09446
June 5, 2009

Cairo seminary reflects Christian history in Egypt

PC(USA) missionaries started school more than 150 years ago

by Erin Dunigan
Special to Presbyterian News Service

The chapel at Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo. Photo by Erin Dunigan

CAIRO, EGYPT — The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) sits in the midst of an average residential neighborhood in the outskirts of Cairo, but it is hardly an ordinary place.

Cairo, in many ways, assaults the senses. Desert sands coat almost any available surface. The streets, lacking painted lanes, are crammed with cars, taxis, motorcycles and pedestrians who weave through speeding traffic, often six lanes wide. Honking fills the air — less from road rage than a simple announcement that “I’m coming through.” Mosques silhouette the horizon in whatever direction you look.

In the midst of it all, the ETSC has been training Christian leaders for more than 150 years. 

Egypt is hardly a culture lacking in its commitment to theological ideas. One has only to take a tour through the Egyptian Museum to see this. One artifact after another reflects attempts by its ancient inhabitants to touch the divine. A walk among the majestic pyramids, built to help the pharaohs enter the afterlife, is another reflection of Egypt’s long history and fascination with things of a divine nature.

Though Christianity has been in Egypt for nearly 2,000 years, it was Presbyterian missionaries who founded what has now become one of the only theological training centers for evangelical (meaning Protestant) Christian leaders in what is overwhelmingly an Islamic region.

The first classes were held on boats — longboats the missionaries had used to sail up the Nile into the region. That same Nile is now lined with tourist hotels and riverboats. Since graduating its first class in 1863, the ETSC has been a central point in strengthening the church in Egypt as well as within Northern Africa.

Though plagued in recent years with struggles of finances and quality among its students and faculty, ETSC’s current president, Atef M. Gendy, has spent close to the past decade working to improve both the quality of the seminary’s education, as well as its relations with local churches within Egypt.

There are 243 students at the seminary — up from 90 in 2000.

During its graduation ceremonies in May, ETSC honored its more than 30 graduates — 14 of whom are candidates for ministry in the Presbyterian Church of Egypt.

It also honored graduates from the class of 1959, including keynote speaker Rev. Victor Makari, PC(USA) coordinator for the Middle East and Europe in World Mission.

In addition to training its own degree students, the seminary hosts a variety of faculty-led training programs for lay leaders, pastoral continuing education and evangelism.

The seminary also welcomes visitors from around the world — those looking to partner in some way with the work of the seminary, as well as individuals who might be looking for a bit of Christian hospitality in the desert.

Mark Vanciel, an elder from First Presbyterian Church of Visalia, CA, helped lead one such team in May. The congregation sponsors two of students at the ETSC.

“The pervasiveness of faith is fascinating to observe, especially in the way it helps people deal with poverty and political disenfranchisement,” Vanciel said.

In addition to visiting the two sponsored students, the folks from First-Visalia are seeking other ways to partner with the ETSC. During the May visit, for instance, the team attended a conference on water issues hosted by the ETSC.

“There is an overwhelming need for the introduction of clean water technology in rural Egypt, particularly in areas where Christians are concentrated,” explained Vanciel in recounting his conference learnings back to FPC Visalia, asking for prayer for fellow Christians in Egypt for whom the need of ‘living water’ is a daily reality.

Erin Dunigan is a free-lance writer and photographer in Newport Beach, CA, and a frequent contributor to PNS.