story images are representative AI-generated photos of Palestinian Christians, created by ChatGPT. 

Last month, violence in the West Bank reached its highest level since recording started in 2006. Jack Sara, from Bethlehem Bible College, says believers in the region are at risk.

Near-daily attacks by Israeli settlers are reportedly leading to a record displacement of West Bank Palestinians.

“Palestinian Christians, both in Gaza and in the West Bank, need prayers. The small communities that are remaining now in the West Bank are facing some existential threat to staying inside the country,” Sara says.

“Besides the political instability, besides the danger, the Jewish settlers living in the West Bank sometimes even target Christian villages.”

Attacks recently hit close to home for the college. “Not long ago, one of our students, his car was firebombed by settlers in the village of Taybeh, close to Ramallah,” Sara says.

Palestinian Christians
(Photo generated using AI/Gencraft)

Meanwhile, Palestinian Christians in Gaza are running out of options as winter approaches.

“After the ceasefire, many of them tried to return to what remained of their houses, [but] there is no place for them to return,” Sara says. “So, they refrained from either renting – if there is anything available – or just going back to the churches.”

Gaza City’s Catholic Holy Family Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius shelter most of the tiny Christian community remaining in Gaza – only several hundred, by most estimates.

“Almost 400 people were able to leave during earlier ceasefire seasons,” Sara says.

Pray for continued peace so that Christians who remain in Gaza can rebuild their lives.

“We’re trusting that the American administration will continue to hold back the war machine of Israel, but that’s not guaranteed at all. It’s all in the air right now,” Sara says.

Header image depicts Jewish settlements on a hill above a Palestinian town circa 2011. (Wikimedia Commons)

Dr. Awad was raised in a refugee family. When Dr. Awad was just a child, his father was killed by a sniper right outside their family home. His mother raised him and his six siblings until they were old enough to attend boarding school. Then, in 1979, he first heard God’s call. 

According to Dr. Jack Sara, current president of Bethlehem Bible College, “He went through a lot of persecution, hardship, difficulties, and attacks. Yet he served and was able to establish one of the most impressive evangelical institutions in the Middle East which had an impact over generations of people like myself and many others who studied at Bethlehem Bible College.”

Sara says that 70% of pastors in Palestine and neighboring regions graduated from Bethlehem Bible College. That impact cannot be understated, especially in a region as spiritually volatile as the Middle East.

“A man like that should not only be honored, but also his legacy should be carried on by people like myself and many others, because of how he was a prayerful man of faith, a man that did not fear, despite the hardships he faced and despite the brokenness he faced.”

The Labib Madanat Kingdom Impact Award takes the form of a kintsugi bowl. Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese pottery art that involves piecing together broken fragments using gold, making the resulting bowl far stronger and more beautiful than it was originally. It’s symbolic of the challenges that forge great spiritual leaders in the Middle East. Dr. Awad’s legacy earned him a spot amongst those leaders.

But Dr. Awad hasn’t served at Bethlehem Bible College for some time. In fact, twelve years ago, he passed the baton to Dr. Jack Sara. Where is Bethlehem Bible College now, and what is their vision for their students and the people those students will serve?

“We want to serve the Lord in his land, and we want to be faithful to his call for us in such a land that has been in turmoil as long as anyone could remember,” Sara says. 

“I remember [Dr. Awad] telling me that when he was approached by one of the guys who supported us for quite a long time, and he asked him, ‘Why should I support you? You guys work in a war zone. Who would establish such a thing in a war zone?’ And [Dr. Awad] said, ‘This is in this place that we need to empower agents of peace, the love of Christ, and the work of the Kingdom.’”

Ultimately, Bethlehem Bible College’s true leader is God, and He has remained faithful in the face of every conflict. 

“Despite the difficulties, God is faithful with us, and because of His faithfulness, we want to be faithful to Him and His people and the church in the Holy Land and in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Pray for the continued legacy of Bethlehem Bible College and the leaders it empowers. Ask God if He wants you to participate in furthering that legacy. And thank Him for the blessing that Dr. Awad has been upon the Middle East and the rest of the world. 

Header photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College.

In Gaza, several churches were destroyed, and approximately 20 percent of Christians left. Those who remain have been trapped by the conflict, living as refugees. But even the Christian community outside of Gaza has been affected.

Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College.

Reverend Jack Sara, President of Bethlehem Bible College, says the devastating ripple effects have extended to the West Bank.

“It’s hard. People are frustrated,” Rev. Sara says. “Every day you hear people are leaving the country.”

West Bank tourism has dropped drastically. Military checkpoints, road closures, and violence are the new norm. Businesses struggle to remain open, and simply commuting between towns is an ordeal.

Rev. Sara says, “In Bethlehem, it did impact us because like I said, over 60% of the income depends on tourism here in the city.”

Those who can afford it, including local Christians, are choosing to go elsewhere. But Bethlehem Bible College remains as a ministry to the Middle East and support for the local Church.

“We want the Christians to remain here. Just imagine this country without the Christians,” Rev. Sara sasys.

A New Opportunity

Bethlehem Bible College is giving some Christians a new reason to stay. The college has partnered with other institutions in the Middle East and North Africa to offer a doctorate program in theology. It is the first of its kind in the region’s history.

Previously, Christian scholars from the MENA region had to study abroad if they wanted to pursue a PhD. Other doctorate programs also tend to represent a Western worldview. Bethlehem Bible College, the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Lebanon, and the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo have formed the Middle East Graduate Theological Consortium to provide students with another option unique to their region.

“These scholars will study a PhD in their context,” Rev. Sara says.

“They don’t have to leave somewhere to get it. And it will focus on what we call a contextual theology, understanding the Bible in our context.”

The doctorate program will also welcome students to apply from anywhere in the world and study remotely. Learn more about the new program.

Bethlehem Bible College continues to offer several online courses and degrees, such as peace studies and Arabic, for anyone interested in ministry and the Middle East. Find out more here.

Pray for God to bring true peace and sustain His people in Palestine. Ask Him to provide for the ongoing ministry of Bethlehem Bible College and consider supporting a student.

Rev. Sara says, “We depend on donations and people who want to support the work of the Kingdom through Bethlehem Bible College.”

Photos courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College.

Dr. Sara says, “Nobody expected the escalation to happen this way. Of course, as people who are for peace [and] justice for both peoples at the same time, really we lament the loss of innocent lives on all sides. It’s very hard. Everybody is in prayer, to be honest.

(Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College)

“We have several students who are in Gaza who are in communication with us, and they’re afraid. They have families. They have little kids. It’s a terrible situation.”

United Nations representatives warn of a dire humanitarian crisis for innocent Palestinians affected by the Israeli government’s siege.

“It’s not only Gaza,” says Dr. Sara. “Israel has already taken measures to close on the West Bank and cut off a lot of resources from the West Bank which means, besides the millions of people that live in Gaza, another 3 million people in the West Bank as well will suffer.

“This is added to the act of retaliation that some individuals or people will do against Palestinians here and there…. Around Palestinian towns, there are already reported attacks against Palestinians.”

Please pray for wisdom as Bethlehem Bible College represents Christ among suffering Palestinians in an overwhelming crisis.

Dr. Sara says, “Emotions are very high and young people are very angry. They need people to calm them. They need voices to calm them down and give them a Christian perspective.”

(Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College)

Learn more about Bethlehem Bible College and how to support their Gospel-centered education work at their website here.

Send a prayer or message of encouragement to our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters at Bethlehem Bible College.

Pray for a true, Gospel-driven peace over the region.

Header photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College.

Despite these challenges, would you believe Palestine is a top missionary-sending country?

The Palestinian Church sends out roughly 3,400 missionaries per one million Christians.

Jack Sara, President of Bethlehem Bible College says, “One of the cool things about Palestinian Christians is they are very proud of their faith and they are willing to share it wherever they are. The situation with occupation and difficulty suffering certainly has made out of them a resilient people, particularly the Christians.”

(Photo courtesy of Brett Zeck/Unsplash)

This commitment to missions reveals the Gospel heart cultivated in the Palestinian Church, and serves as a challenge and encouragement to other believers.

“The global Church would do a good thing to provide a platform for Palestinian Christians to speak, to come and share experiences there [and] some of the lessons learned from living the Gospel in such hard circumstances,” says Sara.

These hard circumstances often qualify Palestinian missionaries to connect with people in other countries where life is difficult — and offer them the Living Hope of Jesus Christ.

Sara says, “We’re living in an atmosphere where you’re, in all circumstances, between a rock and a hard place. So you learn to grow your faith, you learn to depend on the Lord, [and] your faith grows as you get deeper in the Word of God.”

Do you know any Palestinian Christians, especially on the mission field? As the Lord brings the people of Palestine to your mind and heart, please take the time to join them in prayer.

Sara offers these requests: “Pray for the unity of the Palestinian Church. Pray that the Lord will transform more churches in places that are with no Church.

“Pray that really the Church would continue sending people outside…. Even when they are becoming immigrants sometimes, they are missionaries wherever they go. In every circumstance, [pray] that the Lord would keep us mission-minded first.”

Click here to learn more about Bethlehem Bible College.

Header photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College.

Jack Sara, President of Bethlehem Bible College, says, “He was probably the first Christian to reach out to them with blankets with food parcels and tents. He just treated them as humans. He helped with bringing letters to their families, reaching out to their families in Gaza and elsewhere.”

Until his death, Brother Andrew was welcome in Gaza. He once presented a Bible to President Yasser Arafat. He once wrote, “There are no terrorists . . . As long as we see any person—Muslim, Communist, terrorist—as an enemy, then the love of God cannot flow through us to reach him.”

Work with Palestinians

1992 was also the year Sara first met Brother Andrew. “He was very much, I would say, involved in seeing that Bethlehem Bible College will continue to advance in its both training of students, but also outreach to the community around us.”

“When I wanted to go to seminary (I didn’t know this till after a while), Andrew was the guy who paid for my ticket to study in the Philippines for my Masters of Divinity.”

Brother Andrew angered many Christians in the U.S. through his gentleness. He mourned the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and called the killing of Osama Bin Laden a murder.

Sara says Brother Andrew practiced “Aggressive bridge-building. He was a supporter of reconciliation work with Palestinian Christians and Messianic Jews. He tried to help even those who would be looked at as fundamentalists or fanatics.”

Pray Christians around the world would learn from Brother Andrew’s gentleness and love.

The header photo shows Sara with Brother Andrew. (Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College)

Several media sources and rights groups say an Israeli gunman killed her. The Israeli government says it has not reached a conclusion about what happened.

But the incident took place in Palestinian territory, says Jack Sara, President of the Bethlehem Bible College (BBC). “Just imagine a crime happening somewhere near the border between Canada and the U.S., on the U.S. side. [An investigation] would be done by the country or by the ruling government that is on the ground there.”

People gathered to hear the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference at BBC. (Photo courtesy of the Bethlehem Bible College on Facebook)

Christ as the Checkpoint

Sara encourages listeners to visit Palestinian territory and see the conditions for themselves. “The Israeli army is an occupation in the West Bank, and they have the upper hand. Their existence in the West Bank is illegal. Nobody’s talking about it, sadly, because people don’t see things from the ground here.”

Many Christian tourists spend as little as five hours on the Palestinian side of the wall.

That’s the focus of the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference, recently held at BBC. Sara says, “We’re asking people to really see the Palestinians and Israelis in the same lens, using the same criticism they use against the Palestinians, towards the Israelis.”

“The Church, sadly, because of certain theologies, politics, or propaganda, sometimes also takes positions.”

The conference featured several different speakers talking about the things Palestinians experience in occupied territory. See a video about the event here.

One speaker, Dr. Muncher Isaac, said the solution to these troubles will not come through big events, but through the Kingdom of God. He said, “Hope is like the small mustard seed. It is our hope that this conference is just one of many small mustard seeds.”

Pray for peace in Palestinian territory.

The header photo shows the podium used in the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference at BBC. (Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College on Facebook)

Last week, Palestinian young people carried out protests near Bethlehem Bible College. Israeli soldiers met them with tear gas.  College president Jack Sara asks readers to pray for the safety of everyone involved.

In the middle of all this, Sara says, “I don’t hear Palestinian Christians calling for revenge or violence. So may their voices be lifted high and their voices be heard by the people around us.”

How things got this bad

The current unrest began in Jerusalem, where some Palestinians were being evicted from their homes. But the situation changed when Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque. “And in that Dome of the Rock, basically anything happens intensifies things all over the country because people are passionate. This is the most sacred religious place for Muslims in our land.”

Sara says a lasting peace is in the best interest of both Israelis and Palestinians. Pray also for the safety of Palestinian Christians. “I have a few friends who live in Gaza, and all of them are really in fear. So let’s pray for courage, hope, and protection for the Christians in Gaza. [Pray for] the same thing in the West Bank. Christians are asking for protection and a just peace to come amongst Palestinians.”

The header photo comes courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College on Facebook. 

Explosions in Gaza at night. (Photo courtesy of  Bethlehem Bible College on Facebook.)

The unrest began with the evictions of Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem. Jack Sara, President of Bethlehem Bible College, says, “What happened recently was related to the confiscation of several houses and a major neighborhood in Jerusalem, called Sheikh Jarrah.”

Over the weekend, Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites. Sara says the violence isn’t limited to Gaza or Jerusalem. “Last night was one of the most horrific nights. The police started to control things and wanted to calm things. So they put a curfew on all the cities. But they found buses, a lot of buses, coming into those cities from all over the Israeli cities, carrying radical groups. These groups made the call for Israeli settlers to come and attack the cities. They started attacking Arab shops. And the Arabs they found in the street, they start kicking on them. There were even two or three lynchings of Palestinians who were caught in the middle of those groups.”

Pray for lasting peace

Pray for a lasting end to the violence and that the love of Palestinian Christians will point a way forward. Sara says, “Pray for protection for Christians. Christians are not in isolated places, they live in the midst of Palestinians. And they’re Arabs, which means they are targeted as well by radicals who want to target Arabs.”

The header photo shows destruction from the bombing in Gaza. (Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College on Facebook)