The first introductory meeting for the specialized training “The Church and Comprehensive Development” for churches in the Shubra Al-Kheima area, Cairo, on February 13, 2020.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
The Dean of the Coptic Institute for Church Administration and Development, Dr. Magdy Latif, met with His Grace the esteemed Anba Angelos, the General Bishop for the churches of the Shubra El-Shamaleyya area, in the presence of 18 priests from the area. The meeting was held at the service building of the Church of the Great Martyr St. George – Abu Takiya.
This initial meeting was conducted to introduce the specialized training program that the Institute will offer, God willing, in 2020 on “The Church and Comprehensive Development” for the servants of the diocese. This initiative is in cooperation with the Secretariat of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II for Social Care, under the supervision of Fr. Bishoy Charles.
The meeting was organized and presented, representing the Secretariat of Social Care, by Eng. Magdy El-Sharkawy and a number of female servants from the Secretariat. Representatives from the Anba Abram Service for Development at St. Mark’s Church in New Cairo, under the auspices of Fr. Daoud Lamei, also participated by presenting some successful field development experiences (nursing services and nurseries).
This introductory meeting lasted approximately three hours and consisted of three sessions: (Concepts – Experiences – Steps).
The sessions covered the presentation of development concepts from a Christian perspective and the framework of the specialized training course to be offered by the Institute (by Dr. Magdy Latif). Successful field experiences were also presented (from the Anba Abram Service and the programs of the Secretariat of Social Care).
Finally, the practical steps for implementing the training program to form comprehensive development teams in the churches of the diocese were outlined, under the patronage of His Grace Anba Angelos.
Meeting activities
Following the opening of the meeting by His Grace Anba Angelos, Dr. Magdy Latif, in the first session, presented the concepts of serving the Lord’s brethren and its evolution from charitable work and social care to comprehensive development. This development focuses on nurturing all human capacities—spiritually, intellectually, professionally, health-wise, culturally, and environmentally. He also highlighted the dangers of the persistent cycle of inherited poverty among the poor and emphasized the importance of radical change based on the individual’s (the served person themselves) participation in helping themselves and relying on their own potential and abilities, however limited they may be. The goal is to invest all the talents God has given to each person to restore His image for a living Christian witness.
He also reviewed the Coptic Church’s longstanding commitment to development programs, starting with the establishment of the Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical and Social Services (BLESS) by the late Anba Samuel in 1962 during the reign of His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI. This bishopric was founded to be the main window for achieving comprehensive community development. Furthermore, he discussed the various developmental initiatives undertaken by esteemed metropolitans, bishops, and priests in their dioceses and churches over the past fifty years (for example, but not limited to, the late Anba Athanasios, Metropolitan of Beni Suef and El-Bahnasa), as well as contemporary programs in some dioceses of Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta region.
Dr. Magdy Latif added that the foundations of sound, comprehensive development are based on participation and empowerment, as well as partnerships between the Church and Christian development organizations spread throughout Egypt’s governorates, with the goal of achieving the maximum possible benefit for those served.
Eng. Magdy El-Sharkawy (from the Secretariat of Social Care) and the servants from the nursing sectors and the model nursery service (under the Anba Abram Service – St. Mark’s Church, New Cairo) then presented examples of successful projects. These projects are delivered using advanced methodologies in the fields of nursing, child education, parental education, and healthcare provision and awareness.
The participants’ attention was also drawn to the developmental government services provided by the state, which can be utilized without imposing additional financial or technical burdens on the church. Finally, emphasis was placed on the importance of coordination among churches and Christian development organizations to exchange experiences and focus on networking to achieve greater impact.
The meeting concluded with His Grace the esteemed Anba Angelos, Bishop of the churches of Shubra El-Shamaleyya, presenting the diocese’s vision and action plan in a discussion session. The plan aims to achieve the desired goals of comprehensive development in 2020 across the churches of the diocese, with the support of the priests.
It was agreed to nominate servants involved in serving the Lord’s brethren to benefit from the specialized “Comprehensive Development” course to be offered by the Coptic Institute for Church Administration and Development. This will follow the completion and submission of nomination requests to the Institute, facilitated through the generous assistance of the Secretariat of Social Care office.
