Holy Land: Prayers and Peace.

From Churches Together in England

Friends of the Holy Land appeal for Gaza

The CEO of Friends of the Holy Land, a Christian charity, Brendan Metcalf writes:

Just over 1,000 Christians live and worship in Gaza. As the intense bombing began, they were reaching out to their neighbours of all faiths, offering shelter and support.

Around 4,000 people have been taking refuge in Church buildings, places they thought were safe from the bombs. There are 3,000 sheltering in the Arab Orthodox Cultural Centre (one of our projects, pictured in 2022 below) We have sadly seen in the news that this is not guaranteed but is still the best hope for the local people.

Friends of the Holy Land is registered as a local charity and we have our own local bank accounts in the Holy Land. Last week we sent US$10,000 to Gaza to the Christian community to help them buy water, tinned food, medicines and other limited essential supplies. We had confirmation that the cash had arrived and was distributed immediately by the Christian committee on the ground. However, we know that this will only support those sheltering for 5-7 days. We have been able to send a further US$25,000 this week but they urgently need more help. Together we can stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, by:

• making a direct donation to Friends of the Holy Land
• praying for a ceasefire and for the safety of our small Christian community. Our shared prayers for peace.

We are heartbroken by these recent events and are doing our best to react quickly to get immediate help to those sheltering in our churches and buildings in Gaza City. We are also thinking of the longer-term impact and need to build our available reserves to help bring relief across Gaza, the West Bank and Israel in the aftermath. Your prayers and donations are very much appreciated.

Friends of the Holy Land is a Charity and Network in Association with Churches Together in England.

Churches Together in England Presidents met, prayed together and shared their overwhelming grief at events in the Middle East. They urged their Christian brothers and sisters to gather together and join them in prayer:

“We appeal to churches to meet together and to pray for peace in the Middle East”

The Presidents of Churches Together in England:

Archbishop Justin Welby, The Archbishop of Canterbury
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster
Rev Canon Helen Cameron, The Free Churches Moderator
Dr Anna Krauss, General Secretary of the Council for Lutheran Churches in Great Britain and CTE Fourth Presidency Group
Bishop Tedroy Powell, National Overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy UK and CTE Pentecostal and Charismatic President
His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas, Archbishop of the Oecumenical Patriarchate (Diocese of Thyateira and Great Britain) and CTE President for the Orthodox Churches

Denominations shared their prayers

Baptist Union of Great Britain: A prayer for the Israeli and Palestinian people

The Methodist Church: Israel Palestine

United Reformed Church: Prayers in a time of Conflict

Church of England: Archbishop Justin Welby was joined by Muslim and Jewish leaders calling for unity between British Faith Communities against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas. The full piece can be found HERE

Roman Catholic Church: Call for Prayer and Fasting for Peace in the Holy Land

Further statements can be found on Churches Together in Britain and Ireland HERE.