By Elie Haddad, ABTS President
The end of a calendar year is a good time to look back, to evaluate and assess accomplishments based on the plans and objectives initially set. Although we regularly do this at ABTS, seldom have the outcomes been commensurate with the plans. Our plans are usually based on what we anticipate God wants us to do during the year. We plan for growth, but not much for surprises. God, however, always surprises us. Things happen during the year that we did not anticipate or plan for. Every year, we get the feeling that God has taken us on a journey that is much farther than we had predicted.
We had written about the year 2020 being a miracle year. It started with intense challenges that seemed unsurmountable and ended with God breathing new life into ABTS, ushering us into a new season of ministry that is quite different from the season before. We have been documenting our change in direction. We concluded 2020 with a solid launching pad for this new season to continue and flourish.
We were wondering at the start of 2021, with the increasing political, economic, and social turmoil in Lebanon, whether the new direction could be sustained. As usual, God took us on an amazing journey of exploring new depths of His sovereignty and provision. The year that we thought we would hardly get by ended up becoming another year of growth in ministry, in impact, and in institutional preparedness. The following are some highlights of what 2021 looked like.