“For [his] church to even hire a pastor for this purpose is pretty neat”

Pastor Hani Jack Moussa is a graduate of OC’s partner school in Egypt, the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC). He was a featured speaker at the recent OCGO event and shared about his role for the last two years as the Pastor of Evangelism and Missionary Work at the Ibrahimyah Evangelical Presbyterian Church (IEPC).

The IEPC is the second largest evangelical church and the only one with three pastors in Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt located along the northern border. Hani’s passion and calling for social ministry is clear by looking at the church’s vast ministry:

• Internal Evangelism – mission programs and evangelism throughout Alexandria, which includes “Special Sunday” (one Sunday per month dedicated to evangelism with around 300 in attendance and 430 asking for follow-up) and a new gathering for hearing- and speech-impaired people in order to nurture relationships with God and each other through fellowship and activities/trips

• Church Planting – takes place in nearby villages where all families are visited, social activities are organized and participants are trained to lead meetings; in addition, outreach allows for the needs of these places to be learned in order to start a new church and Sunday school, as well as medical services to be offered
  
  
• Church Helping – additional resources and training are provided to already-established churches; for example: one small village of about 50 families has been served for nearly 25 years now, has its own full-time minister, a database is kept in order to track the needs of the people and how they can be helped, as well as continued discipleship and training for local leaders, children’s social trips, medical services and summer Bible school
   
• Follow-up Center – handles attendance, communication (phone calls, email and mail), a counseling hotline, newsletter to all church members and a media service that produces photos, videos and worship/sermon CDs with plans to start a church television program in September and an evangelism website in November
   
• Outreach – Hani led a team to Sudan in February 2008 that resulted in 80 total family visits, 1000 medical check-ups, 200 tapes distributed, 430 children in Sunday school and immeasurable views of The JESUS Film, in addition to the distribution of clothes, medicine and children’s school accessories; the trip was also the beginning of a new outreach mission there with plans for a missionary and evangelism center that will be served by a full-time missionary; ministry will be to those in northern and southern Sudan who are animists and those who are internally displaced refugees after the war

Dr. Scott Cunningham, OC’s Dean of Leadership Development, says Hani’s job in itself is amazing. “For Hani’s church to even hire a pastor for this purpose is pretty neat.” For instance, leading a team to evangelize in Sudan requires careful planning and action, since it is a relatively hostile environment where there are few religious freedoms for Christians. But Scott says they have perseverance. “Here’s a group of people who have a heart to survive and do outreach and even go to other countries, like Sudan, to share the Gospel,” despite it all.

About Hani – Born in Alexandria, he graduated from Alexandria University - Faculty of Education and worked in a computer maintenance business, as well as taught language school computer classes. He worked part time discipling with the Navigator organization in Egypt during his time at ETSC before graduating in 2007 and working as Assistant Pastor in the Saray Evangelical Church in Alexandria, where he ministered to their mentally handicapped members. He has also worked as Assistant Pastor in the Malawy Evangelical Church in Minia in upper Egypt. He and his wife, Ireny, have two young daughters, Carol and Joule.