Cairo – Even after the resignation of Egyptian President Husni Mubarak on 11 February and the takeover of power by the military, many prayer concerns for the country remain. Pastor Mounir Malaty (Cairo), the Vice-President of Egyptian Baptist Convention, noted this in a recent letter sent by email. Malaty wrote: ‘Let’s pray that God might intervene in the process of rewriting the constitution and guide decisions during this transitional period.’ The new administration is in need of capable candidates. He lists as an additional prayer concern ‘a revolutionary change in the mentality of the Egyptian people which might alter its inherited religious and cultural convictions, preparing it to accept the Gospel message’.

The pastor is overjoyed that regular church life, which had been severely curtailed by night curfews, has returned to normal. On Sunday, 13 February, an evening worship service including communion was again possible: ‘The Lord gave us a wonderful time of encouragement.’ A special event is now being planned entitled: ‘We will go through this together!’ It will intend to mutually encourage congregational members and to discover what each had experienced during the demonstrations. Malaty writes that some members are in need because they have lost their jobs. One-hundred food boxes have been prepared for needy church members. The pastor requests prayer that the congregation might ‘understand present events better and find the best means of involvement in the community’.

On 5 February, an explosion occurred near a Coptic church in Rafah, northern Egypt, in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip. No one was hurt. Though Christians speak of a bomb attack, local officials have described it as a gas leak. On 30 January, 11 persons from two Coptic families were murdered in Sharuna. Attacks on Christian-owned shops were also reported in other regions.

Malaty reported in an initial letter that the conflict had brought Christians and Muslims closer. After police had disappeared from the streets, looting and chaos had taken over some areas. A Baptist-run shop was also devastated. Consequently, Baptists and Muslims had begun to protect their property jointly: ‘I see this as a good door for us to help and serve our neighbours’, Malaty reported. ‘We have been living together for hundreds of years and the gap has increased. We regard the crisis as a bridge for us to reach them.’ Malaty was reluctant to express political views: ‘As a church, we are not able to sense or predict the situation accurately. We are not well-prepared to help our people address political issues. But we indeed do desire to carefully observe developments and request counsel from God.’ Malaty hopes that following President Hosni Mubarak’s rule, believers will receive greater freedom to evangelise and plant new churches.

When the demonstrations began, a number of church members had found themselves at a conference located 130 km from Cairo. A bus was supposed to bring them back, but it never arrived. Malaty described it as a miracle that his congregation was nevertheless able to rent several microbuses. Only a few hours after their departure, a prison very near the conference centre was attacked and all prisoners released. The freed prisoners then clogged the streets and badly frightened those enroute to Cairo by car or bus. Malaty wrote: ‘We really praise the Lord for his guidance and protection.’ He also thanked the world’s Baptists for their prayers: ‘Your care means a lot to us. It is an encouraging reminder that we are not alone, but rather a part of God’s one family.’

Cairo’s Baptist congregation has roughly 300 members. Egyptian Baptist Convention consists of 18 congregations with 2.100 members. Eighty-seven percent of the country’s 83 million residents are Muslim, an additional 10% are Coptic Orthodox.