A Journey Nearing Its End

The Nazareth Baptist School has always held a special place in my heart. My late mother, Evelyn Gharib Mansour, studied there and graduated in the first class in 1955, then worked there as a first-grade teacher. When I was born, my mother was already teaching at the school, but I did not join the kindergarten class because our family had moved outside Nazareth. When we returned, I joined the third grade, and the principal at the time, the late Mr. Emile Nusair, welcomed me warmly.

It was therefore natural that my siblings, Bader and Samar, and I would study there and graduate from it. There, our principles were shaped, our personalities, spiritual, social, and cultural identities refined, in addition to acquiring knowledge and learning. It was also natural that all our children would study there and graduate from it. A little over a year ago, the youngest grandchild of my mother, Evelyn—the sweet young man Sami, my nephew—graduated. Later, my beloved wife Abir worked there as an educational counselor and retired early last year. My father-in-law, the late Mr. Naseeb Oudeh, also worked there as an Arabic teacher, as did my wife’s sister, 2nd-grade educator Lydia Shaheen, who continues her devoted work at the school to this day.

In 1993, after being admitted to the bar association as a lawyer, my teacher, the late principal at the time, Mr. Fuad Haddad, invited me to join the newly formed local Board of Trustees to lead the school and guide its policy after the American Baptist Mission withdrew from it. I joined the board and served as a volunteer, as the youngest member, alongside the late Professor George Qanazi, Mr. Issa Saba, Mr. Fuad himself, and Dr. Sami Dabbini—may he live long.

In 2002, the Board of Trustees offered me to leave my work as a lawyer and take on the role of General Director of the school, succeeding Mr. Fuad, who was about to retire and move to chair the Board of Trustees. I accepted the offer and began my role in 2003, and the first graduating class I had was the fiftieth class (during which I worked as a trainee for one year alongside Mr. Fuad) before assuming the position fully in 2004.

It was remarkable to join a wonderful team that included some teachers who had taught me, others who were students during my time as a student at the school, and others. What stood out to me personally was that five of my classmates from the 1983 graduating class were among the team: educators Liza Shehadeh, Shorook Espanioli, Rula Khoury, and teachers Iyad Hanna and Imad Haddad—a record number of graduates from a single class working at the school—highlighting our special love and belonging to this place, which, for many of us, has been like a family or our second home.

Over the years, I worked alongside five competent principals of the school, covering both the high school and elementary stages. I also collaborated with two capable chairpersons of the Board of Trustees.

With the help of the Lord and in cooperation with colleagues, according to the strength and ability God granted me, I worked to advance and elevate the school in various ways.

Together with my colleagues, I helped build a strong network and association for financial support for the school abroad, particularly in the United States, established a new Friends and Alumni Committee, strengthened the existing Parents’ Committee, and activated it. I also worked to stabilize the school’s financial situation through difficult and sometimes painful steps. We transferred ownership of the school property from the foreign mission to the local association that owns and oversees the school. I also sought, as much as possible, to improve its physical environment despite the limited and crowded space.

I represented Nazareth Baptist school, as well as other church schools, before government ministries in my role in the General Secretariat of Christian Schools. Over the years, I emphasized the importance of activating and upgrading the school’s various spiritual programs. I maintained strong public relations for the school, in addition to exposing its students and teachers to other countries through missions to the United States, Canada, England, Spain, Taiwan, and Greece. I also supported the academic work of the principals and sought to unify and harmonize the staff.

I succeeded in some areas and failed in others. We witnessed successes alongside external and internal crises. In the end, despite everything, this season as a whole has been abundant showers of blessings, rain—the best years of my life.

With love and gratitude to the Lord, I stand to say: “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” Without His power, care, protection, and guidance, our work would be in vain.

This season comes to an end at the end of this week—a remarkable and significant chapter in my life: 22 years and two months as General Director and operational Director of Nazareth Baptist School, preceded by ten years on the Board of Trustees and ten years as a student there. By the end of the week, I will move directly to a new season in service of the global church as Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance.

Now I leave the NBS entrusting all my colleagues—especially the competent directors Anne Haddad and Ruba Kardosh and those on the Board of Trustees led by Engineer Najed Azzam—to the Lord’s care and guidance.

I look forward to the day, years from now, when I come to the school in the morning with my grandson Botros, holding his hand in the schoolyard, greeting the teachers on duty, hoping they will remember me so my grandson can be proud of his well-known grandfather, and we proceed, with pride, to the kindergarten classroom. With God’s grace, our Crown Prince Botros Junior will be the first to continue this blessed legacy in a place that holds a warm place in our family’s heart.

I pledge that the school will remain in my prayers, and I pray to the Almighty that it continues its blessed journey.

Farewell.

Rev Botrus Mansour was the Operational Director of the Baptist School in Nazareth and has been chosen as the new Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance. He will be officially declared in Korea next week