Matthew Bucher and Greta Shenk are teaming up with to help Christians learn more about Egypt through a two-week “Partners in Mission” trip, June 11-24, 2013.

“I want us to deepen our understanding of a country we only see for 30 seconds at a time in the news,” said Bucher, who is dual enrolled in 91����Ƶ’s Seminary and Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

Shenk, a 2010 91����Ƶ grad with a degree in teaching English, said that Egypt “is often portrayed in ways that are distancing and off-putting, but we are hoping to help Christians connect with our brothers and sisters there and experience some of our similarities.”

Bucher and Shenk will lead “Walking the Nile,” spending time in Cairo, Anafora, Beni Suef and Il-Qosseya.

“Our goal is not to try to see everything there is to see,” said Bucher. “We want this to be a pilgrimage, which is primarily about meeting people, learning about the world of Christianity and deepening discipleship.”

Bucher and Shenk, who have both lived in Egypt, have organized the trip around experiencing different languages, cultures and locations, as well as a variety of worship services.

Shenk spent a year with teaching classes in Cairo and Beni Suef. Bucher spent four years in Egypt with MCC, mostly working with a Coptic Orthodox diocese, where he facilitated peacebuilding trainings, taught English and networked with MCC partners.

“I learned in Egypt that the best peacebuilding comes out of being rooted in faith,” said Bucher. “The best peacebuilders I met were that way because they loved Christ and engaged others with creativity and compassion.”

To learn more about “Walking the Nile,” visit or call Matthew Bucher at 717-644-2078. One elective seminary credit may be earned for the study tour.

Jews, Muslims and Christians may nurture interfaith understanding via an Abrahamic traditions studies center.

These proposals come from a smorgasbord of about 30 submitted by 91����Ƶ students, faculty, staff and friends at the invitation of an ad-hoc "Micah Think Tank." Each of these visions, unveiled at a March 23-24 conference on campus, aims at helping the university better exemplify its mission described in Micah 6:8: "to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God."

"I

The acclaimed