Executive Director Message |
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Greetings,
As 2021 draws to a close I feel so very grateful to each and every one of you who have supported Mar Elias Educational Institutions and our peace partners with your gifts to Pilgrims of Ibillin. Even though I realize that times are challenging for so many during this COVID pandemic, you’ve been very generous with your support of our dear friends in Israel and Palestine.
This year we are determined to give an additional grant to Mar Elias to increase scholarships and to take care of everyday needs such as computer and playground equipment, books for the library, renovated classrooms and gymnasium, toys for the kindergarten, and so much more!!
I invite you to make a generous donation to help achieve this goal, bringing hope and joy to students and their families this holiday season.
May a just peace for all come to pass!
Blessings to you and yours in this holiday season,
Essrea Cherin, Executive Director
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Note from Board President |
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If there is one thing the COVID pandemic has taught us it is that we have to be adaptive to change. As we at Pilgrims look back on 2021, I give thanks for two changes. First, that we are finishing the year with Essrea Cherin, our new executive director. The board of directors could not be more pleased with the professionalism and passion she has already brought to her work. With Essrea and her new development/operations partner, Branwen Cale, we have great things ahead of us.
I am also thankful that in changing our ways of connection due to the pandemic, we have met some new friends and found some new supporters. We led five webinars this year, which is a new way of sharing news of justice and peace in Israel and Palestine. In the process we met some of you and deepened connections with long-standings partners. Webinars are here to stay!
Even as I talk about the benefits of change, there is one thing that has not changed: Pilgrims continues its vital support of Mar Elias, students and faculty, and our peace partners because of you! Your concern for peace and justice and your desire to foster a better world through education is as important as it has ever been so thank you for your unchanging support. You are one of the peacemakers Jesus highlights in the Sermon on the Mount, supporting peacemakers like Abuna, the community of Mar Elias and our peace partners.
Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Peter Henry, Board President
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Archbishop Emeritus Abuna Chacour is offering to the Pilgrims of Ibillin community, and friends, a rare and special holiday reflection.
In times of COVID, when pilgrimages to the region have slowed or stopped altogether Abuna wishes to share his message with those who have come to appreciate his vision of peace in the Holy Land.
Donations are not be required to view the sermon, however, any gifts offered during the sermon will benefit the Mar Elias Educational Institutions and help us to support Abuna’s critical work in the region through education: peace built on desktops.
We encourage you to join this special holiday event: when you register you will receive an invitation to attend Abuna’s reflections AND receive a recorded version in case you wish to watch again with family or friends who missed the first viewing.
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Palestinian and Jewish Students Connect |
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Mar Elias students wish to share their gratitude to all their supporters who make an education steeped in peace, justice, forgiveness, compassion and brother-/sister-hood possible. Their unique educational experience contributes to future leaders who apply these teachings to cultivate the much-needed transition towards more peace and justice for all in the Holy Land.
Your gifts have not only provided critically important scholarships for students whose families cannot afford tuition, but also everyday needs such as computer and playground equipment, books for the library, renovated classrooms and gymnasium, toys for the kindergarten, and so much more!!
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Mar Elias students participate in Galilee Dreamers by Oranim College |
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Seventeen students from MEEI met with students from Israeli Jewish Schools. They will meet once a month for 4 hours each time. In addition, they will have one hour per week on Zoom with a native English speaker to practice their English skills. By the end of the program, the students will travel together to Europe or the USA this year or next.
Because of the incredible support you offer to these students in myriad ways, we can continue to nurture the spirit of tomorrow’s peacemakers.
We are now in our end of year
fundraising campaign to raise $70,000
to cover essential support for Mar Elias and our other peace partners.
Please make a generous contribution.
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Giving Tuesday Thank You! |
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We are so very grateful for each of you who stepped up to contribute to our #GivingTuesday campaign. This year we chose to support the English translation of Abuna Elias Chacour’s new book The Sermon on the Mount – The Way to the Kingdom.
With the support of over 60 donors, we raised nearly $8,000 to cover the cost of translation. If you’ve not made your gift yet, you may still do so by going to this Giving Tuesday link.
Thank you for your support!
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During a time when many people in the West are debating the current role of the library in a society wherein information is readily and widely available, Seraj is working in an environment that that clearly demonstrates the importance of libraries in rural villages and refugee camps. Seraj plays an active role in communities and families, by providing safe and beautiful spaces for children to learn and play, by providing access to information in an environment that is full of misinformation, and by implementing activities that allow people space to relax, to have fun, and to push against the despair that falls so heavily in our communities. |
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“I travel around the world in a way that tries to open my mind and give me empathy and inspire me to come home and make this world a better place.”
– Rick Steves
Travel with us to
Israel and Palestine in March 2022!
$100 off if you sign up
by December 15 —
the last day for an
Early Bird Discount!!
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Living Stones Pilgrimage
to Israel & Palestine
2 March - 13 March, 2022
Pilgrimage Leaders:
Instructor, Rev. Dr. James Thomas
West Bank Tour Guide, Usama Nicola
Tour Coordinator, Brenda Mehos
Living Stones Pilgrimages - Father Chacour says,“We invite visitors to see the ruins of holy sites but also engage with the “living stones” — the people who make their homes there.”
With this as inspiration, since 1995 Pilgrims of Ibillin has taken nearly 350 individuals on two-week pilgrimages to Israel and Palestine. Led by Pilgrims staff, board members, and local partners in the West Bank and the Galilee, we visit Christians, Muslims, and Jews who are working creatively to plant and nourish the seeds of a just peace. Our tours include visits to various holy sites and conversations which connect our experiences with our faith.
For prices, itinerary, and to indicate your interest, contact:
Brenda Mehos
+1-303-928-0923
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Your donations will support the ongoing work of
Pilgrims' Peace Partners in fostering peace
through education in Israel and Palestine.
Thank you.
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Essrea Cherin
Executive Director, Pilgrims of Ibillin
(303) 928-0923
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