“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
The Staff of Stephen’s Children
The staff of Stephen’s Children seeks to be salt and light in the lives of Egyptian children burdened by crushing poverty, injustice and neglect. Within the ministry programs, over 1,500 Christian men and women daily express God’s love and aim to be active agents of His mercy to an unreached and unloved population. Staff members agree to sign on with Stephen’s Children
for a minimum of two years, some forgoing more lucrative careers, in order to make an eternal impact in the lives of the children and families they serve. For some, their calling to Stephen’s Children is rooted in a desire to return and serve their own impoverished communities – many having been touched themselves by the love of a Stephen’s Children worker.
Who is “Mama Maggie”?
Some call her the benevolent “Mother of Cairo.” Others have dubbed her “St. Maggie.” But to thousands of children and their parents living in the fetid garbage slums of Egypt’s largest city, Maggie Gobran is simply known as “Mama Maggie” – a moniker that she admits is well suited to her mission. “This is all I want to be,” she says, “a mother to them all.”
Mr. Win Griffiths,
Former MP British Parliament
The Rt. Hon John Gummer,
MP British Parliament
Lord Hylton, House of Lords
Sir Kirby Laing, Laing Foundation
Mr. Edward Leigh,
MP British Parliament
The Rt. Hon The Lord Mawhinney, PhD, House of Lords
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, The Lord Bishop of Rochester
Mr. Mark Oaten,
MP British Parliament
Mr. Stephen Pound,
MP British Parliament
UNITED KINGDOM
Lord David Alton,
House of Lords
Lord Anderson of Swansea,
House of Lords
Lord Peter Archer of Sandwell
Sir John Boyd,
Churchill Master of Cambridge College
Mr. Julian Brazier,
MP British Parliament
Lord Daniel Brennan,
House of Lords
Mr. Russell Brown,
MP British Parliament
Mr. David Burrowes,
MP British Parliament
Sir Patrick Cormack,
FSA, MP British Parliament
UNITED STATES (USA)
Rep. Robert Aderholt,
Congressman, Alabama
Rep. Todd Akin,
Congressman, Missouri
Mr. Ron Blue, South Carolina
Governor Sam Brownback, Kansas
Senator Jim DeMint, South Carolina
Mrs. Betsy DeVos, Michigan
Mr. Dick DeVos, Michigan
Rep. Trent Franks,
Congressman, Arizona
Mr. John Gordon, Michigan
Dr. Os Guinness, Virginia
Mr. Tony P. Hall, former Ambassador
Mr. James Haveman, Michigan
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, former Congressman, Michigan
Mr. Peter Huizenga, Illinois
AUSTRALIA
Mr. Bruce Baird, MP
Mr. Mike Baird, MP
Mr. Pat Farmer, MP
Mrs. Shelley Hancock, MP
Mr. David Hawker, MP
Mr. Malcolm Kerr, MP
Mr. Andrew Laming, MP
Mr. Scott Morrison, MP
Mr. Gordon Moyes, MP
Mr. Paul Neville, MP
Mr. Stuart Robert, MP
Senator Ursula Stephens, New South Wales
NETHERLANDS
Mr. Paul Nouwen
Mrs. Jutta Van Eeghan
NORWAY
MP Kjell Magne Bodevik
Mr. Dagfinn Hoybraten, MP
Mr. Eyvind Skeie
REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
Mr. Marios Matskis, MEP
Mrs. Heidi Huizenga, Illionois
Rep. Steve King, Congressman, Iowa
Mr. Hugh Maclellan, Tennessee
Rep. Joseph Pitts,
Congressman, Pennsylvania
Rep. John Shadegg,
former Congressman, Arizona
Rep. John Shimkus,
Congressman, Illinois
Rep. Christopher Smith, Congressman, New Jersey
Rep. Todd Tiahrt,
former Congressman, Kansas
Rep. Tom Tancredo,
former Congressman, Colorado
Rep. Frank Wolf, Congressman, Virginia
Mrs. Annette Weyerhaeuser, Washington
Mr. Ted Yamamori, Senior Fellow, USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture
“Indeed, God has truly blessed and given us more than we have hoped for or imagined; the wonderful opportunity to reach so many destitute children in such a closed part of the world. My prayer is that God will continue to draw us closer to Him through thousands of more children who still need the love of Jesus Christ.”
-- Mama Maggie
Maggie’s story of devotion, obedience and love is the hallmark of the Stephen’s Children ministry. As the youngest daughter of an upper-middle-class family in Cairo’s Coptic Orthodox Christian community, Maggie grew up shielded from the realities of central Cairo’s squalid slums.
As an adult, Maggie became a successful professional, first on the management team of a marketing firm and later as a university professor of computer science. As she and her husband were raising their own two children, Maggie’s vision of “motherhood” began to grow as she dreamt of reaching out to children in need.
Maggie first experienced Cairo’s garbage slums through an annual Easter outreach aimed at distributing food and clothing to families. Maggie was gripped by the despair she saw, and haunted by the children’s hunger for love, acceptance, and value in society.
Her heart pierced by God’s Spirit, Maggie’s vision for Stephen’s Children began with a prayer for other committed Egyptian Christians to join her in meeting both short-term and long-term needs of the impoverished families in Cairo’s slums. Mama Maggie’s humble spirit and loving heart allowed her to build close bonds with children and discover ways to meet their underlying needs. Her sacrificial leadership has now guided Stephen’s Children for over 20 years and helped reach over 25,000 families with Christ’s love and compassion.
BOARD OF REFERENCE