Lives changed as generations of Middle Eastern Christians gathered for annual conference

You may be surprised to know that since 1984, hundreds of Middle Eastern Christians have gathered every summer to worship on one weekend in July. For the past 38 years, the Arabic Baptist Church of Boston has hosted its annual conference around the July 4th weekend, an event that draws attendees from around the world. The Arabic Baptist Church in Newton, Massachusetts, has been involved in BCNE life since its founding, and the BCNE has supported conference efforts each year with grants. This year, the conference occurred from July 1st to July 4th at the Doubletree Hotel in Danvers, MA. 

With more than 455 attendees made up of Arabic Baptist’s local congregation and visitors from around the US, Canada, and the Middle East, the conference began on Friday, July 1st, with worship that got everyone on their feet. There was something for everyone, with three complete programs running simultaneously throughout the weekend to serve the generations in attendance, from infants to adults in their 90s.

On one side of the hotel, hundreds of Arabic-speaking adults gathered to worship and hear messages in Arabic led by renowned Middle Eastern Christian singers, musicians, and pastors, focusing on the theme “being built together…we grow” from Ephesians 2:20-22.

Even English speakers wanting to tune in to the Arabic-language sessions could do so with headsets for English translation. Sessions were also live-streamed across multiple online platforms and thousands tuned in to watch on Facebook and on “Alkarma,” a free Arabic Christian satellite channel that broadcasts worldwide.

On the opposite end of the hotel, the “English side” of the ministry, called One Name Boston, was just as full of life and energy. High school and college students and career-age English speakers gathered to worship, pray, meet in small groups, and take day trips to nearby attractions. Andy and Bethany Needham of Converge Northeast led worship backed by the One Name Boston worship team. Fady Ghobrial, a pastor at Arabic Baptist, shared the opening message on the theme of God’s faithfulness, and Ryan Wetherhead of Vox Church delivered the rest of the weekend’s powerful messages.

Children were not left out as the third program running throughout the weekend was Vacation Bible School (VBS) for nursery-age to 8th-grade children, with around 110 children enrolled. Arabic Baptist has had a long-standing partnership with Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, and each year, they send a large team from their church to lead the VBS program.

Even with three programs running throughout the weekend, the overlap between generations and cultures was evident, with young people attending the Arabic sessions and older people checking out the English worship. 

Samy Ibrahim, a leader and conference organizer at the Arabic Baptist Church, reflected on the conference, saying: “I praise the Lord for His gracious work among us during our church conference last weekend. The Lord blessed us, and His name was glorified among us.”

That amazing work included 13 middle school children who decided to follow Christ, several high school, college, and career-age attendees who chose to recommit their lives to the Lord, and a few who sensed a call to vocational ministry. Attendees also shared testimonies of how God spoke to them throughout the weekend, saying:

“God reached out to my heart during the messages, and I am encouraged to spend more time with Him after the conference. I am eager to tell my friends about God and pray with them.”

“He gave me hope when I did not have any left and cured my depression.”

“I have some residual church hurt/trauma and have a hard time engaging in worship sometimes, but I felt God telling me to leave it behind and not let it affect my relationship with Him and to engage and pursue Him as if I had never been hurt.”

“He reminded me that he exists not only in the life of others, not only in theory, but in my life.”

We praise God for His great work in our Ethnic churches and the ripple effect it causes throughout New England and beyond, and we pray His work will continue through these ministries.


Renee Ghobrial serves as the communications director of the Baptist Churches of New England.