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The context in which Christians inside Gaza do ministry is daunting. Gaza is 98 percent Sunni Muslim. Since the September 2000 start of the Al Aksa intifada, some 3,300 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis have died in political violence. Hamas, which is behind many suicide bombings, is based here and has an extensive social-service network, including Gaza's only free kindergarten. Most Gazans live on less than $2 a day in one of the world's most densely populated hotspots.

To deter terrorism and the weapons trade, Israel has destroyed the runway at Yasser Arafat International Airport, blocked construction of a seaport, and in recent months has kept borders under stringent control. Nonetheless, Palestinian terrorists routinely launch lethal rockets from Gaza into southern Israel or at Israeli settlements inside Gaza.

No one in Gaza is far from the conflict. Gaza Baptist's roof has been damaged four times by Israeli mortars. In modern Hebrew, the curse "go to hell" (lekh léazazel) is nearly identical to "go to Gaza" (lekh léaza). The play on words is not lost on anyone.

Despite these conditions, Massad's return six years ago ushered in growth with a core group of lay volunteers at Gaza Baptist, including Magdy Anwar and his wife, Rima, from the Bible Society. One church member told me, "Something special began happening. God invited Gaza to know him."

One of the most vibrant lay leaders is Rana Khoury. In January 2000, the church threw a "singing party" one Sunday evening with a praise team from Egypt at Gaza's Anglican church. Baptists, Orthodox, and Catholics also took part. Pastor Massad and Magdy Anwar shared their testimonies. Khoury, then a university freshman, was present, and that evening changed her life. From a nominally Christian family, she never before had heard that God loved her personally and had a plan for her life. She soon turned her life over to Christ.

A few months later, Khoury and other Gazan evangelicals traveled to Spain to learn how to disciple new believers. Within a year and a half, Khoury led to faith her mother, three siblings, and a sister-in-law. They in turn are doing outreach, too. Khoury's mother, for example, leads a Purpose-Driven Life Bible study.

As Gaza Baptist grows, its vision grows. The church's new six-story building houses the Culture and Light Library, the only place Gazans can check out Christian books. Another floor will soon house a breast-cancer-screening clinic.

New ministry models are taking shape, many with the help of World Relief, Youth with a Mission, the Assemblies of God, and the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. Not far from Gaza Baptist, at a former Baptist center for training nurses, Assemblies of God missionaries will soon open the Lighthouse School for children unable to pay school fees. Massad himself has taken up a new task of teaching leadership skills to workers for the Palestinian Authority. He uses Bible-based materials from leadership guru John Maxwell. At the end of the course, workers receive certificates and Bibles.

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July 2005, Vol. 49, No. 7