New fellowship formed to meet needs of Middle Eastern Christians

Tucson group pastored by Lebanese pastor

LOUISVILLE – A new fellowship started in Presbytery de Cristo and the Synod of the Southwest now enables Middle Eastern Presbyterians and other Arab-speaking Christians in the area to worship in their own language and culture.

The Rev. Georges Bitar, a pastor in Lebanon for 20 years and pastor of a new Middle East Christian fellowship in Tucson, AZ, and his wife, Mary. Photo courtesy of Georges Bitar

Headed by the Rev. Georges Bitar, a pastor in Lebanon for 20-plus years, the Tucson, Ariz.-based fellowship is a joint effort of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.’s Office of Middle Eastern Ministries in the USA, the synod and presbytery.

“We learned that there are enough Arab-speaking people there to start a fellowship,” said Amgad Beblawi, the PC(USA)’s associate for Middle Eastern Ministries in the USA. The synod and presbytery “both were very interested and eager to reach out to the populations there, and they were willing to put in some resources.” [Read more]

A new dream
Middle Eastern reflections on immigration

Noushin holds a little girl in one of the palapa homes in the village of Dzan, Mexico. Photo by Tiffany Gonzales.

Noushin Darya Framke, chair for the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC), provides this reflection on her experience in Merida, Mexico. Noushin traveled there in the fall of 2007 with ACREC committee members for a joint meeting with the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC). Together they explored and learned about the driving forces behind immigration and the impact on those who immigrate, as well as on the communities they leave behind.

My husband and I recently celebrated our 25th anniversary.  At a small and packed popular restaurant in New York City, they brought out our dessert with Prosecco on the house and a chocolate inscription around the plate that gave away our celebration to all the tables around us, opening the door for conversation. When the couple next to us said they came from Oklahoma, my husband felt compelled to tell them that I was from Iran, figuring they probably didn’t run into many Iranians in their circle. He was right. He apologized later in the cab, but I knew instantly why he did this.  It was because I have spent my 29 years in America playing the role of ambassador from Iran. [Read more]

Middle Eastern Presbyterians in the United States

Rooted in the Apostolic Faith ...
Nurtured in the Reformed Tradition ...
Witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ ...

Presbyterian Middle Eastern Americans trace the origin of their faith to the apostolic age, and their Reformed roots to Presbyterian missions in the Middle East in the 19th Century. There are currently more than 60 Middle Eastern Presbyterian congregations and fellowships in the United States, worshiping in the Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Farsi and Urdu languages.

The office of Middle Eastern Ministries provides spiritual and organizational services to enhance the ministry of Middle Eastern Presbyterian congregations and fellowships in the United States. Learn more.

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