Mafraq, Jordan — The Alliance Church in Mafraq, led by Pastor Nour Sahawneh, held a moving spiritual evening on July 20th in the ancient city of Rehab, home to the historic St. George’s Church. The event brought together worshippers from across the region to pray for peace, healing, and divine protection over the land and its people.

The evening featured collective prayers, Scripture readings, and moments of reflection, as participants gathered in the centuries-old church, one of the oldest Christian sites in northern Jordan. Pastor Sahawneh spoke of the spiritual significance of gathering in a place with deep biblical and historical roots, emphasizing the Church’s mission to be a light in troubled times.

Organizers noted that the event was also intended to strengthen inter-church ties and promote unity among believers. Many attendees expressed a sense of renewal and hope.
“We prayed not only for Mafraq’s protection, but for the revival of the Christian witness in this land,” said one participant.

Pastor Sahawneh told Milhilard.org that the gathering aimed to revive the site as a sacred place of religious and historical importance, to connect the spiritual dimension of the church with its human and social roles, and to open dialogue across generations and communities.

He thanked the people of Rehab for their warm hospitality: “There were opportunities for us to get to know each other better, to interact, and to learn from one another,” he said.

The event was organized through the Ma’alim Betahki Initiative, coordinated by Sharaf Harhaash under the auspices of the Ain Bani Hassan Charitable Association, with support from the New Rehab Municipality and the approval of the Mafraq Antiquities Directorate and the Ministry of Tourism.

“We held a full prayer service, with worship, hymns, and Scripture readings, including the teachings of Jesus, the Beatitudes, and the Lord’s Prayer,” Sahawneh told Milhilard.org. “We prayed for the region, the church, the nation, and its leadership.”

The evening also included remarks from the heads of the Ain Bani Hassan Charitable Association and the Ma’alim Betahki initiative, who highlighted the importance of the site and the event. Pastor Sahawneh spoke passionately about the ancient stones of Rehab—home to over 23 historic churches—saying they still “cry out” the legacy of early Christians who once lived, worshipped, and preached there. These stones, he said, bear witness to a time when the presence of Christ was alive throughout the region and across Jordan.

Pastor Sahawneh also offered a brief history of the Christian presence in Mafraq over the past 90 years. Before 1950, the city—then Jordan’s third largest after Amman and As-Salt—had four churches and one mosque.

At the end of the evening, Pastor Nour Sahawneh gave a sermon from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 7, about the parable of the two debtors, in which it was emphasized that we are all sinners and condemned before divine justice. We are all unable to pay the debt of sins and need divine forgiveness through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, and thus divine mercy and divine justice were achieved.

Speakers emphasized shared goals: revitalizing the site as a sacred space; preserving the oral histories of Rehab’s residents; linking the church’s spiritual life with community and cultural identity; fostering intergenerational dialogue; and honoring the elderly as keepers of memory.

They also called for coordinated efforts to put Rehab on Jordan’s religious tourism map and to support the discovery and restoration of additional churches, making them accessible to visitors from within and beyond Jordan.

The evening concluded with a visit to nearby St. Mary’s Church, built in 1934 and located next to a local school. Parishioners were welcomed by Rehab residents and local officials, including Mafraq Tourism Director Amjad Al-Maaytah.