With the 6th International Conference fast approaching, HCEF is proud to announce the birth of a new Holy Land Christian Support Network (HCSN) committee in the Holy Land, a vital link in the foundation’s grassroots work. A dedicated group of Holy Land Christians of multiple denominations, has founded committee, in the cradle of their shared Christian faith.
With the 6th International Conference fast approaching, HCEF is proud to announce the birth of a new Holy Land Christian Support Network (HCSN) committee in the Holy Land, a vital link in the foundation’s grassroots work. A dedicated group of Holy Land Christians of multiple denominations, has founded committee, in the cradle of their shared Christian faith.
Beyond the committee’s ecumenical diversity, the seven volunteers bring a variety of experience to the local community and HCEF. They are academics, school administrators, engineers, businessmen, and even licensed tour guides. The committee will be chaired by Dr. Charlie Abu Saada, who will work alongside committee members Anton Sfeir, Amal Behnam, Sonia Ghanem, Rula Shubeita, Suzan Sahori, and Dr. Simon Araj. Their wide range of expertise will serve the committee members well as they fulfill HCSN’s mission to build solidarity between Christians on a person-to-person basis.
Sir Rateb Rabie, HCEF President, thanked and praised the individual members for their shared commitment. “If we minister to each other only in distant and impersonal ways,” Rabie said, “then our help lacks heart. Thanks to the willingness of brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, the entire HCEF family has not only a larger heart, but a new set of eyes and ears on the ground as well.”
The committee in Palestine will be instrumental in coordinating with the local HCEF office in Bethlehem, headed by Country Representative George Ghattas, the established HCEF programs- such as the Child Sponsorship Program, which subsidizes tuition and educational materials for Christian school systems, and “Jesus Loves the Children,” a Christmas gifts program for Holy Land Christians. In addition, the committee will sponsor symposia on ecumenism in Palestine and solidarity between Christians in the West and the Holy Land. Using their ties to the local Christian community, conferences, summer camps, and mission/volunteer projects in the Holy Land are also initiatives the new committee will investigate.
To know more about the Holy Land support network, please contact Ms. Jessica Snyder at 310-951-9400 or via e-mail at jsnyder@hcef.org, or Ms. Amani Juha at HCEF’s field office in Bethlehem, at 011-972-2-275-0093 or via e-mail at ajuha@hcef.org.
*The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization 501 (c) 3, committed to improving the lives of Christians in the Holy Land through building bonds of solidarity with between Christians in the United States and Christians in the Holy Land. We have two goals: inform Americans about the Christians in the Holy Land and provide humanitarian assistance for the needy in the land where Jesus Christ was born, preached, died and rose again. HCEF, 6935 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 214, Bethesda, MD 20815 (301) 951-9400, Toll Free (866) 871-4233 (HCEF), www.hcef.org. Email: hcef@hcef.org
