Middle East
Middle East
The conflict in Syria has opened up the eyes of Middle Eastern Christians and Muslims to their shared humanity. Muslims in need of food and shelter have found themselves knocking on the doors of churches, and local believers have found their hearts breaking in love for people they often used to fear. The threat of extreme Islam is provoking many questions for followers of Islam and challenging the Church to rise up and become a beacon of hope and light in a time of pain and suffering for many in the region.
Currently there is an unprecedented interest in Christianity throughout the region making this a very special opportunity in history. Committed and determined workers are desperately needed to assist the local church and ensure that what has begun in the Middle Eastern harvest fields can be brought to completion, and not just result in isolated pockets of believers.
‘Movements towards Christ do not take place spontaneously. They occur when someone sacrificially responds to God’s call and brings the good news. There are 2,157 Muslim people groups around the world. This means movements have occurred among only 1.5% of them. There is so much work yet to be done.’
David Garrison ‘A Wind in the House of Islam’.
World Horizons Middle East Field encompasses countries within the ‘Bible lands’ and includes parts of Arabic speaking North East Africa. Our teams in the Middle East work closely with small local churches to show the love of God through meeting the needs of their local communities and sharing His good news alongside their day to day jobs. Workers typically combine other roles (such as teaching) with church planting.
Opportunities abound to minister to refugees, serve in development projects or teach English. In some locations there is more freedom to spend time visiting unreached tribes or working within medical/community health projects. Entrepreneurs can make a real difference as witnesses within the sphere of commerce. Ultimately, as a team, we seek to be a blessing to the people we live among, serving them with integrity and love.
Many of our teams in this region are multicultural, and all teams use both English and Arabic as their team languages. A high degree of commitment to cultural adaptation and language learning is required to be fruitful in this region; however, team life brings with it plenty of encouragement in this area and with much humor and patience, workers can excel.
Join Our Teams in the Middle East
Our teams in the Middle East receive those that want to join their team on a long-term placement. Prior to going to the field, new team members must complete one of our long-term training programs. Once on the field, they generally spend their first two years focused on language learning while engaging in ministries established by the long-term team. Whichever country new members join, they will focus from the beginning on encouraging local Christians and getting to know non-Christians through the team’s ministries.
