In August, one of our Converge MidAmerica pastors Avdal Boktor, Lead Pastor of Hope Arabic Church, hosted the Evangelistic Live Free Festival for the first time ever in Windsor, Canada. Since 2016 God has put on his heart to reach out to Middle Eastern people in Windsor. There are over 60,000 Arabs living there, and they are praying for God to open doors so they can reach refugees and Muslims for Christ. Last August they held a Live Free event and 90% of the 400 attendees were unreached and unchurched Arabs and Muslims. For most, this was the first time they had ever heard the Gospel. Their team shared the Good News of Jesus with them and encouraged them to start personal relationships with God.
Pastor Avdal trained a small group of kids, ushers, a welcome team, and a prayer team for this event. They were able to collect contact information from attendees to follow up with them and ask if they needed any counseling, visiting, or a Bible.
The most impactful moment was when an Iraqi man accepted Jesus as his Savior. His wife was a Christian, but he was not. Whenever anyone tried to tell him about Jesus, he would always tell them, “I don’t believe in God.” He accepted Jesus one month after the event and immediately invited Pastor Avdal and his wife to visit them and offered to open their home for a Bible study. Now he and his wife are attending the Sunday service, driving over an hour just to get there!
Hear what Pastor Avdal had to say:
“After a week full of good news, God touched a lot of souls through the annual Evangelistic Live Free Festival. Thursday, August 25, 2022, was the first time [this event was hosted] in Windsor, Canada. The event was attended by more than 400 people including some families from an Islamic background.
The Lord touched many hearts, and we saw there is a clear need to establish an Arabic church among the Arab community, which exceeded more than 50,000 Arabs.
We need your prayers and support to reach more people for Christ, especially in the cities where there are no Arabic churches. Thank you and God bless you!”
Please pray for Hope Arabic Church on December 16, 2022, as they hold a Christmas event where they will give away toys for refugee kids. They are praying for God to open the doors for toy donations for this event and that God will transform lives and hearts with the Good News of Jesus.
