August 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

The cliché is true—Egypt is a land of contrasts. The most noticeable contrast is that the ancient and the modern are right beside each other. This is most apparent at the Giza Sphinx and Pyramids. If you stand in front of the Sphinx looking in a straight line with the Great Pyramid, turn around and you are gazing at a Pizza Hut across from the entrance.

Old as well as new contrasts exist in this ancient land: the river next to the desert; the poverty alongside great wealth; the donkey pulling a cart in front of a double tractor-trailer; a woman at the Cairo Opera House veiled in black robes seated next to a woman in the latest Paris fashion; the stench of urban pollution interspersed with parks full of the fragrance of jasmine; the Internet café next to a live poultry shop; the camel rider in the village talking on his cell phone.

Within the main Protestant church, the Coptic Evangelical Church founded by American Presbyterians, there is a contrast between the churches now following the trend of North American TV evangelists into a more charismatic or Pentecostal-style worship and those Coptic Evangelical churches worshipping in a more traditional Protestant style. Sound familiar in the United States?

Who are the Christians of Egypt? They are all of the above-mentioned worshippers of Christ. Just as in North America, in Egypt the diversity of Christians is great and the diversity is increasing. But being an Egyptian or Coptic Evangelical Christian is quite different from being a Presbyterian in the United States. In the first place, being a Christian means being part of minority—usually estimated as being between 9-12 percent of the total population of around 70 million. Being Coptic Evangelical means being a small minority of the minority.

Existing as a small minority is difficult enough. Being perceived as “Western sympathizers” or as members of a Western-founded religious denomination can make Egyptian life for the Coptic Evangelicals even more difficult. Some Evangelicals have said that they feel the need to demonstrate national loyalty more than other fellow-citizens. In this political and religious environment, is our presence as modern day U.S. Presbyterian “missionaries” more a help than a hindrance to the Coptic Evangelicals? From every Coptic Evangelical asked this question, the answer is a strong “yes.” Nevertheless, how we live and work among all Egyptians makes the difference as to our acceptance as genuine, caring people within the society.

The 23 Synod of the Nile Evangelical schools remain a significant placement for PC(USA) mission personnel. Within these schools, which have Muslim majorities, is the opportunity to demonstrate love for all of God’s people. This year, two of our four Young Adult Volunteers worked with the students at Ramses College for Girls. Becca Hylander taught physical education and Christian religion classes in English. Renee Banas worked with the lower primary students in special English enrichment activities such as English storytelling, games, songs, and library visits. Both Christian and Muslim students adored them and clustered around whenever Becca or Renee were spotted in the schoolyard. The classroom work is not easy—the teaching methodology and behavior management is very different. The development of mutual respect, understanding, and even love is what makes worthwhile all the hard work of adjustment to a different school system.

Elizabeth Nees was this year’s Young Adult Volunteer serving as director of the children’s English program for St. Andrew’s Refugee Ministries. This program is for young refugees from war-torn Sudan. The children are learning English in order to be resettled through the UNHCR in an English-speaking country such as Canada, the United States, or Australia. Elizabeth lived out her Christian love for some of the most poor and needy children in the world. The children taught her that their experience of fleeing horrendous war conditions did not crush the miracle of their God-given inner spark of joy and love.

Rob Nelson, who worked in the seminary library, discovered that the young seminary students at the Evangelical Theology Seminary were very eager to know him. He had the opportunity to socialize with many of the seminarians and even travel with them to their village homes in Upper Egypt. The village churches warmly welcomed him and included him in their worship. Each week Rob traveled to the Upper Egyptian town of Minya to teach English to the staff of a Christian NGO called the “Better Life Association for Community Development.” In Minya Rob found his home in Egypt. He was loved as friend, brother, and son, and also respected as a professional English teacher.

The contrast that has come to be most significant in my life in Egypt is between the anti-Americanism found in the Egyptian newspapers and the Egyptian people’s love for American Christian people who openly, freely give of their care and skills to all Egyptians—Muslim and Christian. The PC(USA) and the Coptic Evangelical Church have vital partnership that allows U.S. Presbyterians to demonstrate their Christian faith by working in service to all Egyptians. Thanks be to God.

Carole

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 318