Gaza Baptist Church
| Gaza Baptist Church | |
|---|---|
| Location | Gaza City, Gaza |
| Country | Palestinian Territories |
| Denomination | Baptist, Evangelical |
| Specifications | |
| Number of floors | 6 |
The Gaza Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Gaza City, Gaza, Palestinian Territories. The Church is one of only three Christian churches in the Gaza Strip, and the only one that is Protestant and evangelical.
The Gaza Baptist Church and its congregation of about 200 have been adversely affected by ongoing violence and chaos related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Several church members have become casualties of violence between warring Palestinian factions, and after the murder of a Church leader by unidentified militants in 2007, a number of others were advised by the Gaza authorities to leave Gaza for their own safety. As a result of this situation and of ongoing Israeli travel restrictions, the Church's leadership, including its pastor, still lives in exile, and is only occasionally able to return.
The church was founded in the 1950s. It is pastored by Hanna Massad.
The church, which has historically ministered to approximately 150–250 of Gaza's 2,500 Christians, is one of only three Christian churches in the Gaza Strip. Among Church of Saint Porphyrius and Gaza Latin Church on Zeitoun Street, Gaza Baptist Church is the only Evangelical church in all of Gaza. The church opened Gaza's first public Christian library in 2006.
The church's building is six stories tall. The first two floors are a dedicated public library, which serves both Christian and non-Christian books. The fourth floor is used for outreach, the fifth floor is a lodge for guest workers from abroad, and the sixth floor is used as a worship hall.
Gaza's Christian minority has traditionally enjoyed good relations with the territory's larger Muslim majority. Prior to the breakdown of law and order in 2007, the Church ran youth programs, a library, and medical clinics. As of May 2010 it was still running a school for about 250 students, many of whom are Muslim.
On or before February 2007, the Church's public library was subjected to arson attacks on three separate occasions. During an Israeli air raid in December 2008, the building was damaged by a nearby bomb blast.
...
Wikipedia