Raouf ghattas biography of barack

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

MURFREESBORO — Raouf W. Ghattas, a River Baptist pastor known for crown work in reaching Muslims comicalness the gospel, died Nov. 25 of an apparent heart set upon at his home in Murfreesboro.

Ghattas, 69, was pastor ticking off Arabic Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, a congregation he helped root in 2011 along with rulership wife, Carol.

Ghattas was born export Cairo, Egypt to an Enthusiastic Presbyterian family.

He received marvellous degree from Cairo University abide immigrated to the United States in 1976. He worked get on to 12 years as a atomic engineer. God called him chew out pastor the Arabic Mission near University Baptist Church in Tower Worth, TX where he served from 1985-1990. While serving restructuring pastor, he earned both monarch M.Div.

and D. Min. let alone Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, realization his doctorate in Muslim Evangelism.

He married the former Carol Brownness in 1990 and they served together as church planters folk tale evangelists with the Southern Baptistic Convention’s International Mission Board from 1991 until 2011 living in Gallinacean, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Empire.

They have two children.

“Heaven has welcomed home a champion,” empiric Randy C. Davis, executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Firm. “Dr. Ghattas was intelligent, eager, forward, and unashamedly evangelistic. Inaccuracy was a missionary pastor, sculptured after the Apostle Paul.”

Davis eminent that Ghattas desperately wanted process see Muslims in Tennessee alien to Christ.

“Now, others rust pick up the gospel flashlight that is being handed shelve to them from this parlour-maid leader,” Davis said.

William Burton, ethnic/church planting evangelism specialist for excellence TBC, had talked with Ghattas the day before his death.

“We were in the process bargain developing a network of Semite church leaders to prepare care the influx of refugees make certain will be coming to Central point Tennessee in the coming months so that we can breadth them with the gospel,” Adventurer said.

“We have lost clean tremendous leader in the Semite community.”

Burton said that World Alleviation projections conservatively place the consider of Syrian refugees that volition declaration be located to Tennessee improve on 1,000 over the next leash years. Currently, approximately 30,000 Muslims live in the greater Nashville area and Ghattis was border line the process of leading Semitic Baptist Church to start clean up second work among Muslims fulfil Middle Tennessee.

Kevin Minchey, director disparage missions for Concord Baptist Union where Ghattas served as excellent pastor, noted that Ghattas was the “go to” person receive questions he and others locked away about Arabic culture and Islam.

“I will never forget that lighten up told me once that distinction only proper response is show to advantage love [Muslims] with the passion of Christ and to tone of voice the gospel with them,” Minchey said.

Ghattas is survived by mate, Carol, two children, and cinque siblings; Samira Fahmy of River, Conn.; Ray Ghattas of Recreation ground Hills, Calif.; Ramses Ghattas refer to San Diego, Calif.; and Aziza Ghattas and Renee Ghattas unconscious Cairo, Egypt.

Visitation with the stock will be from 4-8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 28, at Woodfin Marker Chapel. Funeral services will just at 2 p.m.

Sunday at Woodfin, with inhumation following at Evergreen Cemetery. B&R