“Before coming to the Princess Basma Centre I used to feel hopeless about my child’s case. Here I am learning from other mothers and seeing other kids progress with therapy. This gives me hope for the future.”
Ibtihaj, (at right) a high school math teacher from Ramallah with her one-year old son, is
a participant in the Mother Empowerment Program at Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre.
AFEDJ, in partnership with the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on World Mission, awarded grant to develop a Holy Land study program
$60,000 from the Constable Fund to develop a free, video-based educational program 
We’re grateful for the generous grant from the Constable Fund to help us develop a new program that will bring you close to the Holy Land and its people. You’ll experience the region’s history and conflicts, and the present-day witness of the indigenous Christian community.

You’ll visit important places in Jesus’s life and ministry and hear from our Christian brothers and sisters who are carrying out today’s expressions of Jesus’s teaching and healing at the schools and hospitals of the Diocese of Jerusalem.
AFEDJ trustees Jane Deland and Nicholas Porter (at left) met on November 25 with SCWM Chair Martha Gardner and AFEDJ Executive Director John Lent to begin planning the program.
The Rev. Canon Nicholas Porter, AFEDJ trustee and executive director of Jerusalem Peacebuilders, will be your primary guide for the video series. You’ll also meet directors and staff of Christian schools, hospitals and centers for children with disabilities, the Palestinian families these institutions serve, as well as Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders. The program will include facilitator and learner guides, versions for adults and youth, and resources for worship and prayer.

“We couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to share the experience of visiting the Holy Land with people across the Episcopal Church and beyond,” said John Lent, executive director of AFEDJ. “The program we’ll develop with our partners and advisors will be as transformative as going on pilgrimage.” 

We plan to shoot our first videos in Palestine and Israel in the spring and will have the first program modules available in the fall, along with a detailed overview of the entire program that will help churches with their program planning. 
Ingalls Foundation technology grant will enhance student learning at Christ School in Nazareth
$75,000 will equip 30 classrooms with state-of-the-art technology

The first teachers who came to teach in Nazareth in 1851 wouldn’t recognize the 21st Century classrooms at Christ Episcopal School. Learning opportunities for the 1,200 students at Christ School will be enhanced even more, thanks to a $75,000 grant from the Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation, recently awarded to AFEDJ to expand educational technology at the school.

The grant comes after three lead teachers successfully piloted a blended learning program with the use of interactive smart boards and software. Students will benefit from a coordinated curriculum that integrates smart board technology in every classroom. The grant will also support a school-wide upgrade of its Internet infrastructure.

“Christ School can implement a blended learning model because we have a culture of collaboration among the teachers. Veteran teachers mentor new teachers and every teacher uploads her best lessons and resources so her colleagues can make use of instructional materials that are proven to be effective,” said Ola Mazzawi, (pictured at left) one of the lead teachers and the school’s English curriculum coordinator.

Wessam Talhami, the head of the upper school added, “Teachers look forward to working within this model because it allows them to do what they love – really get to know each student as a person and a learner. [This model allows] teachers to help students become strong advocates for peace, equality and opportunity.”
Mark the season of Advent with four reflections from the Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre
Download the Advent journey and an accompanying giving guide
Just seven miles away from Bethlehem, the Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre offers rehabilitation services and inclusive education to children with disabilities of all religions, ethnicities, and financial circumstances. 

During this Advent season, walk with Palestinian families and their children, whose lives are continually transformed through the medical care and welcome they receive at the Centre. This short resource offers a reflection each week of Advent: Light, Welcome, Hope, and Life.

Be inspired by the stories of the families the Centre serves. Waf’a a mother from Jenin, recently described the care her family received there, “This program is a candle in the dark for us.”
Take part in the Bethlehem Christmas simulcast service
Saturday, December 21, at 9:30 a.m. EST
Join members of Washington National Cathedral and Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem for the 13th annual simulcast service celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Hymns, prayers, and readings will alternate in Arabic and English from each location.


Download a flyer with more information. 
Giving Tuesday may be behind us, but it’s never too late to make a gift
Check out the many ways you can support the ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.

Visit our online donation page at www.afedj.org/give. 

A new interface between our safe, secure giving platform and our Facebook page allows you to make a gift without leaving Facebook by clicking the "Donate Now" link.

If you have an Amazon account, make your purchases by going to smile.amazon.com (rather than at www.amazon.com or the Amazon mobile app) and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to AFEDJ. 

Consider our new “Walk with a Child” program to support a student at Holy Land Institute for the Deaf. 

Have questions about other ways to engage in our mission and the ministries we support? Contact John Lent at 203.655.3575 or jlent@afedj.org .
Transforming lives of the vulnerable and displaced
in the Middle East through support of schools, hospitals,
and centers for children with disabilities
AFEDJ offers a safe, secure channel to make gifts to support the work of the humanitarian institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.

American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem | 203-655-3575 | www.afedj.org