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December 2022
Thank you for your generous hearts and kindness to children and families in the Holy Land
A message from outgoing executive director, John Lent
After seven years with AFEDJ, John Lent will step down as executive director today. He will remain on staff through the end of 2022 to work on special projects. 

Dear Friends,

I’ve told many of you that my time with AFEDJ has marked the most rewarding work I’ve ever done in my life. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to watch young people thrive under the love and care of the ministries you support. I am grateful for the friendships built with the leaders of the Diocese of Jerusalem and its schools and hospitals, and for the opportunity to help connect so many of you with their powerful Christian witness across the region. 
Your generosity gives our Christian partners in the Holy Land the strength and courage to serve some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

Archbishop Hosam Naoum reminds us, “This is not something we could ever do by ourselves. Our partnership depends on the entire body of Christ.

"We are witnesses together of Christ’s example of love and reconciliation in the Holy Land, a place that needs many prayers and much support."
John talks with students at Schneller School in October
I leave this work with gratitude knowing that AFEDJ is in good hands. The staff and board of trustees are committed to continuing as strong partners with our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land. They will need your help too. Please continue to send a message that our friends in the Holy Land - they who carry on with such remarkable grit and unfailing hope - are not forgotten. Please continue to give generously now and in the years to come.

In gratitude and peace, 
John Lent
Watch and wait with the Holy Land Advent Calendar
Take a peek behind the first of 24 doors to reveal the stories of Holy Land Christians and the people they serve. Starting today and each morning through Christmas Eve, you’ll hear from inspiring people in Jordan, Jerusalem, Israel, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. 
On some days you might open a door to a brief video that features a greeting from a bright student at a diocesan school. On other days you might encounter a friend of these remarkable ministries sharing the moment when their heart was filled to bursting by the witness of the indigenous Christians – the living stones – of the Holy Land.

No matter who you find behind each door, the AFEDJ Holy Land Advent calendar offers a way for individuals and families to participate in a meaningful daily Advent devotion.
Visit the calendar each day at www.afedj.org/advent.

It’s not too late to join the hundreds (!) of American friends who have signed up to receive a daily email alert with a link to each day’s door. 
We hope you’ll join us on a daily journey of discovery and inspiration this Advent season.
Click this photo of Lina to see behind today's door and learn her amazing story.
Pilgrim Stories: AFEDJ Trustee Matthew Johnson talks about the power of his first visit to the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf 
Along with 15 other trustees and staff members, Matthew Johnson, an attorney from Oak Park, Illinois, visited 11 Diocese of Jerusalem schools and hospitals in October.

After visiting the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf in Salt, Jordan, he recalls the powerful impression his first visit to the school in 2018 made on him.

In the coming weeks look for more short videos of pilgrims telling their stories at www.afedj.org/pilgrim-news
Three years in the making, Bearing Witness offers small groups a way to share the inspiring witness of Christians in a complex region
In developing its five-session video-based study program, Bearing Witness, American Friends has explored the themes of Jesus’s ministry - Belonging, Healing, Teaching, Breaking Barriers, Building Hope - to tell the unfolding story of the indigenous Christian presence in the Middle East, the daily challenges people across the region face, and how the ministries of the Diocese of Jerusalem address the needs of their neighbors. And, not least, how you can engage with them in their ministries.

After a piloting the program with a small number of churches in early 2023, AFEDJ will offer Bearing Witness - online and free of charge - to any church or group that wishes to take part. We will provide facilitator training and support, videos, participant and facilitator guides, and background materials and resources. 

Interested in learning more? Please visit www.afedj.org/bearingwitness to sign up for launch updates and sneak peeks of video clips.

Here’s glimpse of the opening sequence that will introduce each video. 
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF JERUSALEM
AFEDJ offers a safe, secure channel to make gifts to support the work of the humanitarian institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.