Jordan is the Official Headquarters of the United Evangelical Council
The Evangelical Council of Jordan, Palestine, and Galilee decided to set up a permanent office in the Jordanian capital Amman. The decision will include the centralization of documentation and follow-up, and the files of the Council at the Free Evangelical Church in Khalda. The Council also approved the appointment of Pastor David Rihani who is the head of the Assemblies of God Church of Jordan as the official spokesperson.
The three councils' general assembly, which includes Jordan, Palestine, and Galilee, held a regional conference on Saturday, April 6th, 2024, at the Free Evangelical Church in Amman, Jordan.
The future outline of the Council received the blessing of all participants Dr. Additionally, some private and public issues related to internal affairs were discussed and several were approved. A spiritual gathering and training session will be held in September in Amman for the pastors and leaders of the youth of the churches along with their spouses.
The head of the Council, Reverend Dr. Munir Qaqish, said he was happy with the success of the conference and he described the meeting as "constructive and distinguished". He thanked the presence of the brothers from Palestine and Galilee. Reverend Qaqish said: "I thank the Lord for the meeting on Saturday, in which we began to see the importance of establishing the Council, where important matters emerged through the many talents of the servants that will push the Council forward and we will follow all the decisions for the glory of God."
Reverend Boutros Gharib, head of the Evangelical Council in Galilee said that the meetings of both the administrative council and the general assembly of the three unions in Amman Jordan on the 5th and 6th of April 2024 reflected constructive attitudes. "I was personally touched in these meetings by the love of Christ between the gathered brothers. Those gathered expressed constructive positions and practical decisions were made that will help the unity and continuity of this Council. The meeting was encouraging, and I felt the spirit of the Lord filling the place and this was manifested in a unified decision for the need to hold a conference for the three groups next September."
Reverend David Rihani, head of the Assemblies of God- Jordan, who was appointed official spokesperson, said he is aware of the challenge facing Arab evangelicals. "We have a great challenge in convincing the Arab public that we are patriotic Arabs, and we fully support the Hashemite custodianship of the Christian and Islamic holy places in Jerusalem.” Rihani explained that all council churches are administratively and financially independent from any foreign party and “we work with a national agenda aimed at serving God and supporting our people and our country."
Pastor Nihad Salman, Pastor Mazen Nasrawi, and Pastor Abdallah Khoury attended from Palestine. Those attending from Jordan were brother Imad Maayah, president of the Jordanian Council, and council members; Pastor Kamal Mansour (who attended in his personal capacity), Pastor Walid Madanat, Rev. Munther Shahatit, and Rev. David Rihani. From Galilee, the attendees were the head of the Galilee Congregation; Rev Boutros Gharib, Pastor Azer Hajjaj, Rev Imad Jabour, and the Lawyer Tomah Odeh.