You did it again!
Your generosity to our Easter Appeal will help restore critically needed surgical care at St. Luke’s Hospital
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What happens when people of good will hear a call for help from the Christian leaders of a charitable hospital on the other side of the world?
The answer was loud and clear this Eastertide when you responded with amazing generosity to an appeal for a new anesthesia machine to help St. Luke’s Hospital in Nablus bring its second major surgery suite back into service.
This spring more than 120 households and churches heeded the call to raise $42,000 to purchase the new machine.
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Photo courtesy of
The Palestine Children's Relief Fund
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Ms. Salwa Khoury of St. Luke’s responded to the news that the full amount was raised, “It is really great news to hear that the funds will arrive soon to enable us to purchase a new anesthesia machine. Thank God.” She added, “The efforts of our American friends are highly appreciated from Dr. Walid Kerry, me, all of our staff, and the many people we serve.”
The gifts of many expand St. Luke’s Hospital’s capacity to heal some of the world’s most vulnerable families.
When people gather together to support ministries like St. Luke’s, remarkable things can happen. Thank you!
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Remember our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land on Jerusalem Sunday - June 19 |
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Visitors to Diocese of Jerusalem institutions often hear leaders say,
“Keep us in your prayers. Please do not forget us.”
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Each year, on June 22, the Anglican Cycle of Prayer calls for prayers for the Diocese of Jerusalem.
American Friends calls on all friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem to join us on June 19 – the Sunday closest to the appointed day – to reflect and pray for Holy Land Christians and the transformative humanitarian ministries they freely offer their neighbors across Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Visit the Jerusalem Sunday page on our website for prayers that can be shared with church members as well as personal pilgrim stories from AFEDJ trustees and reflections by Diocese of Jerusalem leaders that can be used by preachers in their sermons on June 19.
Please consider a gift to mark Jerusalem Sunday and the faithful witness of the “living stones” of the Holy Land.
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"Often I remind pilgrims of what I heard Dr. Maher Ayyad, the medical director at the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, say when I visited there in 2015.
We were discussing life in Gaza and what would make it better. He wisely said, 'the secret to a good life is making sure your neighbor has a good life.'
The world can learn from that. That is Gospel. I like to remind our pilgrims that there is oppression where we come from. Walls that exist and walls that are proposed. Checkpoints of all sorts and conditions. Inequalities that beg for our attention. Poverty right next door.
We can advocate and live an openness that befits the Holy One we follow, wherever we are."
- Excerpt from a pilgrim story offered by AFEDJ Chair Bishop Greg Rickel of Olympia
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AFEDJ welcomes new trustees and offers thanksgiving for those departing |
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Over the years AFEDJ has been blessed by the faithful service and passion of dozens of trustees who generously share their talents and expertise as we work to support the diocesan schools, hospitals, and centers for children with disabilities across the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel.
On June 1 we welcomed two new trustees to serve a three-year term: the Rev. Judy Quick of Waverly, Alabama, and Mr. Suhail Qumri of Niles, Illinois.
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Quick, a deacon at St. Stephen’s Church in Smith Station, Alabama, comes to AFEDJ as a long-time advocate for global mission on the parish, diocesan, and national levels. She currently serves on the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on World Mission. Quick enjoyed a 25-year career with BellSouth Corporation (now AT&T) and has taught international business and management at Georgia State University, the University of Paris, and at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. |
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Qumri was born in Jerusalem and attended St. George’s Cathedral growing up. He was also involved in youth ministry in the Diocese of Jerusalem before coming to the US for his undergraduate studies at North Park University in Chicago. He is currently Senior Director for Enterprise Architecture and Solutions with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Along with his wife, Dima, and their three daughters, he is a member of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Cicero, IL, where he has served in many leadership roles. |
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With the welcome of new trustees comes the departure of three board members who completed two three-year terms at the end of May.
Our gratitude goes to the Rt. Rev. Barry Beisner of Sacramento, California; Mike Evans, MD, of Seattle, Washington; and Rev. Cn. Matthew Dayton-Welch of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. We’re grateful that they have become the newest members of AFEDJ’s Trustee Alumni Council.
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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF JERUSALEM
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AFEDJ offers a safe, secure channel to make gifts to support the work of the humanitarian institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. |
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