Dear people of God in The Episcopal Church:
For more than a century, Episcopalians have given generously to the Good Friday Offering, which supports the vital work and ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Today, the need of the church in the Holy Land is greater than ever, particularly given the recent escalation of war in the Middle East, and I hope you will join me in making a generous gift today at iam.ec/goodfridayoffering.
I am in frequent touch with Archbishop Hosam Naoum, who leads the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, and I know how urgently he and his people need our support as they alleviate suffering and provide hope to God’s people of all faiths. The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey recently gave the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem $1 million to support medical and trauma care for children, youth, and families in Gaza and the Palestinian territories, and I am hoping that we can build on that extraordinary gift with this year’s Good Friday Offering.
Your gift will support:
- al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which has continued serving patients during the Israel-Hamas War amid bombardment, devastating shortages of food, water, and medicine, and extended power outages.
- St. George’s Church in Baghdad, Iraq, and its medical center.
- An eye clinic at Christ Church in Yemen.
- All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Damascus, Syria.
- All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beirut, Lebanon.
The Episcopal Church supports just and sustainable peace in the Holy Land and around the world. While we pray and work for peace, our siblings in the Holy Land will continue to serve God’s people with hospitals, schools, orphanages, and humanitarian aid programs. These ministries serve people of all faiths without distinction, bearing witness to the power of hope and healing across divides.
Together, we can support the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East as it turns despair into hope for God’s people in the land where our faith was born.
The Most Rev. Sean Rowe
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church