Vision for a Regional Center for Research at ABTS
In December’s Newsletter, Elie Haddad shared about how we were able to identify God’s work in the past year, and how He is providing for the sustainability and growth of our programs. This includes the ongoing renovation of our dormitory and the building of a new library and research center.
The dream to build a multipurposed building started many years ago. The initial plan was to have one structure that would be suitable for an adequate living space for students and a functional library and study space. The plan was subsequently modified to build a separate library and research center while restoring and renovating the old dormitory.
Work on both buildings started in 2021. The construction of the new library and research center was completed last month and is now being furnished. The move to the new library and research center has started. It should be fully functional by the summer. The dormitory is expected to be ready by the summer as well.
But why invest in a renovated dormitory when we do not currently have a fully residential program, and why a new physical library when our students are distant and we are already investing in a state-of-the-art Arabic digital library?
God is giving us an expanded vision for training leaders for the Church in the Arab world at an intellectual and an academic level. With the recent launching of our MTh program, and our developing plans for a regional and collaborative PhD program, serious research is becoming a priority at ABTS. Our vision is to have the new library and research center accessible to all church leaders and serious students of the Bible in Lebanon. Additionally, we want these facilities to be accessible to all serious researchers from around the Arab world and beyond. The dormitory will also serve this same purpose. It will be used to house students, visiting professors, resident scholars, and anyone pursuing any research interest in service to the Church. Our vision is to see ABTS become a hub of research for the Church in the Arab world.
As God is growing His church in our region and is increasing its impact, the need for solid scholarship is urgent so that new generations of church leaders are formed, equipped, and trained with crucial skills that can help them engage our region with the message of God’s love and hope.
We are grateful to God for this major milestone, and we are grateful to those whom God has used to make this vision come to life.
The dream to build a multipurposed building started many years ago. The initial plan was to have one structure that would be suitable for an adequate living space for students and a functional library and study space. The plan was subsequently modified to build a separate library and research center while restoring and renovating the old dormitory.
Work on both buildings started in 2021. The construction of the new library and research center was completed last month and is now being furnished. The move to the new library and research center has started. It should be fully functional by the summer. The dormitory is expected to be ready by the summer as well.
But why invest in a renovated dormitory when we do not currently have a fully residential program, and why a new physical library when our students are distant and we are already investing in a state-of-the-art Arabic digital library?
God is giving us an expanded vision for training leaders for the Church in the Arab world at an intellectual and an academic level. With the recent launching of our MTh program, and our developing plans for a regional and collaborative PhD program, serious research is becoming a priority at ABTS. Our vision is to have the new library and research center accessible to all church leaders and serious students of the Bible in Lebanon. Additionally, we want these facilities to be accessible to all serious researchers from around the Arab world and beyond. The dormitory will also serve this same purpose. It will be used to house students, visiting professors, resident scholars, and anyone pursuing any research interest in service to the Church. Our vision is to see ABTS become a hub of research for the Church in the Arab world.
As God is growing His church in our region and is increasing its impact, the need for solid scholarship is urgent so that new generations of church leaders are formed, equipped, and trained with crucial skills that can help them engage our region with the message of God’s love and hope.
We are grateful to God for this major milestone, and we are grateful to those whom God has used to make this vision come to life.
Library and Research Center
Dormitory under renovation