MEBO’s efforts at raising awareness and collecting resources for the work of our Lebanese ministry partners continue to be richly blessed by God, and we want to thank you sincerely for your faithfulness in giving to meet ministry needs.
Our partners report that recent efforts have resulted in giving that meets recent goals for operating the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) as well as the five other ministries supported by MEBO. God’s people continue to be faithful during uncertain economic times in America.
For the quarter which ended December 31, 2012, MEBO exceeded the financial target that we hoped to reach during that three-month period by approximately 4%. Still, the realities of the world of charitable giving for the month of December is usually a strong month followed by a weaker month after the beginning of the new year.
The reality of our work is that the need for resources to sustain the ministries we support in the Middle East and North Africa region continue to grow on a weekly basis. New students regularly apply for theological education; more refugees pour into Lebanon from Syria; more and more parents of children with special needs come forward who need assessment and evaluation through our SKILD Center. While Beirut Baptist School is largely self-supporting on an operational basis through tuition payments, the aging infrastructure is in continual need of maintenance and upgrade.
We have projected that we need to raise approximately $1.3 million during our fiscal year (October, 2012 – September, 2013) in order to maintain pace with 2012 ministries. Yet, with the explosion of needs that could be addressed by our Lebanese partners, $2 million is likely a more realistic number, should resources be available.
In early December, we made an appeal for those who give to MEBO to consider making a monthly pledge to give as much as your budget will allow, but hopefully, a minimum of $15 per month. Please prayerfully consider spreading your giving throughout the year so that as needs in ministry grow, we might keep up with the “need curve.”
May God richly bless you as you give generously for the purpose of growing His Kingdom.
-David Bishop