The Nazareth Center for Christian Studies
An initiative of the Association of
Baptist Churches in Israel (ABCI)
The Nazareth Center for Christian Studies
An initiative of the Association of
Baptist Churches in Israel (ABCI)
The Baptist House –
The Beginning
The Baptist House was
paid for
by the Southern Baptist Mission
Board (IMB) and built by IMB
(then FMB)
representative, Dr.
Dwight Baker in the
1950s. It
first
served as a residence for
Dwight & Emma Baker and
their
four children. Dr. Baker
served as pastor of the Nazareth
Baptist Church,
Director of
Church planting and Bible
teacher in Nazareth and
throughout
the Galilee region.
The Baptist House –
The Beginning
In addition
to being a
residence for the
Bakers, the
Jim & Betty Smiths, the Ray &
Rosemary Registers,
the Jack
and Shawn Hodges, as
well as
short-term IMB representatives
working together with
the
ABCI, for 50 years the
Baptist
House has been a hub
for
different ministries
reaching
out to the city and region.
The Baptist House – The Story
·
In the late 1990s, the IMB changed its focus and
withdrew from its ministry in
Nazareth and the Galilee
and
its partnership with the ABCI.
·
In 2002, the IMB decides to sell the Baptist
House for
the
market price of 440,000 USD + Taxes.
·
The ABCI suggests that the Baptist House needs to
move to the leadership of the
local Baptist Churches as it
was
built for ministry in Nazareth and the Galilee.
The Baptist
House – The Story
·
Negotiations between the IMB and the ABCI come to
no
satisfactory conclusion.
·
IMB gives the ABCI the option to buy the house for
400,000 USD + Taxes.
·
Email correspondence between IMB president, Dr.
Jerry
Rankin
and ABCI executive member, Mr. Bader
Mansour reach the press in the USA
in March of 2005.
·
IMB gives the ABCI a deadline for purchasing the
House –
otherwise it will be sold in the free market.
The Baptist House – The Story
In May 2005, Dwight and Emma
Baker, who served in Nazareth as
Baptist
representatives and were
the first
people to live in the
house, give a
generous donation
of 100,000
USD for the ABC to
be able to
purchase the house.
Dwight (Age 86) and Emma
live
in Dallas, Texas.
The Baptist
House – The Story
·
In June 2005, the IMB and the ABCI return to
negotiations. They agree that the ABCI will purchase
the Baptist House from the
IMB for the price of
300,000
USD + Taxes.
·
ABCI pays 200,000 USD to the IMB.
·
ABCI to pay the IMB 100,000 USD by June 2007.
·
Taxes amounting to 60,000 USD need to be paid to
the authorities in Israel.
The current use of
the Baptist House
·
In Christmas of
2005, after the house was renovated,
it
was dedicated for the ministry again.
·
The House will
serve as the campus of the Nazareth
Center for Christian Studies and
incorporating the
offices
of ABCI.
The
current use of the Baptist House
In the last few months the Baptist House is being
used for Church special meetings and hosting guests.
The Nazareth Center – The
need
·
Nazareth is the city with the largest Christian
population in
Israel, approximately 25,000.
·
There are around 140,000 Christians living in Israel
today out
of a total population of
7,000,000 (2%).
·
There are 5.6 Million Jews in Israel and 1.1 Moslems.
·
There is a community of around
3,000 Baptists in Israel in 20
churches associated with the
ABCI.
·
The Nazareth Center for Christian Studies is an
initiative of
the ABCI.
Baptist Churches in Israel
|
|
Nazareth Haifa Acco Yaffa Cana Toraan Eilaboun Shafamer Kufur Yaseef Rama |
Baptist Churches in Israel
Plants
Tarsheeha
Fasouta
Beani
Taybe
Nazareth
Illit
Sakhnin
Nazareth
Haifa
Acco
Yaffa
Cana
Toraan
Eilaboun
Shafamer
Kufur
Yaseef
Rama
Tel Aviv
Ramle
The Center will be the heart of the ABCI
The Contribution
to the Local Body
·
To
serve as a place of
excellence in
theological and
Biblical learning which will
help equip leaders of
the local
congregations
and ministries.
·
To be a center
where ABCI
leaders can meet for
strategic
planning for the strengthening
of the ministry, reaching out to
the lost and planting churches.
·
Promote unity, provide
resources, and encourage
cooperation among
churches.
The
Contribution to the Larger Body
·
The center will be open for visitors from around
the world
who are visiting the
Holy Land including church groups,
students,
pastors on sabbatical and others.
·
Visitors to the center will be able to study Bible,
theology,
reconciliation, Hebrew,
Arabic, the Middle East, and
Islam, among other
topics, all from a unique viewpoint
from
Christians living in the Holy Land.
·
The center is located in a quite neighborhood,
walking distance
from major Christian sites in Nazareth. Its location is
also central
to other sites in
Galilee which are of special interest to the
Christian pilgrim.
A Unique
Contribution
The character of the
center and
its proposed program is
unique.
It’s geographical
location in
Nazareth, the hometown of
Jesus, provides a
unrivalled
context for in-depth studies into
New Testament origins
and the
foundations of Christianity. The
underlying perspective
of the
center
will find its focus on
Biblical and theological
research.
The Nazareth Center
·
The ABCI has invited
Rev.
Dr. Bryson Arthur to
head
the Nazareth Center for
Christian Studies.
·
Bryson and May Arthur
will settle in
Nazareth by
May 2006.
The
Nazareth Center – Phases
Phase I – Jun 2005 – Dec 2006
Securing the Baptist
House and beginning of operations.
Phase II – Jan 2007 – Sep 2009
Offer lectures and general courses, together with
hosting different
groups.
Phase III – Oct 2009 – Sep 2012
Launch the Nazareth
College for Christian Studies.
Phase IV – Oct 2012 -
Getting additional buildings and
facilities to accommodate
expansion of the
college.
Resources needed for Phase I
Total
Amount needed: 400,000 USD
Amount
needed for the following:
300,000
USD - Payment to the IMB.
60,000
USD - For taxes.
20,000
USD - For renovations.
5,000 USD - For furniture (A lot
was donated locally).
15,000
USD - For general expenses.
200,000
USD - Payment to the IMB - already paid.
100,000
USD - Payment to the IMB - Due by June 2007.
Resources for Phase I
Total Amount needed: 400,000 USD
Amount
raised so far:
100,000
USD from ABCI.
100,000
USD from Dwight and Emma Baker.
3,600
USD from the European Baptist Federation.
2,250
USD from Central Baptist Church, Bearden, TN.
1,750
USD from Hartford Baptist Church, England.
3,055 USD from other donors.
Total amount raised: 210,655 USD
Total amount needed: 189,345 USD
For More
Information:
Bader Mansour
The Association of
Baptist
Churches in Israel
PO Box 20, Nazareth,
16100 Israel
Tel +972-4-608-0023
Fax +972-4-647-0112
