A Lighthouse in the Storm: An overview of BBS’ war response

By Jad Tabet

March 13, 2025

Sitting in his office at Beirut Baptist School (BBS) in Msaytbeh, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in the middle of Beirut, Jean-Pierre beamed with energy. The smile on his face was a stark contrast to the landscape around him. 

In areas near the school, buildings are still damaged and destroyed from the recent war in Lebanon – testimonies to the impact of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and its lasting consequences. As an administrator at BBS, Jean-Pierre has been one of the staff members supporting the school’s war response efforts. 

“When I see the work that is being done here, I can’t help but smile,” Jean-Pierre shared. 

Even before the war and until now, BBS has served its local community. In doing so, Jean-Pierre has seen the school model and reflect the love of Christ. It hasn’t just shared the gospel through biblically inspired education for its students; it has demonstrated it throughs acts of service, through distributing aid to people in need, and through offering help and support to families left homeless by the war. 

Such efforts have been a continuation of BBS’ longstanding mission to be a lighthouse to its community, one which is largely non-Christian. Amid the darkness caused by the war, BBS has been able to serve as a shining example of Christ, presenting His love and message of peace. 

RESPONDING TO WAR

When the new academic year began in September, staff at BBS were cautious but hopeful. Conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was escalating, but most of the fighting was limited to airstrikes and shelling in southern and eastern Lebanon. At BBS, a new accreditation process was underway, and the school was excited for the opportunity to improve the quality of its education. 

But within only a few days, the conflict turned into a full-scale war, and more than a million people were displaced as the bombs began to fall all across Lebanon, including the capital Beirut. In line with preparations that the school had made before the start of the semester, children were evacuated from BBS, and the school shifted to online learning. 

Very quickly, educators at BBS made the wellbeing of their students a priority. Simultaneously, administrators walked alongside staff, parents, and teachers as they themselves dealt with the impact of the war.  

“As we transitioned to online learning, we became much more intentional about checking up on our students, teachers, and their families, which showed us how impacted our community was by the war,” said BBS Principal Alice Azar. “Almost 400 of our student families and 100 of our teachers were affected, with some becoming displaced while others had to host upwards of 15 to 20 family members in their apartments.” 

Teachers adopted different methods of checking on their students. Joe, an English teacher, began each class by asking his students how they were doing. 

“During online teaching, I made it a point to take a few minutes to check in on students at the beginning of our sessions, and students felt comfortable enough to share,” he said. “It was a powerful moment to see students speak out their minds in a critical and reflective manner. When we came back from the war, this allowed students to open up and share about the difficulties they were facing during the war, which made it easier for us to help them get through some really difficult emotions and reactions stemming from the war.”   

The BBS counseling department and SMART program for children with special needs also stepped up to support parents, teachers, and students. The counselling department prepared instructions on how to deal with stress and how to help children cope with the situation. The SMART program, similarly, prepared activities to help keep kids engaged.  

Hasmik is a preschool teacher. She is the mother of three, all of whom are BBS students and graduates. Her youngest daughter is one of the students in the BBS SMART program. During the war, Hasmik and her family were briefly displaced from their home. The violent sound of bombings terrified her daughter, but the support of the SMART program and counselling department helped her to handle her fear.  

“The situation was very difficult for us during the war,” Hasmik said. “My daughter would not sleep at night because she was afraid of the noises we would hear. Then, the school started sending us messages from the counseling department to help us learn how to deal with our children and help them deal with the stress and difficulties we were all facing.”  

The directions provided by the counseling department helped Hasmik’s daughter to deal with the terror of the war and the constant airstrikes on Beirut. “She really enjoyed the activities and games the school was integrating into the learning experience,” Hasmik continued. “She felt like she had hope and something to look forward to, something to come back to.” 

HELPING THE DISPLACED 

At the same time that BBS was shifting to online learning, it was also mobilizing to help nearby centers that were housing some of the more than 1 million people displaced by the war. 

“At that moment, it was clear to all of BBS leadership that we needed to do something,” said Azar. 

In collaboration with other ministries at Thimar, BBS started to serve the displaced in and around its community. The school first helped provide food, but as the needs of the displaced changed, so did its support. BBS provided mattresses, pillows, blankets, and some winter clothes at the beginning of winter. At other times, it gave gas stoves and foodstuffs.  

“It is the least we could do,” said Azar. “We cannot just stick to talking about Christ. We need to model Christ and respond as He did.” 

The aid and support made a lasting impact on both the community and the school itself. 

“I was blown away every time a parent would say ‘What a school!” or “We really feel like we are part of a community, and not just a school!’” Jean-Pierre said. 

POST-WAR CHALLENGES 

The challenges of the war did not end in late November when a ceasefire went into effect.  

While students were able to return to in-person classes, the war left many struggling with trauma and other issues. Teachers now needed to help their students transition back to class and life after war. It would turn out that adjusting was more challenging for some students than others. Hasmik recalled one student in particular who became upset by any sort of discipline.  

“Even if we would say something like ‘It’s time for recess!’ he would become angry and would shout and scream,” she said. “But we were ready to embrace him, and with time, he calmed down.” 

In some sense, the response of the school after the ceasefire was more important than during the war. There was a great need now, especially as people returned to homes that had been damaged or totally destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. Unable to rely on the government and local authorities to help with reconstruction or accommodation, people most impacted by the war have had to turn to private institutions like BBS for help. 

For BBS, the question was never whether it should help the community; it was, how can it help the community? One way was by making sure that none of its students were prevented from attending school due to financial difficulties. Another way was to continue providing moral support and relief aid to families in need. For parents and staff who were displaced, it also extended support for home repairs and relocation efforts. 

Such support has had a profound impact on the local community. The father of one BBS student heavily impacted by the war reflected the commitment of the school as he thanked it for its support.  

“Our politicians always address us by calling us the most honorable of people,” he said. “But through this war, I have come to realize that you are the ones who are truly the most honorable because you stood by us when no one else had.” 

Such statements also reflect how BBS has deepened its relations with the community.  

“The school was being a lighthouse by standing by the people in need, both inside and outside the community,” said Jean-Pierre. “I am proud to be part of BBS, especially when I see that the school not only takes care of students’ educational needs, but also the physical, financial, spiritual, and psychological.” 

HOLISTIC SERVICE 

In January, the school buzzed with energy as students took their first-term final exams. Jean-Pierre was upbeat. Staff had not expected the pace of the academic year to pick back up so quickly.  

“The exams were a turning point for our students, and they put things back into perspective,” he said. “They helped us show the students that the effort they are putting in now is for their futures, to help them build their lives.” 

It is no wonder then that, despite all the difficulties that Lebanon and BBS have faced since 2019, Jean-Pierre still has a reason to smile.  

“With all the instability around us, what can we do but build our lives on the unshakable rock, and do our best to be a lighthouse of His love?”