Installation Of The New President: Dr. George F Sabra


(07 October 2012 05:00 pm)

On Sunday, October 7th, The Near East School of Theology celebrated the opening convocation and installment of the ninth president, Dr. George Sabra.  It was attended by students, faculty and staff, board members, representatives of AUB, LAU and Haigazian University, the Arab Baptist Seminary and friends of NEST and was followed by a reception.

A word of welcome was offered by Rev. M. Karaguezian, president of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches and secretary of the Board of NEST, and the invocation was given by Rev Zoorob, Pastor of the Episcopal Evangelical Church, Beirut.

The new president was installed by Rev. Dr Sahiouny, President of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community of Syria and Lebanon and Chairman of the Board of Managers, who presented Dr Sabra with the symbol of office.   Dr. Paul Haidostian, president of Haigazian University and Member of the Board of NEST, presented the new president and closed by saying: "I can confidently say, that if Protestantism in the Middle East would have liked to see in a theologian rigor and seriousness, in a teacher clarity and method, in a leader faithfulness and faith, in a preacher concern for the truth, in an administrator, ethical standards and transparency, in a public personality diplomacy and openness, in a Christian believer the rationally minded and soft spirited person, then the name would be our new president, George Sabra.

The charge to the new president was given by Rev. Karaguezian who encouraged Dr. Sabra  saying that although he had been entrusted with its leadership, it was the responsibility of the community to attend to the needs of the NEST together.  He stressed that the NEST community is behind him and with him as we work together to  sustain the school and nurture it in its unique role as a Protestant Theological Seminary and a beacon in the local community and in the wider Middle Eastern region.

In response, Dr. Sabra gave an address on the three tasks of a Theological Seminary.  He reminded and encouraged us that the role and responsibility of such an institution is to serve both the church and the wider community, to cope with change, responding to the challenges that the Church faces by thinking theologically and searching to find Biblical truths that can be applied to our changing world and working together to transform Church and society.

A Prayer for dedication was given by Mr Jahshan, Vice Chairperson of the NEST Board of Managers and readings were given by professor of New Testament, Dr Awwad, and student Gerard Ghazarian.

Music was played by resident Lori Aintablian, on piano and student Lisa Mohns, who conducted the NEST choir.









Small Things with Great Love


Since the beginning of October when I started my second month working at the Howard Karagheusian Commemorative Corporation (HKCC), I ended up everyday spending my commuting time between home and HKCC, praising God that there is a center that dedicates time and space to Armenian drop-out teenagers to keep them safe and out of the streets. Then, I realized that what we, as a team, were doing in HKCC was more than just a job, and that I was given more than just a position in a center. I realized that we were serving, and I was positioned by God to serve with the group of servants who were already there before I came.

 When I first came to this conclusion, I thought to myself that I should definitely write about our service in HKCC; further, I suddenly had this interest to find out what God himself says about it, but before I come to the verses, let me introduce you to what we do in HKCC. With its many departments: medical, social, and educational, I will only speak about the educational department where I serve.

 In our department, so far twenty two drop-out students of ages varying from 12 to 23 years old attend the center every day from 8:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. where they learn English, Armenian, Arabic, arithmetic skills, computer skills, cooking, hygiene, and nutrition , plus they have counseling hours. One of our many goals is leading these kids back to school, and if not successful, giving them the basic skills they need to have a decent future, and nurturing their needs. Above all, we aim for creating a psychologically, physically, emotionally, intellectually, and morally safe environment to keep them out of the streets and away from the sources of any kinds of risks they might encounter.

 Spending time with these teens and realizing that we, as teachers and leaders in HKCC, are the only hope these kids have left to: make a change in their lives, help them see that they are worth much more than what they think of themselves, and help them believe that yes, they can be better, all these have helped me realize that we are serving them and therefore serving God Himself, for the Bible says: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of those who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Mathew 25:40).

 Furthermore, even while thinking of the purpose of our mission, spending time with these teens is not as easy as it seems, neither is attempting any kind of teaching or education. We literally have teens who have repeated the same class for three times, others who have been in and out of boarding schools, and another who has been expelled from at least three schools. In addition, every one of these precious teens has a case; one has divorced parents, few have a deceased parent (mother or father), few are at risk of attempting suicide, and the list goes on and on…


 Though sometimes we get, or better yet they drive us, nervous, angry, lost, upset, confused, and in extreme cases hopeless, and sleepless, I have found, like the song says “love in a hopeless place”. The amount of love and care that my workmates have for these teens can help me understand what Saint Paul meant by saying in Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it

 with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men”. And as if this overflow of love has infected me (positively) to have and share the same amount of love and care for these kids.

 Even more, when I first decided to shift my job from being a full time teacher working till 2:30 P.M. to being a full time staff at HKCC working till 6:00 P.M., those close to me mocked me and thought I was partially crazy or perhaps unintelligent or not wise, but my reply to everybody who thinks like that comes from the book of Hebrews 13:16, that says: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased”. I guess, all I can say now is that I should be, and am, thankful to God every day that He has given me the chance to do ‘good’ and ‘share’ through HKCC.
To conclude, I would like to share two quotes from two great pioneers in their domains. These two quotes can summarize all the work, the “what”s and the “why”s of our service in HKCC. The first is by Saint Thomas Aquinas, who said “To love is to will the good of another”. And the second, by Mother Theresa who said “We can do no great things, only small things with great love” and that’s what we do in HKCC, small things, just the musts, but with great love!

Aline Tahazian
Aline Tahazian