PLYMOUTH – “A never-before-seen Arabic language movement among Southern Baptists accelerated in 2022 when two Arabic language pastors, state convention leaders, and the Send Network joined efforts,” says Tony Lynn, Send Network Director in Michigan. The Lord used two NAMB-endorsed church planters to spark the movement. Pastor Amer Safadi of the Arabic Baptist Christian Church of Cincinnati in Ohio and Pastor Amgad Beshai of Evangel Church of Troy in Michigan, originally from Jordan and Egypt respectively. The two men, then and now, voluntarily serve hundreds of Arab language people through personal visits, Internet meetings, phone calls, emails, and texts while each pastors his church and raises his family in the Midwest.
Lynn adds, “What started, two years ago, with just more than a dozen people in Ohio, erupted this year into a three-day gathering, on July 10-12, at the North American Mission Board in Alpharetta, Georgia with 65 participants from 20 North American cities, from 9 different states, who originally came from 10 nations from the 10/40 Missions Window, plus an international missionary with the International Mission Board with 14 years of dedicated service among Arabic language people who grew up in a small town in Texas.”
The international missionary participating in this third annual gathering said, “I’ve been so encouraged by the love and concern that this group shows for one another and their desire to support one another in the task to make disciples through planting churches. I see in them potential for a great movement of God, reaching Arabic speaking peoples and many others not only in the U.S. but throughout the world. This potential comes from brothers and sisters from diverse backgrounds and places working together in unity and love for the sake of God’s Kingdom.”
A married couple from the Midwest sharing the Gospel among the largest and densest population of Arabic people in North America said of their experience at the gathering, “We have been challenged to keep God as our focus, including a proper perspective of longevity in our life, our family, and to the mission God has called us. Thank you NAMB for hosting the Arabic Church Planting Conference.”
Safadi passionately describes the vision of this growing network easily in English and Arabic when he says, “We are reaching the Arabic community with the Gospel, making disciples, equipping leaders, and sending them to plant healthy multiplying Arabic churches everywhere for everyone."
The Arabic Church Planters and Pastors Network and Gathering, as labeled on its Facebook Page, is much more than a social media page. Individuals, church leaders, and church planters are able to gather annually in-person and monthly through local in-person cohorts or online meetings because of the generosity of the executive directors-treasurers of various Southern Baptist state conventions who financially give and prayerfully support the ministry.
Safadi and Beshai voice their constant and ever-growing appreciation to all of the partners who are consumed by a similar passion and calling to the Arabic speaking peoples of the world.
The next annual in-person gathering of this network will take place in Columbus, Ohio in 2025. If you have questions or would like to be included in the news concerning next year’s gathering you may write to Pastor Amer Safadi at amer.safadi.sm@gmail.com or Dr. Tony Lynn at tlynn@namb.net.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Tony L. Lynn is the Send Network Director for Michigan and the Language/Ethnic Church Planting Catalyst. Before coming on staff at the BSCM, Tony served as a lead pastor in Michigan churches and as an international missionary, along with his wife Jamie, in the Niger Republic, France, and Canada.
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