Bethlehem Bible College

Bethlehem Bible College is a Christian college located in Bethlehem, the very site where Jesus was born. Located within the territory of the West Bank, the local community is highly impacted by today’s political unrest and conflict.

It is from the very epicenter of Christianity, that the Christian community is slowly decreasing. Before 1948, the Christian community was roughly 8% of the community in the Holy Land.  Today, the Christian population is a less than 1.5% of the Palestinian community, as many Christians are emigrating from the difficult political situation to better opportunities for education, work, and their families abroad.

Bethlehem Bible College was founded in 1979 by local Arabs, to offer high-quality theological education and train Christian leaders for service in the local church and the local community.  It aims to strengthen and revive the Christian church and support the local Christians in the Holy land, in order to combat this growing Christian exodus.  The above introduction is from their web site, www.bethbc.org

My heart leaped with joy when I was finally able to visit this college.  Rev. Alex Awad and Brenda Awad, both missionaries with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries hosted our visit.

The college has a beautiful new academic facility named after its founder, Dr. Bushara Awad.  My teammate Ulrike, from Germany, is photographed with these brothers.

Rev. Awad gave us a tour of the facility.                              

He said he often uses this facility giving lectures to tour groups.  He gives  information on the religious and political background to the conflict here in Palestine.

After a visit, a dentist from the USA felt called by God to create this beautiful window.  He completed this project even though he had never done anything like this before. 

The library at this school is extensive and open to the public. 

The children’s section was a donation through the United Methodist Woman Organization in the USA.  

It was fun to see, in the lobby of the academic center, the posters of encouragements and prayers created at Christ United Methodist Church in Traverse City, MI during their Lenten Series, Exploring Peace in the Middle East.

You will see from the college web site that there are many ways to be involved with Bethlehem Bible College.    

One that I think is very important is the Shepherd Society.  It was established in 1996 in Bethlehem when several Palestinian pastors and Christian leaders felt called to extend Christ’s love in a practical way to those in need within their community.  The Shepherd Society is the charitable arm of the Bethlehem Bible College and a way they are responding to the Gospel’s call to love our neighbor and care for the poor.

The specifics on how you can help Palestinians through the Shepherd Society can be located at http://www.shepherd-society.org

Please continue to pray for a Just Peace in the Middle East.