North of Nazareth, the Baptist church in the village of Eilaboun also has much to celebrate this Christmas. Blessed with a vibrant congregation, this community of worshipers was shocked earlier this year to be forced out of its rented sanctuary space on short notice due to neighborhood complaints of crowds. Worshipers were devastated, as Pastor Hanna Eid explains:
“The church members were traumatized from the urgency and the need to move. People in town mock Baptists and say that they are like street cats that change their home very often, unlike the other churches that stand firm and are there for hundreds of years. Church buildings are very important in our context and give ministries lots of credibility.”
The church was able to secure a new rented facility, and this week, with God’s grace, the new sanctuary was dedicated. A beautiful Christmas gift to God’s faithful servants