Dear Family and Friends
We had not long arrived in Egypt when later one evening as we sat on a river boat on the Nile River, Nawi our youngest son looked over the side at the flowing Nile River and said, “You know we might be sitting right where Moses floated down the River Nile.”
Well he could be right, even though the Egyptians have marked another spot some ways down the river from where we were sitting. We were made to think however of all the history that surrounds Moses and the Children of Israel. And as Alex was to add later that same evening: “It is hard to believe that we are sitting where it all started.”
Yes, it’s hard for us to believe that we have been called to serve in the land of Egypt where so much of the early history of God’s people is recorded; the Exodus, the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt and the earliest beginnings of the Christian Church. Sometime we will tell you about some of these stories and traditional places here. But for now, let me tell you a little about the ministry to which we have been called here in Egypt.
The ELCA involvement began in 1973 following a long list of Presbyterian Pastorates. Rev. Harold Vogelaar, supported by both the Reformed Church in America and the former LCA began serving St. Andrew’s and Maadi Community Church. Since 1973 a number of ELCA Pastors and Interns have served St. Andrew’s United. Worship Services in English are held on Friday and Sunday Mornings at 10.00 am. Friday is the main worship day with and average attendance of about 35-40. The major ministry of St. Andrew’s United is with the many Refugees that call Cairo home.
This Refugee Ministry was inaugurated in the St. Andrew’s Guild Hall on
October 11. 1979. This ministry began mainly for refugees who were
coming in from the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia and Eritrea). Since those
days the refugee community has changed with the influx of refugees from
Sudan, in particular Southern Sudan and most recently Dar Fur.
There are presently three Sudanese refugee congregations that worship at St. Andrew’s. The Nuer congregation which is the largest with an average worship attendance of 290 on Friday Morning, the Dinka Pedang Sunday afternoon with 100-120 and a small Lutheran Congregation that meets on Friday with about 65.
Egyptian law does not allow refugees from Sudan to enter into the local school system. St. Andrew’s United with a number of other Churches have introduced study programs for many of the refugees. There are about 760 persons involved in school programs at St. Andrew. There are 96 children in the primary school program; 64 teenagers in the teen program and about 500 adults in the adult program. The facilities at St. Andrew are used nearly 12 hours a day with those and other programs.
These programs are very important to the life of the refugees living in Cairo. For many of them, both children and adults, this is the first time they have been in any school system. (There will be more stories and information of the refugees and the program in future news letters)
Please feel free to write and ask any questions that you might have about the ministry here. Please pray for us and for the ministry of St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo.
The Lewises.
Clifford, Mitsaida, Alex and Nawi
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