By Clara Hinton, NewsOK (Edmond, Okla.).
The Rev. Mateen Elass, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, is leaving the pastorate to devote his time to preaching the Christian Gospel to Muslims. He also wants to help equip the Christian Church to effectively do the same.
The Rev. Mateen Elass
The Rev. Mateen Elass looks back on his extraordinary faith journey with the firm conviction that the Lord has been preparing him his whole life for “such a time as this.”
Raised in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in a Muslim home, Elass converted to Christianity in his early 20s while attending college in America.
Now the minister is preparing to return to his childhood roots, in a sense.
Elass, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, is leaving the pastorate to devote his time to preaching the Christian Gospel to Muslims. He also wants to help equip the Christian Church to effectively do the same.
Sunday, Elass will preach his final sermon as leader of his church.
He said he loves his congregation but he must fulfill what he considers the calling of a lifetime.
“It was as if God said to me, ‘I’ve been preparing you for this all your life….I positioned you so that you have a platform and a perspective that very few other people have. I’ve shaped you for that,’” Elass said during a recent interview.
“This was so clearly a call from God for me.”
Coming full circle
Elass’ last day in the pulpit comes at a momentous time for First Presbyterian-Edmond.
He said the congregation is celebrating the church’s 125th anniversary Sunday with a Pentecost Picnic, a “big blowout celebration.”
Elass said he had been praying about his two callings — the pastorate and the desire to preach to the Muslim world — for about eight years but shortly before Palm Sunday, he heard the Lord tell him “it’s time” to turn his attention to full-time ministry to Muslims.
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May The Lord accompany you His faithful servant and give you the right Message like He told Moses what to say. It is a shame that many folks today think that Muslims believes in their god and tries to make the god has some relationship with JESUS and GOD OUR FATHER.
I met lady, she said she was a Muslim before . She saw Jesus while she was in jail in her country because she forgot to take the cross of from her neck . She was kneeling down and pray and Jesus came to comfort her. She later was mysteriously released from jail and later came
to the US. She was baptized and made her public profession of faith that JESUS IS HER LORD AND SAVIOR and became a faithful Christian. Every sinner needs Conversion this was, is and will be the reason why Jesus died on the Cross and was resurrected and now is LIVING and will come back again to recieve those who believe and obey HIS WORDS to HIS KINGDOM for ever. AMEN
I have appreciated Pastor Elass’s comments on Layman articles, and hope he might continue to frequent this site as he undertakes this new ministry.