Purpose 1:  Understanding the role of Egyptian Christians in a Muslim society that is in transition, the role of churches in addressing the needs to the poor and uplifting Christians to serve wider Egyptian society.

Purpose 2: Preparing participants to become Ambassadors for the current situation the church in Egypt is in. In other words we would like to see participants return to their home churches and organizations they are a member of and explain what they have seen and experienced in Egypt.

Anafura: Lifting up!

The core of this program is a two week participation in the Coptic Orthodox retreat center Anafura in the Western desert on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road. Anafura was founded by Coptic Orthodox Bishop Thomas and is a Coptic word meaning “lifting up.”  It provides workshops and training to strengthen one’s Christian identity and to train participants to participate in development. Anafura primarily serves Egyptian Christian youth but also welcomes participants from other countries. Anafura has a Coptic Orthodox identity but is open to participants of all religious denominations.  One tastes here the ecumenical spirit that one also finds in Taize.

Anafura opens and ends the day with prayer that you are free to attend.

Anafura provides its guests free accommodation, meals and drinks but expects in return donations according to your ability. These donations can be in kind (contributing through work) or financial.

Target group: This program is for anyone who wants to serve and discover a living Christian church in a Muslim country.  Especially youth are encouraged to participate.

Language: English and Dutch

Costs: we aim to keep the costs as low as possible in order to allow as many people as possible to participate. The facilities of transportation, accommodation and meals are thus kept simple but adequate. The costs of the basic program are between 600 and 750 Euros per person only (costs can fluctuate a bit depending on the size of the group and whether the group wants to have a bus permanently standby or not). Supplements are possible to allow you to visit locations as you wish.

Costs include:
Return flight to Egypt
Accommodation in Anafura (free)
Accommodation in Cairo and Etsa/Minia (included in costs)
Bus transportation in Egypt
Meals and drinks
Guiding of Cornelis Hulsman (free)

Outline of the program

Day 1 – Flight with Egypt Air from Amsterdam (departure 15.00 hrs) to Cairo (arrival 20.30 hrs) and overnight in the convent of the nuns of the Notre Dame, Maadi.  Arrival in the convent at around 22.00 hrs. We will provide each room with a thermoscan with hot water and some snacks.
Day 2 – option 1: morning visit to the Giza Pyramids, solar boat and sfinx, afternoon: optional visits according to your own preferences.
Day 3 – option 2: morning visit to the Egyptian museum, afternoon: optional visits according to your own preferences.

Other options are:

1. 3. Visiting the Coptic Museum and Old Cairo, going here by metro, ½ day guided walking tour
2. 4. Visiting Islamic Cairo (mosques, market), going here by metro, ½ day guided walking tour
3. 5. Cave church garbage collectors area, going here by bus or car, ½ day guided walking tour
4. 6. Holy Family in Cairo (Maadi, Abu Sefeen church Old Cairo, Haret Zuwayla, tree of Maryam in Matariya, Musturod). One day bus or car tour with lunch
5. 7. Delta tour, visiting the Holy Family church in Sakha and the mosque of Sayed Badawi in Tanta, the first having the footprint of Jesus in a stone and the second having the footprint of Muslim Sufi mystic Sayed Badawi in a stone. One day bus or car tour with lunch.
6. 8. Pyramids tour: Sakara/Memphis and the pyramids of Dahshur. One day bus or car tour with lunch.
7. 9. Lunch cruise on the Nile
8. 10. Faluka, sailing boat with pizza on the Nile
9. 11. Visiting the office of Arab-West Report for a presentation on Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt.

Cost for optional programs – Per person  in EURO:

Cairo:	2-4 participants	5-9  participants	10-14 participants	15-25 participants
Option 1	38	28	25	22
Option 2	32	22	19	18
Option 3	27	19	15	13
Option 4	27	19	15	13
Option 5	20	12	9	7
Option 6	38	27	22	20
Option 7	72	45	38	32
Option 8	60	45	40	36
Option 9	42	36	34	32
Option 10	27	21	17	14
Option 11	12	8	6	4

 

Day 4 – visiting the fourth century monastery of Makarios, a major center of the Christian revival in Egypt in the past decades. Going to Anafura which is situated in the neighborhood.
Day 5 – introduction to Anafura and the tasks you will be involved in.
Day 6 – Day 18 – working on various tasks in Anafura, 7 hour per day, with meetings on Coptic Orthodox spirituality, Bible studies , Coptic history, etc.
Day 19 – Traveling to Minia with stop on the road at the pyramid of Maidum. Overnight at the Christian conference center in Etsa, just north of Minia.
Day 20 – Visiting the Coptic Orthodox pilgrimage center of Abuna Abdel Mesih al-Managhri and continuing to Qufada for an introduction to the Brothers of the Lord program of the Coptic Orthodox Church for the poorest of the poor in Qufada. Meeting Father Yo’annis and discovering harmonious relations with Salafi Muslim sheikh Hamdi and other Muslims in the village. Father Yo’annis principle is that a good word carries far in mutual Muslim-Christian relations.

Day 20 – 21 Options that are all one day guided car tours

1. 1. The Flying Church in Bayahu and taking the ferry over the Nile to the Coptic pilgrimage center Gebel el-Teir, beautifully situated on a cliff overseeing the Nile and Sawada, an ancient church near an ancient cemetery near Minia
2. 2. Discover the Christian region of Deir Abu Hinnis, 7th century cave church, the ruins of a huge fifthe century basilica in al-Ashmonein, called by Gawdat Gabra the ursprungsort  of the Egyptian Holy Family tradition
3. 3. Tel el-Amarna, the capital of Egypt during the reign of pharaoh Ekhnaton, and Beni Hassan, 11th and 12th dynasty tombs with absolutely marvelous murals
4. 4. Stabl Antar and Tuna, relatively unknown pharaonic locations for those who have seen other locations before
5. 5. Minia, walking along the corniche on the Nile, visiting the shopping area in the city center, lunch on the magnificent Dahabiya boat on the Nile
6. 6. Visiting the monasteries of Muharraq and Dronka at Assiut, ancient and modern, located on the route of the Holy Family, meeting with monks
7. 7. Visiting Catholic social projects in Minia, social work and dialogue with Muslims (father Bola)
8. 8. Visiting Think en Do social projects in Minia (Protestant/Evangelical), social work and evangelism

Minia:	2-4 participants	5-9  participants	10-14 participants	15-25 participants
Option 1	32	17	15	13
Option 2	32	17	15	13
Option 3	36	22	20	18
Option 4	32	17	15	13
Option 5	40	25	22	20
Option 6	45	30	28	26
Option 7	32	17	15	13
Option 8	32	17	15	13

 

Day 22 – returning to Cairo for an overnight with the nuns in Maadi
Day 23 – going to the airport for our flight to Amsterdam

This program is flexible. You may arrive later and leave Egypt earlier to participate in Anafura only or you decide to join for the visit to Upper Egypt only.

Safety:
Egypt is a country in transition from an autocratic rule to democratization with unfortunate sporadic violence.  In general, however, the country is safe and welcoming to foreign visitors. We follow the safety regulations of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and German Embassy in Cairo which means:

1. Avoidance of demonstrations,
2. Avoiding driving at night on desert routes,
3. Not allowing participants to wander around the streets without being accompanied by a professional guide who knows local circumstances and whose advice must always be followed up.

Climate:
Egypt in the summer is hot and dry and you are thus required to drink a lot of water. We provide sufficient mineral water to all participate during the entire visit, including all optional visits to locations of your own choice. You are also requested to wear something on your head if walking in the sun. The evenings are very pleasant.

Preparations:
I am frequently traveling between The Netherlands and Egypt.  You can invite me for a presentation on Egypt, a preparatory meeting and I can help with preparations for presentations in churches and organizations after your return to The Netherlands. I am doing this for free because I see this as my mission to support the church in Egypt. Support for me does not mean one-sided advocacy but a genuine understanding of the position of Christians living in a predominantly Muslim society and providing support with that understanding in mind.