+ Newslet ter Issue 26 Summer/Autumn 2022 +
Four students offer their heartfelt thanks ... to you!
r e m m u S ER
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We recently received video messages from four young people in the Holy Land who have been enabled - by you - to complete their studies!
“I want to thank you Friends of the Holy Land and Christchurch for contributing to provide me financial support, because I really need this help to complete my course” Sally - Health System Management at Netanya Academy, north of Tel-Aviv
“I really want to express “I would have postponed my deepest appreciation this dream… but luckily for FHL and I got the help needed and Christchurch for their started medical school contribution to providing right after I finished financial support for me. High School… Thank Thank you” God.” Ragheed - Nursing at YVC College, Nazareth
Narmeen - Medicine at AlQuds University, West Bank
“Joining this school made a noticeable impact in my life. This school have given me various opportunities. We are thankful for those out there who support us” Miriam - Senior at ETVTC School, Palestine
Who’s in!? This is no normal summer. This is the first summer in two years that we can gather in numbers, have fun, and support a cause close to our hearts! We are looking for enthusiastic, compassionate, and fun-loving fundraisers to run events in their community so that we can further our work in the Holy Land.
From a fancy-dress football match to a palatepleasing Palestinian barbecue, we have you covered with a load of exciting ideas. Are you in? Our Summer Fundraising flyer, included with this newsletter, will get your creative juices flowing. After you have read it, be sure to check out our website for even more great fundraising ideas!
In This Issue: Where your support goes + Caring for widows + New ways of giving and helping + Plan your pilgrimage +
To watch these video messages online, please scan the QR code with the camera on your smartphone or tablet:
Working together in the UK… Going the extra mile After the popularity of our first Virtual Journey Fundraiser last year, we decided to bring it back for a second year. There have been some heroic efforts once again. One fundraiser, Rev Alison Askew, wrote: “I know how blessed I have been … and so I would like to help a Palestinian Christian have opportunities and prospects for the future.”
Alison certainly has helped, breaking through the ceiling of her initial target to raise over £300 so far! In terms of distance, one team has really run away with it this year. Members of St Alban & St Stephen Church have clocked a staggering 650 miles! That’s enough miles to get from Nazareth to Bethlehem six times! Melanie, captain of the team, managed 119 miles at the time of writing. This has been bettered only by Helen (a member of the same team), who has clocked up a whopping 172 miles!
Talk the talk, walk the walk On St George’s Day, Saturday 23rd March the FHL Wyre Forest Group organised an Emmaus Pilgrimage Walk to St Mary’s Church at Harvington Hall in Worcestershire. 27 walkers, starting from 3 different locations, made their way (between 4 and 7 miles) to the Priest’s Garden at St Mary’s for tea and biscuits, followed by a picnic. The event concluded with a brief ecumenical service for the walkers and helpers in the Church. It was a wonderful occasion of shared fellowship and prayer as well as raising around £2,500 from sponsorship of the walkers.
St. Patricks Day Dancing
“We were delighted with the turnout of walkers, young and old, and the support they had from friends, family and parishioners,” commented Stephen Brown, Chairman of the FHL Wyre Forest Group.
Lenten Lunches
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Newsletter Issue 26: Summer/Autumn 2022
The FHL Kensington Group were delighted once again to host the St Patrick’s Day fundraiser in aid of FHL, after the last 2 years had to be cancelled due to Covid. As always, the party included a display by talented Irish dancers as well as plenty of Guinness. The event raised a tremendous £4,500.
Throughout March and April this year, an FHL supporters’ group in Worcester organised 5 Lenten Lunches for their community. The lunches were “joyful occasions” of friends coming together, some for the first time since restrictions had been lifted. Everybody who attended paid for their lunch – a choice of three delicious soups that people couldn’t get enough of – and many gave an additional donation to FHL. It was also a good chance to raise awareness, as a short talk was given regarding the difficulties facing Christians in the Holy Land.
Maurice Jamil Jabrieh
…To transform lives in the Holy Land
A gift that keeps on giving The mark of a good gift is that it keeps on giving. For Maurice, a 61-year-old woodworker from Bethlehem, his two new engraving machines are a gift that allows him to provide for his family for years to come. Maurice Jamil Jabrieh is facing several health challenges and has been laid off from work twice recently. After a vocational school he worked at was closed, he struggled to find work throughout the pandemic. A grant of only £1,000 - provided by Friends of the Holy Land - has given Maurice the ability to take on a number of woodworking projects
and provide for the needs of his family. Maurice now goes to work each day in his custom-built, home-based workshop, equipped with his new machinery. Maurice is now busy again doing meaningful work, which means a lot to him considering how his circumstances and physical health have impeded his productivity over the past few years. For Maurice to be back in the workshop is not only good news for him, but his wife, son and daughter, who get to see their father once more doing what he loves. The whole family is very thankful and appreciative for the assistance that Friends of the Holy Land were able to give.
New projects breathing new life into the Holy Land Thank you for your generous support that allows us to add new projects! + We have made a grant of £11,000 in March 2022 to renovate 5 houses in the Bethlehem area in partnership with pro Terra Sancta. This was partly funded by our successful appeal on World Water Day – these renovations include the installation of a water tank and solar power. + We have sent funds of £5,000 each to 8 parishes - a mix of Anglican and Latin - in the northern West Bank, to be distributed to pay for medications for those with chronic conditions. + Last year we sent £20,000 to Gaza to pay for medications for 68 people in the Christian community with chronic conditions. We plan to do this every year from now on.
+ We have made a grant of £11,000 to Fr Mario Cornioli in Jordan to develop a pastamaking workshop in support of the Pizzeria we previously seed funded. This project will provide a livelihood for three refugee families. + We have agreed to make a grant to Fr George Kopti of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Amman, Jordan of £10,000 in support of medical, education and employment projects in his parish. + We have recently agreed to part fund a project in partnership with the Pontifical Mission and Embrace the Middle East to pay for the first-year salaries of 18 Christian employees and interns at the newly opened Arab Orthodox Cultural Centre in Gaza. Our contribution is US$25,000. Since it opened in August last year, the centre is operating well, and the bookings trend shows it should be self-sufficient by year two.
Giving hope to vulnerable Christians
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The love of God for widows
Terez Amar
Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. (1 Timothy 5:3) Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. (James 1:27) In this edition you will find a few stories of our work assisting widows. Throughout the Bible it is made clear that the bereaved are loved enormously by God. He tasks us, His followers, with caring for them. For many widows in the Holy Land, their loneliness is exacerbated when their children emigrate to find new opportunities. As young families focus on establishing themselves in a new country, their elderly parents find themselves without any support to fall back on. Many of them come to our offices in Bethlehem each month with a variety of problems; we can only comfort and support them with your help.
St. Martha’s House
Since 2009 Friends of the Holy Land has supported St Martha’s House, the first day care centre for elderly women in Bethlehem. The women who attend St. Martha’s House are widows living alone with no one to care for them aged between 70- 90. In St Martha’s eight specialist staff and volunteers (all Christians) provide nursing support for ongoing healthcare checks, haircare, podiatry and assistance in crafts and cooking skills. During a full day, the women also enjoy a midday meal, board games, embroidery and tending their garden which provides vegetables for the House. We continue to be the sole funders of St Martha’s House. The costs have recently increased; the current annual budget for St Martha’s House is £58,000.
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Newsletter Issue 26: Summer/Autumn 2022
“He fills my life with good things!” Psalm 103:5a
Terez Amar’s house is fitted with only a few pieces of basic furniture. But that’s not the type of emptiness that hurts the most. A 79-yearold widow from Beit Jala, just northwest of Bethlehem, Terez has had to say goodbye to her husband, who died a few years ago, and two daughters who didn’t manage to outlive their mother. Her loneliness has only deepened as her six other children have moved out one by one to get married and start new lives. Financial pressures abound too: we have been told that her sons are “very poor” - barely able to cover their own family’s needs, let alone help their mother. In addition, Terez had her pension stopped a few years ago. Things looked very grim indeed. Like all of us, Terez needs her life to be filled with provision, meaningful activities, and social connection. How blessed we are to have a God that fills our lives with good things! Through the ministry of Martha’s House in Bethlehem, Terez is able to have a second home, a busy place of laughter and care – a place filled to the brim with good things. Terez is also one of the beneficiaries of the Family Support Program, having been registered to receive help since the beginning of the program. Pray for Terez that she will be able to say along with the Psalmist, “He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!” (Psalm 103:5)
A ray of sunshine Abeer Jaraiseh is a 57-year-old mother of seven, from Beit Sahour, east of Bethlehem. Abeer is facing a series of challenges in her life and Friends of the Holy Land have helped her in different ways over the years. Abeer is a widow who suffers from various health issues and has been struggling to pay her bills. Her work as a cleaner isn’t enough to provide for her needs: Friends of the Holy Land have, several times, helped her to pay water bills - which are complicated by water sewage problems. But recently, things got a little bit brighter. With a little help from our friends at the ATS (Pro Terra Sancta) office, we were able to have her solar panels renewed, meaning long-term help with her bills. Let the sun shine!
Sonia and her sons back home after fire disaster
Abeer Jaraiseh
Sonia’s firedamaged home...
Last February, when the lights suddenly went down in Sonia Hosh’s Bethlehem home, they knew the electricity meter had run down. Everybody took it as a sign to go to bed, but nobody thought to check the heaters… One heater stayed on, and an awful fire spread throughout the house. Nobody got hurt – praise God – but the house was badly damaged. Sonia, who is a widow, a nurse, and a mother of four, desperately needed her home to be functional again. After requesting help with renovations, the Hosh family were blessed by several charities who agreed to step in, including Friends of the Holy Land. The house has now been renovated and the family are finally back in their home!
Did you know?
The group that founded FHL initially called the work 'The Widow's Mite' in 2007 before the charity was registered in 2009.
Giving hope to vulnerable Christians
Now restored!
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New Ways of Helping The loving lottery We have launched an online lottery, which gives players the chance to support us as well as the chance to win a weekly £25,000 jackpot for just £1 a week. Each ticket is entered into the weekly jackpot as well as a smaller lottery amongst our supporters to win £20. All you need to do is visit www.onelottery.co.uk, click on “Support a good cause”, and search for FHL. Good luck!
Giving by shopping The Giving Machine
Did you know you can raise funds by shopping online? Every time you buy something online via a link on “The Giving Machine”, they convert the sales commission generated into a donation from you. There is no extra cost – to you or them. It’s usually only a few pence each time but if lots of people are doing it, it all adds up to a bigger amount. The Giving Machine sometimes offer extra discounts for using their links, so you might save money on your shopping as well as making a small donation to us! Go to www.thegivingmachine.co.uk/causes/ friends-of-the-holy-land-267345 to register and start shopping.
smile.amazon.co.uk
Amazon
If you shop with Amazon, did you know that switching to Amazon Smile will give us a small donation each time you shop? Go to smile. amazon.co.uk and search for Friends of the Holy Land as your nominated charity, then remember to use Amazon Smile each time you shop with Amazon.
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Newsletter Issue 26: Summer/Autumn 2022
Other News Pray with us Our brothers and sisters love to know that people across the world are praying for them as they face the challenges of life amid conflict, poverty, and injustice. To help inspire you in your prayer we have launched a Reflection Blog where our Patrons and other Church figures with experience of the Holy Land share their thoughts. For the launch of the blog, we have a powerful piece written by Lord Rowan Williams for Easter, followed by a Pentecost reflection written by Cardinal Vincent Nichols. At least once a month for the next year, we have new contributors lined up to help guide our prayers. To read the different blogs, please visit: https:// www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/Blogs/reflectionblog and share them with your prayer group in your parish. Also, don’t forget to register to our Prayer Bank on our prayer page, then we will send these reflections to you as they are released.
Important dates for your Diary Wednesday, 21st September 2022 International Day of Peace (United Nations). Join us at an Ecumenical Choral Service at Coventry Cathedral starting at 5:15pm led by the Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry and the Most Rev Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham. Let’s pray together for Peace and Reconciliation in the Holy Land. Saturday, 3rd December 2022 Joint Advent Service in a live link between Glasgow and Bethlehem. Join us at 2pm in Glasgow Cathedral (St Mungo’s or High) for an ecumenical service with a simultaneous link to the same service in the Church of St Catherine, Bethlehem. Local Church and Municipal Leaders in both locations will coordinate in leading the joint linked service. Look out for our future notices for more information! www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/events
Tony (top, middle) and his wife Breda (bottom, right)
Retirement of FHL Finance ‘King’ Peter Rand, FHL Vice Chair, offers the appreciation of Friends of the Holy Land to Tony Stokes. The late Dr Michael Whelan, FHL Founder Chair, appointed Tony to mastermind the finances of the Charity late in 2009. Since then, his guidance and gentle persuasion has always ensured that donors’ funds and overheads have been managed with the utmost diligence and transparency. From a scrupulous bookkeeping role to producing accounts to the Charity Commission each year, Tony has managed the Charity’s finances from ‘end to end’ as a volunteer and under the scrutiny of our Independent Examiner. He has an encyclopaedic memory for the names of donors, parishes, dioceses, charitable trusts that have donated over all his years, with valuable background knowledge. Tony, we thank you for all your years of commitment both on the FHL Management Committee and as a Trustee. We wish you well in your retirement and welcome, to this demanding role, your successor, Mike Swinburne.
Giving hope to vulnerable Christians
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For you and for them, it’s vital that you visit Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
The complete absence of tourists and pilgrims for almost two years from March 2020 to February 2022 has had a devastating impact across the Holy Land. Many of the Christians in the key pilgrimage destinations such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth, are dependent on visitors for their livelihood and have suffered greatly in this time.
“When you come here, you are very moved by the experience. It puts the gospel in perspective,” says Father Athanasius Macora, O.F.M. “It’s a very powerful place for evangelizing or re-evangelizing Christians.” After two years of obstacles to gathering together in worship, a Holy Land pilgrimage could ignite your faith and once again bring the Scriptures to life in your heart.
Travel restrictions are slowly being relaxed, but after two years of travel complications, tourists are cautious. There are some pilgrimages that are already planned this autumn from the UK – some are fully booked – but it can take nine months to a year to plan a pilgrimage and many parishes and dioceses are too nervous to even begin the process. It is obvious that the local economy in these key destinations will not recover until pilgrims return in strong numbers as in 2019. But how long will this take?
Meeting local Christians, the ‘living stones’, is an important part of the experience. A Pilgrimage brings the Pilgrim and local Christians together in a sign of hope. The Christian communities will know that, after two years of waiting, they are not forgotten by their international family.
The Holy Land is often referred to as the Fifth Gospel, which is not written in ink, but written on stones. There we can see, indeed, tangibly feel, the reality of the history that God brought about with men and women; beginning with the places of Abraham’s life and including the places where Jesus walked.
We have an information page dedicated to supporting you in planning your pilgrimage www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/pilgrimage as well as the help of our team of Pilgrimage Liaison volunteers. Get in touch so we can help you plan your visit and organise meetings with the ‘living stones’.
Make 2023 the year you visit the cradle of Christianity on pilgrimage!
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