B e i r u t (EBPS) – Bad Homburg and Berlin-Schöneberg, two Baptist congregations belonging to Germany’s “Federation of Evangelical-Free Churches”, are supporting the distribution of Christian literature in Lebanon. This is reported by Beirut’s “Arab Baptist Theological Seminary” (ABTS) in its most recent newsletter. The two congregations are committed to see to the translation of an initial group of seven theological books into Arabic. But they hope for further support from other national and foreign congregations. Pastor Lutz Reichardt (Bad Homburg) reports that these seven books are authored by the widely-appreciated Baptist theologian Adolf Pohl (Buckow near Berlin). Such literature has never appeared in Arabic so far. The first book, “Marveling, that God Speaks”, has already been translated. The translation work for a commentary on the book of Revelations has just begun. The two congregations also regard this project as a means of celebrating Rev. Pohl’s 80^th birthday in February 2007. Professor Pohl intends to revise all of the books for translation during this year. Reichardt states: “We have the impression that this project is a response to one of God’s wishes.”

Partner to Germany is the “The Institute of Middle East Studies” at ABTS. These translations are only the initial phase of a major, international project intending to translate no less than 60 books. According to the newsletter, this project will have major significance: “Our theology students will not only be receiving good study materials; the project will also be laying the intellectual, linguistic and technical groundwork for the renewed growth of evangelical churches in the Arab world.” The project could not have gotten off the ground without the start-up support of these two German congregations.

The seminary also thanks the Bad Homburg congregation for an additional contribution which made possible the setting up of a playground within the ABTS building complex. Six-thousand Euros were invested to make it possible for young Christians and Muslims to play together. Since its beginning in 1960, roughly 220 students from the entire Arab world have graduated from ABTS. An additional 210 persons have attended courses at ABTS to better equip themselves to do mission work in the Middle East and North Africa.