Texans find mighty fortress of peace in Lebanon

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July 30, 2006
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“That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;

The spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth:

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.”

FORNEY?These words are the fourth stanza of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” written by Martin Luther almost 500 years ago. It has been called “the greatest hymn of the greatest man in the greatest part of German history” and “the battle hymn of the Reformation.” But to a group of 10 missionaries from First Baptist Church of Forney, east of Dallas, it became something else entirely, FBC Forney’s pastor, Jimmy Pritchard, told his flock during his first sermon since arriving back.

At 9:30 a.m. on a Friday?July 7?10 people who have been dubbed by their pastor as the “Texas Ten” left for the airport for Lebanon, the ancient country known for its cedar trees in the Old Testament.

The group, led by Pritchard, was heading out on a 10-day journey where they would get the chance to speak in churches, distribute Arabic New Testaments and deliver a check to the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut. Their plans would change drastically.

Everything seemed to come off smoothly at first.

Pritchard said he had a strange sense about this trip from the very beginning. He said he wasn’t sure where it came from, but his prayer the entire first few days was that he would be able to get his flock back home safely.

The first Sunday in Lebanon, the group ministered in churches around Beirut, where Muslims and Christians have peacefully co-existed for more than a decade. A couple from the group visited the Bekaa Valley east of Beirut in the afternoon. The World Cup soccer finals were taking place and excitement was everywhere on the Beirut streets.

Monday after arriving, the Texas Ten began their work distributing Arabic New Testaments. Everything seemed normal. In previous trips Texas Southern Baptists had mingled with Muslims in apartments, occasionally sharing the gospel when given the opportunity and always showing courtesy that was nearly always reciprocated.

On that Wednesday, the cultural climate shifted.

Israeli armed forces began firing missiles into the city of Tyre. Pritchard was on his way to the seminary for meeting