Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb spoke at Concordia March 8.  He was invited as this year's Regina and Martin Maehr Lecturer.  

Pastor shares vision for thriving Christian faith in Bethlehem

SEWARD, Neb. – The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb is a Palestinian Arab Lutheran pastor based in Bethlehem.  While that combination may seem like an odd mix, as Raheb will gently remind you, “Arab” does not equal “Muslim.” And while there are more Muslims than Christians in Bethlehem these days, it is the town where Christianity got its start. So did Raheb, for that matter. He was literally born across the street from where Jesus was born.

Raheb, invited as the 2010 Regina and Martin Maehr Lecturer for Concordia University, Nebraska, explained on March 8 how efforts to reach out to the people of Bethlehem have been blessed over the past 15 years. 

Since the mid '90s, Christmas Lutheran Church, Raheb's parish, and a consortium of Lutheran-based institutions have established a school, health and wellness center, conference and cultural center, and a Lutheran college. The ministries reach out to 60,000 each year, 60 percent of whom are Muslim.
 
“As a small church in Bethlehem, we were called to make sure that Christianity in Palestine will not only survive but thrive,” said Raheb. “We started with a very small outreach program in 1995, and God has blessed us beyond our understanding, so we are now the third largest private employer in the Bethlehem region.”
 
In his talk at Concordia, Raheb offered lessons learned from working in this context of Bethlehem's political conflict. He sees too much talking about peace and not enough making of peace. To foster communication between the warring nationalities, the church welcomes everyone and gives them a chance to interact in a safe setting. The ministries serve the people directly, in contrast to the political maneuvering that Raheb sees on the national level. He also is concerned about too much humanitarian aid -- he sees it as perpetuating the status quo -- and a lack of empowering aid. His focus on education and his hopes for expansion of the college are founded on the belief that an educated population can create opportunities and develop leaders.
 
“There is too much religion and too little faith,” Raheb said. “Our goal is not to compete with everyone religiously. Preaching that we are saved by grace through faith is the most important thing.”
 
Raheb emphasized that the message of salvation brings hope for people living in such a turbulent and violent context. The ministries of the church must continue through each shift in fortune to ensure the ability to continue to do the work of teaching, preaching and healing tomorrow, he said.
 
Senior art education major Lauren Onions was excited by what Raheb had to say. “A lot of people think of that region as a place of fear, but Dr. Raheb did not express or portray any fear in what he is doing. In relation to the college they have started, the opportunity to go and study over there or even teach someday is exciting.”
 
Raheb mentioned the recently established relationship between the Dar al-Kalima College and a collection of universities in Concordia University System of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Future plans call for an exchange of students, professors and curricular materials to build programs and relationships. Rev. Dr. Brian Friedrich traveled to Bethlehem in January with other university presidents to meet Raheb, witness the ministries first hand, and sign a memorandum of understanding as a foundation for future work together.
 
“It is good to come and speak here at Concordia,” said Raheb. “Like the first disciples, my role is to tell our story and invite everyone to come and see what God is doing.”