Palestinian Authority seized Gaza Baptist Church
Gaza (Israel), SVM News, 5 February, 2007: Newly built Gaza Baptist Church has been seized by the police of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Friday, the 2nd of February.
Gaza fighting pits forces, including the police are controlled by the secular Fatah party is against of Hamas, the majority Islamic party. Palestinian Authority claims that the church seized as a watch point against militants supporting the governing Hamas movement.
Gaza Baptist Church is a six story building, dedicated on last November. The sanctuary of the Church, a Christian library of Gaza, a guest hostel and a mammogram clinic are in the houses of the new building.
Former location of the church was a rented house across from the Palestinian Parliament, Israeli attacks on nearby PA targets caved its ceiling several times. One time, years ago, fighting near Parliament forced cancellation of Sunday services.
Hanna Massad, pastor of Gaza Baptist Church said that Palestinian Authority (PA) police officers demanded the key of the six story building from the church's lone guard.
The guard, who had no key, informed church leaders, who refused to give the key to police. Police then broke into the building, taking up positions on the sixth floor. The guard called a church leader, who informed Pastor Massad.
Because of the battles raging on Gaza's streets, Pastor Massad has been unable to leave his house to check on the building. He said the situation is worst have ever gone through in Gaza.
A fresh cease-fire was declared Sunday evening, but there was no indication it would be any more successful than previous truces in recent weeks of factional fighting, reported the Associated Press (AP) on Sunday. Gaza Baptist Church leader Khader Khoury noted that nine cease-fire attempts have occurred in five days.
Even if police abandon the church building, gunfire flies on the streets as rival factions vie for control. Frightened Gazans remain in their homes. Massad told about the Sunday, the 4th of January, early morning worship had been cancelled because Gaza was not stable. It had a noisy morning Sunday. Some shooting here and there.
"It's a very dangerous situation. It's in God's hands," he said. "Nothing I can do, nothing anybody else can do can help the situation. He’s the one who protects."
Pastor questioned that should PA police fire at Hamas militants from the commandeered church, reprisal fire could severely damage the building as has happened before.
The Gaza Strip is one of the world's most densely populated areas, with 1.4 million people—some 900,000 of whom live in 12 different camps as refugees from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Gaza City has some 400,000 citizens. The border, a coastal territory of 27 miles long and 5 miles deep has been closed. Food and other basics are running short. In their midst, the Gaza Baptist Church engage in a variety of evangelical ministries that bring God’s love to a long-suffering people while meeting basic human needs.
Pastor Hanna Massad has been the church's pastor since 1987. He was born in a Greek Orthodox family in Gaza city itself, but later started attending the Baptist church. Then he went U.S. in 1991, graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary and returned to Gaza in 1999 and became churche's first native Gazan pastor. While a student, he served as an American Baptist pastor and served the First Baptist Church of Azusa, California.
He also founded Christian Mission to Gaza (CMG), which provides food and medical care to needy people in Gaza City and in the nearby Beit Lahia refugee camp.
"We try not just to deliver the food, but to have a relationship with them, to express God's love. We usually even ask if we can pray for them and most of them allow us to do that", Pastor Massad said to SVM News Service.
He continued saying, "We minister to about 150 people throughout the week, plus 80-100 children and teenagers. We have two services on Sunday, plus women's, students and youth groups during the week- almost every day there is something going on. Most of our congregation are originally from Greek Orthodox or Catholic backgrounds. We also have a few from other faiths - such as Muslims - who like to come and listen".
A creative outreach of the Gaza Baptist Church is its Culture and Light Library. The library was established in 1968 and serves nearly 1,000 people every month. The oldest and largest public library in the Gaza Strip, it contains some 17,000 volumes, including Christian books. As the only Christian public library in the whole territory, Pastor Massad explains that it both strengthens the Christian community and provides an important service to the people of Gaza.
Read this news and view pictures at the original site:
http://salemvoice.org/news135.html
Salem Voice Ministries,
Devalokam (P.O), Kottayam,
Kerala-686038, India.
http://salemvoice.org
Gaza fighting pits forces, including the police are controlled by the secular Fatah party is against of Hamas, the majority Islamic party. Palestinian Authority claims that the church seized as a watch point against militants supporting the governing Hamas movement.
Gaza Baptist Church is a six story building, dedicated on last November. The sanctuary of the Church, a Christian library of Gaza, a guest hostel and a mammogram clinic are in the houses of the new building.
Former location of the church was a rented house across from the Palestinian Parliament, Israeli attacks on nearby PA targets caved its ceiling several times. One time, years ago, fighting near Parliament forced cancellation of Sunday services.
Hanna Massad, pastor of Gaza Baptist Church said that Palestinian Authority (PA) police officers demanded the key of the six story building from the church's lone guard.
The guard, who had no key, informed church leaders, who refused to give the key to police. Police then broke into the building, taking up positions on the sixth floor. The guard called a church leader, who informed Pastor Massad.
Because of the battles raging on Gaza's streets, Pastor Massad has been unable to leave his house to check on the building. He said the situation is worst have ever gone through in Gaza.
A fresh cease-fire was declared Sunday evening, but there was no indication it would be any more successful than previous truces in recent weeks of factional fighting, reported the Associated Press (AP) on Sunday. Gaza Baptist Church leader Khader Khoury noted that nine cease-fire attempts have occurred in five days.
Even if police abandon the church building, gunfire flies on the streets as rival factions vie for control. Frightened Gazans remain in their homes. Massad told about the Sunday, the 4th of January, early morning worship had been cancelled because Gaza was not stable. It had a noisy morning Sunday. Some shooting here and there.
"It's a very dangerous situation. It's in God's hands," he said. "Nothing I can do, nothing anybody else can do can help the situation. He’s the one who protects."
Pastor questioned that should PA police fire at Hamas militants from the commandeered church, reprisal fire could severely damage the building as has happened before.
The Gaza Strip is one of the world's most densely populated areas, with 1.4 million people—some 900,000 of whom live in 12 different camps as refugees from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Gaza City has some 400,000 citizens. The border, a coastal territory of 27 miles long and 5 miles deep has been closed. Food and other basics are running short. In their midst, the Gaza Baptist Church engage in a variety of evangelical ministries that bring God’s love to a long-suffering people while meeting basic human needs.
Pastor Hanna Massad has been the church's pastor since 1987. He was born in a Greek Orthodox family in Gaza city itself, but later started attending the Baptist church. Then he went U.S. in 1991, graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary and returned to Gaza in 1999 and became churche's first native Gazan pastor. While a student, he served as an American Baptist pastor and served the First Baptist Church of Azusa, California.
He also founded Christian Mission to Gaza (CMG), which provides food and medical care to needy people in Gaza City and in the nearby Beit Lahia refugee camp.
"We try not just to deliver the food, but to have a relationship with them, to express God's love. We usually even ask if we can pray for them and most of them allow us to do that", Pastor Massad said to SVM News Service.
He continued saying, "We minister to about 150 people throughout the week, plus 80-100 children and teenagers. We have two services on Sunday, plus women's, students and youth groups during the week- almost every day there is something going on. Most of our congregation are originally from Greek Orthodox or Catholic backgrounds. We also have a few from other faiths - such as Muslims - who like to come and listen".
A creative outreach of the Gaza Baptist Church is its Culture and Light Library. The library was established in 1968 and serves nearly 1,000 people every month. The oldest and largest public library in the Gaza Strip, it contains some 17,000 volumes, including Christian books. As the only Christian public library in the whole territory, Pastor Massad explains that it both strengthens the Christian community and provides an important service to the people of Gaza.
Read this news and view pictures at the original site:
http://salemvoice.org/news135.html
Salem Voice Ministries,
Devalokam (P.O), Kottayam,
Kerala-686038, India.
http://salemvoice.org
posted by Salem Voice @ 9:31 AM
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