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I.
Background
Father Zakariah Boutros was
born on the 24th October 1934 in the town of Kafr el
Dawar in the governorate of Behaira, in close proximity to
Alexandria. He was born in a Christian family who were deeply
involved in evangelical work and cared for all those who crossed
their way. It is in this context that Fayez Boutros (Father
Zakariah’s name before ordination) developed an awareness of the
importance of evangelism to the Muslims.
In the 1960s Father Zakariah
wrote a few booklets targeting Muslims, aiming to show common
grounds between Christianity and Islam and explaining issues
that obstructed Muslims’ openness to Christianity, such as the
Trinity, Crucifixtion and the Incarnation of God in Christ.
During Father Zakariah’s
service in Egypt, he became famous for his evangelical work with
Muslims, preaching Christ’s love, and engaging in many dialogues
with the Muslim religious leaders (sheikhs). The Lord blessed
his service and many converted from Islam to Christianity. By
1989 Father Zakariah had baptized over five hundred men and
women.
In May 2000, Father Zakariah
started a new service aimed at expanding the outreach to Muslims
via the internet-based Paltalk. The Holy Spirit used Paltalk as
a channel to reach out to thousands of Muslims from different
countries around the world in particular when Father Zakariah
transformed the service to include direct dialogue with the
Muslims, and which bore much service in particular through his
extensive research on Islam, which God used to reveal the truth
to them.
Television Service
God opened an avenue for
greater and wider service through satellite television through
his programme Questions Concerning Faith, broadcast on Al
Hayat Television when it was launched in 2003. Since he began
recording his programme in 2002, Father Zakariah produced 150
series of Questions Concerning Faith as well as a
Spiritual Stewardship Programme specifically designed for those
who have converted to grow in the knowledge of Christ of which
100 series have already been recorded. Father Zakariyah also
recorded another programme Dialogue on Truth, which was
broadcast from series number fifty four up to today on a weekly
basis, direct every Friday. And thus, God’s promise to his
people "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great
light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon
them hath the light shined" (Isaiah 9:2).
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