“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:14
Learning From a Distance
By Jad Tabet
The ABTS Online Program
In the current world of social distancing, we are more than ever called to be the salt and light to others around us. Starting April 8th, we at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) will begin to provide online classes for our current residential students so they can complete their training from the safety of their homes. The Lord has given us, through what we have learned so far from our experience with the Online Certificate program, the opportunity to continue serving the Arab Church while preserving the health of our faculty, staff, students, and communities.
In 2015, we launched our Online Certificate in Ministry with 13 students, and the first cohort of graduates was made up of 8 servants. Today, this accredited online program has grown to provide online theological education and spiritual formation to over 100 servants active in ministry all over the Arab world. The program allows us to further come alongside the Arab Church as it realizes its Biblical mission of having Christ acknowledged as Lord all over the Middle East and North Africa.
One of our students, Zeina, who serves in Syria with at-risk children and teens, shares her experience with us. She says, “The courses I have completed so far have taught me how to share my beliefs with others without being polemic. We are meant to be the salt of the world and so should not cause the people around us more suffering. Rather, we should reach out with love to those around us and lead by example. The courses have helped me, both on the personal and the ministerial levels. I have learned to understand where other people are coming from and how I can prevent conflict. It specifically helped my ministry with teenagers as I learned how to have effective discussions with them and how to use their questions to lead them to the Lord. The online program has been a great blessing to my ministry and my life.”
We thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity to continue serving His Kingdom during these difficult times. And we pray that people around the world will seek His Kingdom first during this pandemic.