Middle Eastern Congregational Support
Presbyterian Middle Eastern Americans trace the origin of their faith to the apostolic age and their Reformed roots to Presbyterian missions in the Middle East in the 19th Century. There are currently more than 50 Middle Eastern Presbyterian congregations and fellowships in the United States worshiping in the Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian and Farsi languages.
The office of Middle Eastern Congregational Support provides spiritual and organizational services to enhance the ministry of Middle Eastern Presbyterian congregations and fellowships in the United States.
Seattle Presbytery ordains PC(USA)'s first Iranian pastor
mansour khajehpour to serve first church in fort scott, kan.
Mansour Khajehpour
Mansour Khajehpour became the first Iranian pastor to be ordained by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) when Seattle Presbytery ordained him to the ministry of Word and sacrament June 15 at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle. He has been called to serve as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Scott, Kan., beginning Aug. 1.
Khajehpour was born into a Muslim family in Mashhad, Iran, and was trained to faithfully follow Shi'ite Islamic law, including a Hajj to Mecca as a teeneager. In 1981, following three months of argument and debate with Christians in his town, Khajehpour converted to Christianity.
While a student at Teheran University — he graduated with a degree in business administration in 1991 — Khajehpour became a member and later an elder of St. Peter Presbyterian Church in Tehran. He also participated in the certificate program of the Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church of Iran.
The Rev. George Bitar, pastor of the Middle Eastern Presbyterian Fellowship in Tucson, AZ, with his wife Mary Haddad. Photo by Amgad Beblawi.
Meeting the spiritual needs of refugees
Being a refugee and its outcomes — which may include loss of home, identity, family, career and ancestral roots, along with the failures and challenges of life in a new country — cause spiritual crises for many. The spiritual needs of refugees are often threatened and unmet. These include safety and security, trust, happiness, healthy judgment, values, hope, faith, self-respect and purpose of life.
An environment of suffering, culture shock and victimization may leave people feeling like failures and rob them of their ability to make long-term decisions in their new lives. The fulfillment of their spiritual needs, however, leads to restoration of a sense of purpose for their lives and results in the tendency to care about and to help others.
Continue reading