Stand with Holy Land Christians this Eastertide

March 2021

Meet Lamar - whose favorite subject is entrepreneurship

Last Thursday we met Lamar, a vibrant first-year hospitality student at Ramallah’s Episcopal Technological and Vocational Training Center (ETVTC) on a Zoom call with Giovanni Anbar, the school’s founding director, and Hasan, a first-year student in the information technology program.

The conversation took place on the first day of the latest lockdown in the West Bank, put in place because of a recent sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. Until last week ETVTC has been able to hold classes with its high school students and its two cohorts of adult culinary arts students.

Meet Lamar: a hospitality student at ETVTC

Check out this two-minute video of Lamar talking about her plans for the future, her thoughtful rationale for completing her education in Palestine, her intention to open a creative and unique restaurant in Ramallah, and her gratitude that ETVTC has remained open for practical, in-person instruction during this most challenging of years.

Your support of ETVTC and its mission to empower young people with the vocational skills and the tools to succeed makes all the difference for students like Lamar and Hasan. Their confidence and hope for the future is inspiring.

And we can’t wait to visit Lamar’s restaurant someday!

Bishop Hosam Naoum to meet with church leaders hosting Eastertide campaigns

Eastertide offers your church the opportunity to show your care for children at the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf

In advance of his May installation as the 15th Bishop of Jerusalem, Bishop Hosam Naoum will gather via Zoom with clergy leaders on Tuesday, March 16 at 11 a.m. (Eastern) to share the impact American friends can have on the lives of deaf and deaf-blind children at the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID) in Jordan. He will be joined by HLID associate director Fr. Wadie Far, AFEDJ’s chair, Bishop Greg Rickel of Olympia, and John Lent, AFEDJ’s Executive Director.

As the effects of the pandemic ripple across the Holy Land, the Diocese of Jerusalem schools and hospitals continue to face uncertainty. This is particularly true for HLID, which is in financial crisis and desperately needs the help of American friends.

Resources to help congregations share the Eastertide appeal between Easter Day and Pentecost are available at www.afedj.org/easter. They include videos, a brochure, bulletin inserts and six student story cards that will introduce congregations to some of the wonderful children (like Mo’adh pictured at right) who live and learn in the safe haven of the HLID community.

Rectors and pastors who plan to share and promote the Easter appeal with their congregation are invited to join the Zoom call with Bishop Naoum.

Please email John Lent at jlent@afedj.org to indicate your interest. Once your spot is confirmed, we will send you a Zoom link.

Pandemic challenges even the most established institutions of the Diocese of Jerusalem

1851 • 1868 • 1882 • 1899 • 1900 • 1926 • 1936 • 1954 • 1959 • 1964 • 1965 *

Those are the founding years of the oldest of the Diocese of Jerusalem’s two dozen humanitarian institutions. Together, they have offered a Christian witness in the land of the Holy One to countless students and patients.

Archbishop Suheil Dawani recently wrote,

“We will continue to face many challenges this year from this ongoing crisis. We are working hard to keep all of our institutions functioning as best as possible, but the economic situation remains difficult. We hope our American Friends will continue to help us in this emergency.”

Cornerstone of St. Luke's Hospital in Nablus

To the Glory of God

Laid by

Rev'd C. Fallscheer

May 24, 1900

Without a fully vaccinated population, the financial circumstances of the vulnerable people across the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, and Lebanon will continue to erode. The institutions where Christian leaders have offered the compassion of Jesus to their neighbors for decades will face another year of financial uncertainty and struggle just as the people they serve need them most.

We’re asking you to step forward again to support the Archbishop and his team in their work to sustain the Christian witness of each of these fragile institutions. We’re asking for your support of the Archbishop’s 2021 COVID Relief and Recovery Fund.

Your generosity and caring will make sure these humanitarian institutions continue to welcome and serve everyone who needs and seeks their help for decades to come.

Please consider a donation today.