Middle East
See an interactive map of the Middle East.
Visit the Middle East with World Mission
PC(USA) church leaders and members interested in mission in the Middle East are invited to visit the region with World Mission staff. If interested, please contact the Middle East Office.
Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy: Peace, war, and the Middle East
Policies, reports and resources
Background
The Middle East has been of prayerful concern for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for more than a century and a half. Over the years, educators, theological teachers, medical teams, rural health workers, agricultural experts, engineers and other specialists have been sent as missionaries by the Presbyterian Church to Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Israel, Iran, Iraq, other Gulf States and Afghanistan. In the 1800s Presbyterians are credited with the establishment of distinguished educational and health institutions in the region. Among those are the American University of Beirut, Beirut College for Women (later called Beirut University College and now Lebanese American University), the American University at Cairo and an impressive number of high-quality private primary and secondary schools and colleges. The American Mission Hospitals at Tanta and Assiut (Egypt) and Hamlin Hospital in the hills of Lebanon and places where many have experienced the love of God and the healing presence of Christ. Women’s formal education was an early initiative of Presbyterians in the region, recognizing that the strength of any society depends primarily on equal opportunities in education. The long vision of Presbyterians for theological education and rural-urban evangelism was primarily responsible for the development and growth of many vibrant new churches and two strong seminaries, one in Cairo (The Evangelical Theological Seminary) and the other in Beirut (The Near East School of Theology).
Middle Eastern Christians trace their faith traditions to the Apostolic age.
Today our church’s mission commitment is carried out through partnership with churches, church institutions, ecumenical bodies, Christian development agencies and health care programs, seeking to make known the love and compassion of Jesus Christ, and with nongovernmental organizations committed to promoting justice, peace, interfaith understanding and cooperation, stewardship of the environment, human and civil rights, religious liberty and the improvement of the quality of life.
The Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches brings together Protestant denominations throughout the Middle East.
Countries
All countries in the Middle East region are listed below; countries with web pages are highlighted.
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Algeria
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Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Yemen
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Staff
Amgad Beblawi, area coordinator for the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia
Lacey Gilliam, mission specialist
Regional liaisons for the Middle East
Steve Gorman, regional liaison for Egypt
Elmarie Parker, regional liaison for Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq
For more information about other PC(USA) mission co-workers in the Middle East, please contact the office for the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia at 502-569-5324.
Resources
A Statement of the Christian Academic Forum for Citizenship in the Arab World
Middle East Initiative of the UCC
The Spring 2015 issue of Mission Crossroads: "Answering Christ's Call in the Middle East"
Observing the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
The Presbyterian Church in the Middle East
The Presbyterian Evangelical movement offers faith, education and healthcare for people throughout the Middle East. Text and photographs by Rev. Kenneth Bailey, Th.D.—Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) Read more
Christians in the Middle East – Past, Present and Future
Can Christianity Survive in the Middle East?
Plentiful harvest: Presbyterians’ commitment to education is bearing fruit in rising aspirations for freedom across the Middle East —Presbyterians Today, August 2012 issue
American Presbyterians and the Middle East Conflict —American Presbyterians, Fall 1990
Arabic-speaking Christianity, a lecture by the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bailey
Horizons, September/October 2010 issue, "Christians in the Middle East"
Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth
Steadfast Hope: The Palestinian Quest for Just Peace
Read about Christians in the Middle East (from the BBC)
