Ghassan Khalaf Endowment
Who was Ghassan Khalaf?
Ghassan Khalaf (1945-2018) was a man after God’s own heart. He was a dedicated family man, a faithful and loving husband, father, and grandfather. But his first love was always for Jesus whom he never stopped adoring and worshiping. He was very passionate about the Church. He pastored, equipped pastors, mentored and cared for pastors all of his adult life. He fell in love with Scripture at a young age. He was a renowned Bible scholar. He never stopped studying the word of God and never stopped allowing it to shape him. His name is closely connected with ABTS. He is an ABTS graduate, taught at ABTS for decades (1977-2018), and was ABTS President for fifteen years (1993-2008). Hundreds of ABTS graduates consider him their spiritual father, mentor, and a model for life and ministry.
You can read more about Ghassan Khalaf here: “My Friend Ghassan, A Lebanese Story”, and in our August 2018 Newsletter.
What is the Ghassan Khalaf Endowment?
For the first time in ABTS history, and to celebrate the legacy of Ghassan Khalaf and his contributions, ABTS launched its first scholarship endowment program on October 14, 2018. The purpose is to raise enough funds locally to be able to provide at least one student with a full scholarship every year. This idea came out of the Leadership Team and was endorsed by the ABTS Board and the Khalaf family.
The interest earned by the endowment will be distributed as follows: a gift of $500 to an ABTS student based on merit, and the remaining is put towards the ABTS financial aid program to cover the cost of one student whose profile resembles that of Ghassan Khalaf. The interesting aspect about Ghassan is that he did not join ABTS prepared by the wisdom and degrees of this world. He had not completed his school education, however there were people who saw his calling and vision and decided to put their faith in God’s calling for his life. Because seminary leaders believed in his potential and gave him a chance, he became one of the sharpest theological minds of the Evangelical community of the Arab world during the twentieth century, one of our most incisive preachers, and a fascinating teacher.
The profile of the recipient of the Ghassan Khalaf Scholarship will be a student who is mature, poised, committed, peaceful, intellectual, and passionate about the church and ready to give his life in its service.