CHANNELING THE SPIRIT WITH BILL HYBELS IN MYSTICAL SILENCE:
Mystic Mama Maggie Gobran,
"The Coptic Christian Mother Theresa of Cairo"
2011 Global Leadership Summit,
Teaching the Heretical
"Silence" of Contemplative Mysticism
QUOTE FROM WIKIPEDIA: Maggie Gobran or Mama Maggie, a Coptic Orthodox lady, is the founder and CEO of the non-profit charity Stephen's Children in Cairo, Egypt. She was also professor of computer science at the American University in Cairo, is married and has a son and a daughter. She was nominated to the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.
Maggie Gobran, often referred to as the Mother Teresa of Cairo, is a Coptic Christian lady who once lived an affluent lifestyle sheltered from the poverty and misery, but who nevertheless experienced persecution as a Christian in Egypt. In 1989, she gave up her academic career to become a Coptic Orthodox Christian consecrated servant and set up the charity Stephen's Children, whose aim is improving the lives of the children of Christians and families living in Cairo's slum quarters and impoverished communities in rural Upper Egypt, who are constantly harassed and haunted because of their faith. She also offers help to impoverished Muslim and Bahá'í children.
(NOTE: SEE OUR POSTS ABOUT BAHAI)
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(NOTE: SEE OUR POSTS ABOUT BAHAI)
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Uploaded on Dec 16, 2011
At the Summit this year, Mama Maggie taught us about the power of silence as a spiritual discipline. Take a look at this short video reminding us about what silence can do for our souls.
VIDEO OF GOBRAN TEACHING THE FALSE IDEA THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN US:
AND HERE SHE IS ESPOUSING
SAINT ANTHONY THE GREAT OF EGYPT,
"FOUNDER OF ALL MONASTIC LIFE":
SEE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Anthony_the_Great
SAINT ANTHONY THE GREAT OF EGYPT,
"FOUNDER OF ALL MONASTIC LIFE":
SEE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Anthony_the_Great
ANTHONY THE GREAT, FATHER OF MONKS:
THE TEMPTATIONS OF ANTHONY THE GREAT:
Behind the Scenes at Willow Creek Summit:
Wess Stafford, Mama Maggie Gobran, Michelle Rhee:
SEE VIDEO: http://vimeo.com/27632714
Congressmen Nominate 'Mama Maggie'
For Nobel Peace Prize
SEE: http://wolf.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressmen-nominate-mama-maggie-for-nobel-peace-prize-1#.U_cxTvnzasM; FULL TEXT BELOW:
Feb 7, 2014
“Mama Maggie’s work seeks to lift these individuals out of poverty by providing them with the values, skills and education needed to become productive members of Egyptian society,” they wrote. “In the more immediate term, Mama Maggie’s life and work provides these families and young people with a priceless commodity – hope.”
his is a woman who has dedicated her life to serving the poorest of the poor in Egypt and has often been referred to as the “Mother Teresa of Cairo.” After years of working as a successful manager at a marketing firm and later as a professor of computer science, Ms. Gobran became inspired to chart a different course during a visit to the destitute neighborhoods of Cairo. Mama Maggie founded Stephen’s Children in 1989, a ministry dedicated to serving the disenfranchised populations living in the city’s garbage slums and impoverished areas of Upper Egypt. Ms. Gobran is a woman of the utmost integrity and her tireless work has served thousands of Egyptians, of every faith, including countless children. She has given a voice to the poorest of the poor.
Stephen’s Children serves all needy Egyptians, including Coptic Christians — a religious minority group that faces considerable persecution, discrimination and hardship — and disadvantaged Muslim children as well. The Coptic Christian community is the largest religious minority in Egypt today. In fact, it is the largest religious minority in the entire Middle East. The Copts have faced difficulties from the Arab conquest of Egypt to the present. In recent years they have begun leaving the country in droves in the face of increased marginalization and outright violence — part of a larger troubling trend throughout the region which finds ancient faith communities imperiled and vulnerable. The most recent U.S. State Department report on international religious freedom found that, “While recognized and unrecognized religious minorities mostly worshiped without harassment, the government generally failed to prevent, investigate, or prosecute crimes against members of religious minority groups, especially Coptic Christians, which fostered a climate of impunity. In some cases, government authorities reacted slowly or with insufficient resolve while mobs attacked Christians and their property, or encouraged Christians to leave their homes.”
Of the roughly 8 to 10 million Christians in Egypt, approximately half of them live in abject poverty. The Zabbaleen, or “garbage people,” are Coptic Christians who have lived in the trash dumps for over a century. The conditions of the slums are abhorrent. Many families live in one room shacks without electricity, sewage systems, public transportation or medical care. There is very little or no access to clean water and many are forced to scavenge for food. These are the very people that Stephen’s Children and Ms. Gobran serve.
Coptic Orthodox herself, it is through her deep religious and moral commitment that Mama Maggie has succeeded in creating an organization that serves the most poor, desperate and vulnerable population of Egypt. Since its founding in 1989, Stephen’s Children has rapidly expanded. In 2013 the organization had 3 vocational centers, 90 clinics in 90 educational centers serving more than 18,600 children. A remarkable 32,000 children and their families were served in 2013 alone. Mama Maggie’s work seeks to lift these individuals out of poverty by providing them with the values, skills and education needed to become productive members of Egyptian society. In the more immediate term Mama Maggie’s life and work provides these families and young people with a priceless commodity — hope.
Clothed entirely in white, Mama Maggie is almost an angelic presence in Egypt’s slums, embodying the virtues of generosity, gentleness and charity. We are honored to submit this letter of nomination for Maggie Gobran, a woman whose humility and authenticity have led her to dedicate her life to helping the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. We are hopeful that the Committee would agree that these are noble traits which transcend time and culture and are worthy of recognition.
Sincerely,
Members of Congress
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
ABOUT THE MONASTIC LIFE, CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM,
THE DESERT FATHERS, AND THE INFLUENCE ON
THE EMERGING CHURCH, SEE THE FOLLOWING:
RAY YUNGEN: http://atimeofdeparting.com/aboutus.htm
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH:
CHRIS LAWSON:
