2010 04 newsletter spring

NEWSLETTER SPRING 2010

“...and they found the stone rolled away”

Bible reference..

Welcome from Joseph Main, CEO

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elcome to the Spring Edition of the Nazareth Trust Newsletter.

We hope you will find it an interesting and inspirational read.

It is at this season in particular when we, as followers of Jesus of Nazareth, are reminded of the certainty of hope we have in Him - that His sacrifice for us all was complete and sufficient to achieve His purposes in our lives. So, it is with a boldness drawn from that certainty of hope with which we move forward.

I want to take a moment to thank all of you who have prayed for us and donated to our ministry. Your commitment is a vital and continuing source of encouragement to us as we work to serve Jesus.

You will find in this edition, a number of ways you can ‘Come With Us’ to support the work and believers in Nazareth. Please consider the many options available to build up the essential prayer and backing we need.

Finally, I would like to say a special thank you to Donald and Mairi Forsyth, who put together a fundraising concert of blue-grass and Scottish folk music in Edinburgh on the 26th March. The event raised an incredible £2,000 and our warm appreciation goes to all those who attended and especially to the performers; The John Hardy Band and Alex MacDonald & band.

Joseph R. Main Chief Executive Officer

Thank you!

In this Edition

Nazareth Hospital EMMS

Page

4

Nazareth School of Nursing

Page

5

SERVE Nazareth

Page

6

Nazareth Village

Page

7

How Can You Help?

Page

8

Seeds of Hope

Page

9

International Friends & Mrs Laura Steven

Page 13

Physicians in Nazareth at the time of Jesus?

Page 14

Welcome from Vincent Acheson, Editor

Physicians in Nazareth at the time of Jesus?

Paul Kitchen is a general surgeon from Melbourne, Australia, who worked at the Nazareth Hospital in the 1970s and has brought many Australian volunteer groups to Nazareth over the last 20 years. Research into 1st Century medicine is one of his interests

I

n Luke 4:23, and Mark 2:17, Jesus comments on the job of physicians to heal the sick. In Luke 8:33 he heals a woman who has spent lots of money on physicians who could not cure her illness.

We usually think of Nazareth as a humble village at the time of Jesus, but recent excavations have discovered Roman baths near Mary’s well and Luke refers to Nazareth as a city (polis). The Jewish Talmud states that a Jew should not live in a city without a doctor, so maybe there were doctors practising in Nazareth.

Did they train at the famous medical school in Alexandria where many Jews lived? Or did they learn as apprentices to itinerant folk-doctors?

If they were GrecoRoman trained, could they do some surgical operations?

Paul recently organised the casting in bronze of 13 Roman surgical instrument replicas, and found similarities to modern instruments. One - a strigle, could be used for inserting medications into the ear and would have been a good deep retractor for surgery. A strigle discovered in Nazareth has been exhibited at the Hecht Museum in Haifa, along with a number of Roman instruments found in Galilee Paul has made other interesting discoveries. One of many herbal remedies used in the 1st Century was from a plant named Ephedron described as being “good for blood-nose, cough and asthma” - just the conditions we use ephedrine for today! Also a bas relief in Herculaneum shows Apollo scraping rust (iron oxide) from his spear into a wound.

Nobody knew why until a surgeon’s tomb was discovered in Cyprus. Powders of copper and iron based oxides and sulphates found in containers were diluted and placed in cultures of common pathogenic bacteria – and found to kill them efficiently. So ‘rust’ was used as antiseptics to prevent wound infection – just like modern antibiotics!

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E

aster Greetings! In Northern Europe where I write, spring is finally in full swing after one of the hardest winters in many years.

The hold of death in the natural world is broken for another year. And at a time when we read of new things in Nazareth - particularly in the School of Nursing - we can reflect on how Our Lord chose spring time as the season when He would die - and then conquer death by rising again on the third day.

He may not have made things easy for us who follow Him, but He has ‘made all things new’, and makes many wonderful new things possible for those who serve Him. As you can see in these pages, there are both many things to give thanks for in Nazareth, and new challenges coming. The first SERVE cohort are combining their studies with preparation for service, and fundraising to get them to Nazareth. Read more on Page 8. As well as much else, the School of Nursing will this year start to provide bursaries for talented students who could otherwise not afford to train. This is thanks to generous grant funding. In two years’ time, we will have to start contributing to this programme from our own resources.

If we are to rise to those challenges, and achieve what the Lord has set before us both spiritually and materially, we will need a whole new generation of followers of Jesus of Nazareth to ‘Come with Us’. And that can only happen if we are able to share our story.

It only takes a few minutes - see the video at www.nazarethtrust.org.

Pass the word!

Vincent Acheson Head of UK Programmes

PRAYER BOX Please pray for the work of The Nazareth Trust and all we hope to achieve through our works in the Nazareth Hospital, School of Nursing and through SERVE Nazareth.

Pray for our Trustees as they lead the Charity and for all our staff and volunteers as they work tirelessly and professionally to serve those in need.

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Nazareth Hospital EMMS Elia Abdo, General Director of the Hospital writes:

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he Hospital is in a tough financial situation at present.

The big insurance companies, seek to limit and cap their payments. Pledged donations from major grant makers have not been made for the operating room project. We struggle to pay our staff in accordance with national pay awards, and to provide much needed new medical equipment.

And then along comes the opportunity to help those who cannot afford treatment, and have been refused treatment elsewhere in the Israeli system.

Some come to us because they know we will not refuse, some come because they were refused everywhere else, and others come because of our highly regarded expertise in Scene in the Emergency Room certain areas.

Some come having received hard to get permits, and others find their way regardless. And we refuse nobody.

Two examples in the last twelve months came from the West Bank, whose population, like that of Gaza, is not insured, and cannot receive treatment in Israeli hospitals for free as would the population of Israel proper One was a woman, 28 weeks pregnant, who gave birth to triplets. The infants were tiny, each weighing less than 2 ½ lbs. They and their mother were discharged well and healthy after two months of hospitalization. The lost income for the hospital in this case was £70,000.

The other was a man, 50 years old, who received a one-day permit to visit his sick brother in Jerusalem. He decided to also visit Nazareth. Entering the main mosque to pray, he slips and breaks his hip. He is brought to our hospital where we operate and provide a very expensive prosthesis. The lost income in this case was £6,800.

In Arabic, the saying goes after doing a good deed: "for the face of GOD". Meaning, the good deed was worth it, just for having the opportunity to see the face of GOD in heaven.

PRAYER BOX Give thanks for the commitment of the Nazareth Hospital EMMS to serve all those in need, and pray that the Lord will make His love known to and through the staff as they care for the hurt, sick and distressed.

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International Friends Nazareth Project, Inc—(USA)

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ere in the northeastern United States, where Nazareth Project has its office, our front yards are bursting with daffodils, tulips, forsythia bushes and flowering trees. Spring is a season of tangible reminders that death does not have the last word. As believers in Jesus Christ, we watch for signs of resurrection, of life conquering death.

In May, we plan to receive Sawsan Shehadeh, deputy director of the Nazareth School of Nursing. Sponsored by NPI, Sawsan plans to attend a course at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Sawsan will be Nazareth's third staff person sponsored

by NPI to attend courses at the Institute.

The course, Faith-Based Peacebuilding, will specifically explore the sources of conflict and resources for peacebuilding in Judaism, Christianity, Sawsan Shehadeh at the School of Nursing and Islam. Participants will explore 85th Celebrations scripture-based models for conflicttransformation and build a vision for faith-based conflict transformation in their contexts.

Finally, we are hoping for NPI to formulate another work party, again led by Drs. Robert and Nancy Martin from September 15th through October 6th.

MEMORIAL: Mrs Laura Steven

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rs Laura Steven, a life-long supporter of the work in Nazareth, died in September 2009 aged 100 years and 6 months. For many years, she collected donations for the Hospital from friends and neighbours, using a small blue book. Mrs Steven, who was married to a minister, was widowed in 1964. She was Edinburgh born and bred.

On the occasion of her 100th birthday, donations were made to The Nazareth Trust by friends and relatives. Similarly, when Mrs Steven died, donations were made in thanksgiving for her life. Her son Keith was for a number of years a Director of the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society. He visited the Hospital in 1965 with a work party, whose task was to build the wall behind the chapel.

We offer our heartfelt appreciation for the life of Mrs. Laura Steven and thanks to her family and friends.

PRAYER BOX Give thanks for Friends past and present - be they in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada or elsewhere. Pray that the Lord will bring new opportunities to tell the story, and new partners to ‘Come With Us’ in service of the peoples of Nazareth 13

Nazareth School of Nursing

NAZARETH HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY SERVICE

Meditation Mark 9:33-37 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

Picking teams God always chooses those we least expect! He will use anyone willing to honour him – as Joseph previously learned in prison (Genesis 41:16). It’s all about who God is and what he can do through us, not about our own gifts and abilities.

Who is the greatest? The disciples knew that Jesus wouldn’t like the subject they were debating (v 34). They had been with him long enough to realise that Jesus’ definition of greatness wasn’t going to be the same as theirs. After all, if he had been interested in qualifications, he’d never have picked them as disciples in the first place.

Last is first The young Joseph would have held his own pretty well in the disciples’ argument. After all, he was good-looking, intelligent and his father’s favourite son. He was destined for greatness. But Jesus’ response to the disciples (v 35) was a lesson that Joseph had to learn the hard way. He had to experience being ‘last’ before he could be exalted to a high position.

Want to be great? Jesus makes it clear that status and position are unimportant. If you want to be ‘great’ in the kingdom of God, what matters is to serve – even in small ways (v 37).

PRAYER BOX Please pray for all the volunteers who visit us from all over the world, some for just a few weeks, others for 6 months.

Please pray that more volunteers will feel called to work on the Chaplaincy Team.

Please also pray for the Chaplaincy Appeal, which has

so far raised £8,323.75 12

85th Birthday Banner - with BibleLands Trustee Douglas Callander

85th Birthday Celebrations!

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azareth Hospital first started to train nurses in 1924, which makes the Nazareth School of Nursing the second-oldest in Israel. The School was for many years housed in the basement of the original hospital building. The occasion of the completion of the new building was taken as good reason to mount a full-scale Standing room only in the new auditorium - with friends from near……. celebration of 85 years.

There was standing room only in the new auditorium. VIPs, long-standing friends from the UK and the USA and alumni male and female, Christian and Muslim, took turns to speak in celebration, look to the future, and recall times past, with a music group providing interludes ….. and old friends from afar of the most haunting Palestinian music.

The sense of joy was palpable – our School of Nursing has, directly or indirectly, touched countless lives down the years.

What is more, with the completion of the auditorium floor, new medical library and progress towards delivering BA

PRAYER BOX—THANKSGIVING! In addition to £2,500 received from the Barnabas Trust last summer, we have just heard of an award of £40,000 over four years from the Sobell Foundation - a UK charity interested in coexistence and higher education projects in Israel. In Autumn 2010 we will start a programme to support 2 talented students per year who could not otherwise afford to train at the School. In addition, 5

SERVE Nazareth

NAZARETH HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY SERVICE

CHAPLAINCY TEAM Christine Farah and Derek Schwartz write:

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reetings – and more reasons to give thanks to the Lord for His provision, as we prepare for the arrival of our first cohort in June - 9 participants, plus a prayer and hospitality coordinator.

The summer cohort participants are:  Ashley Marroquin  Hannah Haskell

 Kayla King

 Bradley Deters

 Jamie Williams

 Payal Pal

 Greg Allen

 Josh Stutzman

 Saji Varghese

All are now busy with the SERVE Nazareth Preparation Course of language and cultural study, and spiritual development ahead of their arrival.

It is no small task for the participants to raise funds to cover the summer program fee of $US 5,300.00 as well as preparing to come to Nazareth. Most are students, so their existing time, study and financial commitments mean that many need help. We ask that you consider giving financially to support their ministry here. If you would like to help please email us at serve@nazarethtrust.org or visit www.justgiving.com/SERVENazareth.

After their 11 week Preparation course, the group will meet up in England for a week of preparation in Essex, then fly to Israel. As well as these preparations, the fee covers 3 months food and housing, a certified educational course through Eastern Mennonite The SERVE Team awaiting Seminary, travel in Israel, a the first participants debriefing retreat, and flights home.

Here in Nazareth the leaders we have met with from many churches and ministries have been very supportive of the programme and its vision — a tremendous answer to prayer. Our desire to serve ministries and the people of Nazareth continues to grow as we see more needs arise.

This summer’s cohort will help with camps, youth and children’s work, musical needs and various community service needs.

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ev Emad Diabes joined the Hospital Chaplaincy Team at the beginning of 2009, but has recently become the Priest in Charge at Christ Church (Anglican). Since his recent appointment he has been fully committed with his new role and so he has not been able to continue his hospital ministry at the previous level.

As well as Jane assisting Rev Suheil Bathish, there has been a new addition to the Chaplaincy Team. Jeries is from Shafama and he is in his 4th year studying Accountancy at Haifa University. He is volunteering at the Hospital on one of his days off from university.

Jane also helps to distribute Christian literature throughout the hospital and supports the three weekly services held in the chapel.

Jane & Jeries visiting Latifah on the surgical ward

The team visits patients of all faiths on the wards, offering prayer where requested. This is a much valued ministry, as being a patient can be a lonely and sometimes painful experience.

It is exciting to see what God will do this summer and we want you to be involved with us. Please visit our website and the FaceBook group “SERVE Nazareth” and comment Rev Suheil Bathish visiting Imm

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PRAYER BOX

Abddalah whilst carolling in the

Pray for the SERVE Nazareth Programme, the participants, and the ministries and people we will be serving.

Hospital

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NAZARETH HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY SERVICE

Nazareth Village

Our Ministry CANDLELIGHT SERVICE The Christmas period was busy and included a candlelight service in the auditorium, which was once again very well attended, with over 250 members of staff, families and friends, including people from the different faith communities in Nazareth.

Children performing in the auditorium

CAROLLING Hospital staff and friends sung carols around the hospital, including the paediatric ward. They also went ‘on the road’ visiting other hospitals in Nazareth and our neighbours - the Carmelite Sisters.

Hospital staff and friends carolling at the Carmelite Sisters Convent

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION There was a Hospital collection at Christmas, which was used to buy 15 food parcels for needy families in Nazareth, and presents for the children on the paediatric ward.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat... I was sick and you looked after me.

Matthew 25:35-36 10

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his year the Christmas programme at Nazareth Village brought two groups from the Druze people of northern Israel!

Worldwide there are about one million Druze living mainly in Syria and Lebanon, with 104,000 in Israel, including about 18,000 in the Golan (under Israeli occupation from 1967). Their culture is Arab and their language Arabic but they opted against mainstream Arab nationalism in 1948 and have since served in the Israeli army and the Border Police.

The Druze consider their faith to be a new interpretation of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. For them, the traditional story of the Creation is a parable, which describes Adam not as the first human being, but as the first person to believe in one god. Since then, the idea of monotheism has been disseminated by “emissaries” or prophets, guided by “mentors” who embody the spirit of monotheism. The mentors and prophets come from all three religions, and include Jethro, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth, Salman the Persian and Mohammed — all reincarnations of the same monotheistic idea.

We knew of their interests and culture, and that the story of Jesus held obvious appeal for them – so after an invitation, a group of 34 Druze leaders (‘sheiks’) made an initial exploratory visit. They took the Christmas tour in the Village as Nazareth Village staff and volunteers played out scenes from the Nativity story, Druze Sheikhs enjoying a First followed by a first-century Century Meal at Nazareth Village meal together.

It proved immensely popular! The Sheikhs approved and expressed their deep appreciation so a few days later, 40 members of Druze families with children followed.

One cannot really know what impact the Village has on visitors. But Village tour guide, Rani Espanioly, reported on a particularly momentous one after the family tour. “There was a very profound moment for some of them, after seeing the baby in a manger and the shepherds and others looking on.

As the visitors were leaving I made a closing remark that, ‘The story doesn’t end here; rather this is but the beginning’.

A young lad looked up to his father said, ‘Why doesn’t the story end here? So what happens next?’”

Such an inspirational moments happen time and again at the Village.

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How can you help?

‘Come With Us’

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e need your help to spread the news of our work as far and wide as we can, particularly to bless and encourage other believers. There are a number of ways in which, together, you can ‘Come With Us’ as we spread the news of this precious ministry:

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We can visit your church or group to make a presentation of the work of The Nazareth Trust & the Nazareth Hospital, and to give an important insight of what it means to be a Christian in Israel today.

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We can send you posters or leaflets to display in your church or community building.

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We can support any events you may like to hold, such as a concert, authentic cooking day, coffee morning or, with summer approaching, even a garden party!

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NAZARETH HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY SERVICE

Easter 2010 MEET JANE NOTT

J

ane Nott is a volunteer worker from England.

She is working in Nazareth

You can volunteer as little or as much of your time as you are comfortable to work with us in your church or group, to pass on news of Christians in the Holy Land or to encourage others to pray with us and for us.

with her husband, Peter.

We can help with special meetings or collections you may wish to hold to support the essential work in Nazareth by providing, prayer-guides, gift envelopes, information packs or someone to assist on the day.

which has workers in many

You can help promote, or even register to participate in, our fundraising bike-ride in Israel when news is released later this year.

from

You can support us directly with your prayers. But please let us know, so we can keep you up to date with our prayer needs.



Seeds of Hope

They are with CMS, an Anglican

Church

organization in the UK, Jane is a volunteer worker from England

other countries.

Professionally, she comes a

paediatric

nursing

and

counselling

background. She trained as a paediatric nurse at the University of the West of England, and completed her degree in counselling at the University of Bristol, which is in the south west of England.

And, of course, you can give financially. You can use a number of ways to do this; with a cheque, using www.justgiving.com or www.nazarethtrust.org on the Internet. You can even set up a small regular payment from your bank, or consider leaving a legacy. If you would like to discuss any of these options, just get in touch - we can help you find the best way to give to suit your circumstances.

Here in Nazareth Jane shares her skills in the

Please, ’Come With Us’ to support or pass on the inspirational and powerful testimony of The Nazareth Trust and the Nazareth Hospital. Just get in touch with us here at Head Office and we can discuss the many ways you can do this.

Jane has a desire to serve and encourage the Arab

PRAYER BOX Give thanks for those who have supported the work of The Nazareth Trust and the Nazareth Hospital EMMS over the years. Please pray that new supporters will ’Come With Us’ to help our work continue, as we strive tirelessly to serve those who need our help in the name of Jesus.

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hospital through her work with the chaplaincy team and as a play therapist on the paediatric ward. With Peter, she also works at Christ Church (Anglican) and helps to teach English and music at the church school in the souq.

people of Nazareth. Jane says ‘It is a privilege and a joy to live and work amongst the people here in the Nazareth Hospital.’

JANE’S PRAYER NEEDS: Patience and perseverance with learning Arabic Coping with the long hot Israeli summers Guidance and wisdom in her daily work 9