3 Reasons the Christian Minority in Nazareth Hosts the Summit

Managing the daily work of running the only evangelical school in Israel, as well leading your life as a minority Christian in a land of conflict, comes with its fair share of challenges and discouragements. But for leaders like Botrus Mansour, Christian school director, The Global Leadership Summit (GLS) is the most encouraging and life giving event he’s ever attended.

Botrus leaves the GLS encouraged not to give up. He takes on the responsibility as a witness for the Gospel, continuing the work God started in the very city of Nazareth, where the message of the Gospel began.

These are the three reasons the Christian minority in Nazareth hosts the Summit:

1. Inspired with a Grander Vision for Nazareth

After attending the GLS three years ago when it was brought to Nazareth for the first time, Botrus was inspired with a grander vision for his city. “Nazareth is a special place—the hometown of Jesus, of course,” says Botrus. “And that holds with it a great responsibility. It’s a privilege on the one hand, but also a great responsibility to be witnesses for Jesus the Nazarene in Nazareth itself!”

“The grander vision for us as a group is to keep on going with the mission that God started here 2000 years ago through Jesus. It’s very easy to drift away because of the difficulties and tension here; many Christians are actually leaving the country because of it. But we want Christians to know their calling as ambassadors for Jesus, as witnesses for Jesus, in his own hometown.”

To understand the difficulty and tension, and why encouragement is so vital, Botrus explains what it’s like to be an evangelical Christian in Nazareth. “As a small community of Palestinian Christians, we are a small minority in Israel, where most people are Jewish or Muslim. We are entrusted with an extraordinary school that gives us the opportunity to reach the community, but we feel isolated, which is difficult.”

2. Encouraged in our calling

“The GLS encourages us to hold to that mission; to hold to that calling as believers who have a role to do as ambassadors for Jesus,” says Botrus. “We can even promote the work of the Kingdom in the marketplace.

“We are encouraged to continue the work God started through Jesus, and this work continues today through the work of the GLS.

“The GLS has given me strength, and filled my passion bucket. With all the difficulties and challenges we face, my passion tends to be low. But God has given me encouragement through the GLS talks to keep me going and doing things in a better way – a value-centered way — in my work as I lead the school for 1,000 kids, and in my country as an ambassador for Jesus.”

3. Connected with the community outside the church

“The GLS is different from the regular ministries we have; it is something special. For example, through the work of the GLS, we are able to reach into different sectors, people who wouldn’t normally attend church,” says Botrus. “The GLS connects key people in our community, impacting them through the GLS in a way that no other ministry can do. It’s commendable. And we are very grateful for all the help and resources that help us continue the journey with the GLS. These resources are very important.”

Thank you for supporting the GLS in Nazareth

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“I’m very thankful to the donors who’ve contributed to help us continue our journey with the GLS in Nazareth. Their contributions have helped us and enabled us to reach and impact more and more people that churches are generally not able to reach—key people in the community in Nazareth, the home town of Jesus. Thank you for believing in us and believing in the vision. With God’s grace and favor, we are trying to accomplish that mission and vision for his glory.”—Botrus Mansour, GLS leader, Nazareth