WASHINGTON DC- Six Palestinian Christian students and their teacher have recently arrived in the United States as a part of the Children’s Peace Project sponsored by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation. The students are currently in Ohio for one month where they are living with host families and attending a Catholic school. After their visit in Ohio, they will come to Washington DC to participate in the two-day HCEF Youth Summit on Sunday, October 17 and Saturday, October 23. The students will also speak at local public and private schools in the DC area for their month long visit.

WASHINGTON DC- Six Palestinian Christian students and their teacher have recently arrived in the United States as a part of the Children’s Peace Project sponsored by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation.  The students are currently in Ohio for one month where they are living with host families and attending a Catholic school.  After their visit in Ohio, they will come to Washington DC to participate in the two-day HCEF Youth Summit on Sunday, October 17 and Saturday, October 23.  The students will also speak at local public and private schools in the DC area for their month long visit.

The Children’s Peace Project involves five eighth-grade students and one fifth-grader from the Latin Patriarchate Schools in Palestine. 

“The Children’s Peace Project promotes understanding of cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. The students will recognize that those differences do not diminish the dignity of the person, and that we have the same Christian calling to work toward peace in our hearts and in our communities,” commented Rateb Rabie, HCEF President.

The HCEF Youth Summit is an opportunity for young people from the United States to share two days of prayer, reflection, and fun with Christian youth from Palestine.  Participants share their life experience, and learn from each other about what it means to be Christian in their home environments: the Holy Land and the United States.  The events allow youth to begin building friendships and to plant the seeds for future solidarity building.  The youth also create and perform a dramatic presentation of the conference theme, Holy Land Christians: Rooted in Bonds of Peace.

Less than 2 percent of the population of Israel, Jordan, and the Occupied Territories is Christian, down from 18 percent in 1948.  Many of the Christians, like these students hosted by HCEF’s Children’s Peace Project, are subject to curfews, checkpoints and other strict security measures.  The 6 Palestinian youth will share their experiences of living in the Holy Land at the Youth Summit held October 17 and October 23.

WHO: Christian Youth from the Holy Land
WHAT:  HCEF Youth Summit
WHEN: 2:00 – 5:00 PM Sunday, October 17 and Saturday, October 23 7:30 AM- 6:30 PM
WHERE: October 17, St. Mary of the Mills Church, 114 Saint Mary’s Place, Laurel, MD 2072-4026;  October 23, Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave., NW, DC
INFO:  Nancy Hemminger, (513) 831-2045 nhemm@earthlink.net

https://www.hcef.org/index.cfm/ID/185.cfm

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The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, Inc. (HCEF) is a non-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that provides support to the Christians of the Holy Land who live in Christian communities dating back in time to those who first heard Jesus Christ preach his gospel.  HCEF sponsors programs that support children’s education, create housing, and provide work programs for community development and indigenous handicrafts.  HCEF Pilgrimages enable Western Christians to develop bonds of solidarity with their Christian brothers and sisters living in the Holy Land.