Quiet currents

Religion | It’s not a loud revolution, but Christian media and the Bible are reaching Muslims | Jill Nelson

Six days a week for 50 years, Kozman Wasef rose before the sun in the small Southern Egyptian village of Dakouf to greet both locals and travelers from surrounding villages. As the line in front of his home grew, Wasef, a Presbyterian minister, administered ointment to children's eyes, treating an infection common in rural areas where doctors were few. He quickly became known as "the father of the village" by both Christians and Muslims, and many heard and received the gospel through his ministry.

Now his son, Mofid, has his own ministry in the heart of Rancho Bernardo, Calif. After attending seminary at nearby Westminster, the younger Wasef—realizing there was no Arabic fellowship in the area—started a church with another family from Lebanon. That was in 1996. Ten years later, the church, supported by Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church, has about a hundred members, including several who drive an hour or more to worship with other Arabic-speaking believers. And meeting Wasef's vision for the area, some of his congregants are Muslim-background believers (MBBs), a relatively unknown segment of society.