Pray for Christians in Egypt

The note is forwarded from Hunter Farrell, the Director of Presbyterian World Mission  and copied from his Facebook post:

Message from the General Secretary of the Synod of the Nile, founded by Presbyterian missionaries a century ago and now the largest Protestant church in the Middle East:

The Church in Egypt has passed through very difficult circumstances this week, when the terrorist group ISIS slaughtered 21 Christian Egyptians in Libya. They were young people, who went to Libya to look for work. They were slaughtered while they were saying, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom: All the Egyptian churches were involved together in setting up special prayers for the victims' families.

The Church in Egypt appreciates the role played by the state in these circumstances. The President of the Republic went to the Orthodox Church in order to bring consolation. Also, all government and Islamic authorities participated in the condolences, and denounced the terrorist act.
The Church felt grateful to the President, who went to the Orthodox Church for consolation. The Church supports the rapid reaction of the government, which is represented in the air strikes against the terrorist group.

We thank all our brothers and sisters all over the world, who participated with the Egyptian Church in these circumstances, in writing condolences or in prayer. We pray that the Lord blesses and preserves Egypt, and makes the Church in Egypt, a witness to the Lord in this region.

General Secretary
Rev. Refat Fathy

New Book: The Presbyterian Mission Enterprise

New Book:

I am pleased to announce the publication of my new book: The Presbyterian Mission Enterprise: From Heathen to Partner. My book is now available for purchase at wipfandstock.com. 

American Presbyterians have a remarkable heritage of foreign mission work. While today the mission and ministry of the Presbyterian Church and all of mainline Protestantism is in a time of reformation and deep change, it is vital to remember this heritage of world mission. The Presbyterian Mission Enterprise tells this story by highlighting significant mission leaders through the ages. Our story includes Francis Makemie, a colonial-era missionary pastor and church planter who gathered with colleagues to form the first Presbytery in 1706. Tough, old-school Presbyterians like Ashbel Green insisted on a distinctive Presbyterian mission effort, and Presbyterians were among those who heard the call exemplified by William Carey to take the gospel to the whole world. This vision beckoned Walter Lowrie into leadership, and Presbyterians joined the great missionary movement. Robert Speer was a driving force behind this growing movement, negotiating a moderate path through bitter conflicts. After the traumas of World War II, John Coventry Smith worked to reconfigure and redirect the mission enterprise. Now, in an era marked by fragmentation and realignment, leaders like Clifton Kirkpatrick and Hunter Farrell work to continue the Presbyterian mission enterprise as a vital piece of the way forward. Our heritage guides our future.