Father Zakariah Boutros was born on the 24th October 1934 in the town of Kafr el Dawar in the governorate of Behaira, in close proximity to Alexandria. He was born in a Christian family who were deeply involved in evangelical work and cared for all those who crossed their way. It is in this context that Fayez Boutros (Father Zakariah’s name before ordination) developed an awareness of the importance of evangelism to the Muslims.
In the 1960s Father Zakariah wrote a few booklets targeting Muslims, aiming to show common grounds between Christianity and Islam and explaining issues that obstructed Muslims’ openness to Christianity, such as the Trinity, Crucifixtion and the Incarnation of God in Christ.
During Father Zakariah’s service in Egypt, he became famous for his evangelical work with Muslims, preaching Christ’s love, and engaging in many dialogues with the Muslim religious leaders (sheikhs). The Lord blessed his service and many converted from Islam to Christianity. By 1989 Father Zakariah had baptized over five hundred men and women.
In May 2000, Father Zakariah started a new service aimed at expanding the outreach to Muslims via the internet-based Paltalk. The Holy Spirit used Paltalk as a channel to reach out to thousands of Muslims from different countries around the world in particular when Father Zakariah transformed the service to include direct dialogue with the Muslims, and which bore much service in particular through his extensive research on Islam, which God used to reveal the truth to them.
Television Service
God opened an avenue for greater and wider service through satellite television through his programme Questions Concerning Faith, broadcast on Al Hayat Television when it was launched in 2003. Since he began recording his programme in 2002, Father Zakariah produced 150 series of Questions Concerning Faithas well as a Spiritual Stewardship Programme specifically designed for those who have converted to grow in the knowledge of Christ of which 100 series have already been recorded. Father Zakariyah also recorded another programme Dialogue on Truth, which was broadcast from series number fifty four up to today on a weekly basis, direct every Friday. And thus, God’s promise to his people “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined” (Isaiah 9:2).
