THE
EMMS Nazareth
EMMS NAZARETH
HEAD OFFICE Laurel Gables, Claude Street, Hetton le Hole, Tyne & Wear, DH5 0AU, United Kingdom + 44 (0)191 645 0 643 --------------------
ISRAELI OFFICE The Nazareth Hospital EMMS, PO Box 11, Nazareth 16100, Israel + 972 (0)4 602 8879
Quarterly Incorporating Seeds of Hope
-------------------US Lo-call direct: (301) 93 EMMS-N ------------------
REGISTERED OFFICE 151 St. Vincent Street Glasgow G2 5NU UK For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
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EMMS Nazareth is a company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland - Company No: SC 225661 EMMS Nazareth is a charity registered in Scotland - Charity No: SC 032510 Registered as a foreign owned company and not-for-profit institution in Israel - No: 560019945
Winter 2008
I would like to assist the work Please tick of EMMS Nazareth I commit to praying for all the works involving EMMS Nazareth throughout the world and in the Holy Land. I would like help increase awareness of EMMS Nazareth. Please send me 3 posters & 15 leaflets. I would like find out more about becoming an EMMS Nazareth Volunteer Co-ordinator. Please send me more copies of the EMMS Nazareth Quarterly so that I can give them to others (tell us how many).
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Nazareth Hospital
Page 2
School of Nursing
Page 4
Nazareth Village
Page 5
Seeds of Hope
Page 6
Help us spread the news
Page 10
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EMMS Nazareth in Scotland & England
Page 11
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EMMS Nazareth in N. Ireland
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Dr PK Vartan Memorial excerpt
Page 14
International Friends
Page 18
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Please note, if you are already sending your donations or gifts to Washington Lane, Edinburgh, please contact EMMS International to ensure your donation is being forwarded to us.
CHRISTMAS
WELCOME
APPEAL
W
e hope you have enjoyed reading about everything going on throughout EMMS Nazareth and that you have been both blessed and inspired by the work which is being achieved on a daily basis. Everything you have read about in our Quarterly needs your prayers first and foremost, because, without this very fundamental support, we simply won’t succeed in any of our endeavours. For those of you interested in supporting us financially, it is important to say that Israel, too, is being struck hard by the global financial downturn and we are being heavily squeezed. We need your support more than ever. For those of you who are unable to support us financially we want to offer you the opportunity to shout about us! Help us share the 147 year testimony of our work in Nazareth with more and more people. How we, in the name of Jesus, bring healing to the sick, peace to the distressed, compassion to the grieving, fellowship to the lonely, hope to the excluded and support for those who struggle with life. Our Christmas Appeal is simple: Pray for us. Give if you can.
A
very warm welcome to our new look Quarterly. I do hope you will find it an informative and enjoyable read and that by the time you are finished, you will have had a clear and inspirational insight into our work. Of course, we cannot cover everything we do, but the task of pulling together a publication such as this always brings into sharp focus the extent and depth of our daily work - how lives are saved, how lives are touched and made better and even how lives are turned around by being given new potential. This leads us to reflect on that stable in Bethlehem, and the fact that we have all, in truth, personally received those very same things - as a direct and powerful consequence of the birth of our Lord in such humble frailty. It means that our work, no matter how challenging, or demanding, or pressing is actually a work of joy and wonder, because it is work for one purpose only - to make manifest the Love revealed to us in the birth of Jesus. This should be our outlook as we reflect on the challenges and successes of 2008 and look forward to the promise in 2009.
Share our testimony. 2009 will be an exciting and challenging year for us. We hope to develop community Palliative Care services in Nazareth and her surrounding villages, and completely renovate our mortuary to provide dignity for the deceased and their families. We hope to continue developing and strengthening the chaplaincy services in the Hospital and we hope to finish the major Operating Room development and open it for business. In our School we want to bring health education to the local communities, support young people suffering poverty and disadvantage and to be able to provide the highest standards of nursing education possible. In addition to all of these we want to start a major new initiative which we have called the International Volunteer Programme, whereby volunteers will come and stay with us in order to provide support to the Nazarene communities beyond our Hospital and School. And of course, we want to develop our growing family of friends and supporters so, please, stay in touch. Let us know you are praying for us. Let us know the things you would like us to pray for. And together, we will be stronger as we move forward into 2009. 20
Inside, you will find news of the Hospital, School of Nursing and the Nazareth Village. You will also be introduced to the new members of our team in the UK and even hear from our friends in Canada, Australia and the USA. As this December marks the centenary of the death of Dr. P.K. Vartan, the founder of our Hospital, we have produced a 28-page memorial publication. You can find an excerpt of this inside. If you would like to receive the full version, simply let us know. Have a blessed and warm Christmas.
Joseph R. Main Chief Executive Officer
NAZARETH
INTERNATIONAL
HOSPITAL
FRIENDS
ince the last newsletter, we have seen a lot of activity in the form of workgroups.
To date, in 2008, we have administered a total of 1.35 million USD from USAID for Operating Room construction costs.
In August, the first Al Nass workparty, led by David Woodhead, came to help with relocating both the medical library and the medical physics laboratory.
Currently, there is an additional federal grant of $300,000 in the pipeline to purchase operating room equipment. Other projects include the School of Nursing's Arabic language parenting resource that will focus on early childhood development. Written by the school's director, Dr. Amal Khazin, the book project is funded by NPI through $10,000 from two private foundation grants.
Members of the group were mainly from Scotland and included some very familiar faces from previous bike rides, former volunteer and staff members as well as some first timers!
This past May, our staff welcomed Randa Elias, Director of Nursing, for a two-week course on Women, Leadership, and Peace-building. In June, we enjoyed a visit from Chaplain Suheil Bathish. NPI sponsored Rev. Bathish to visit four hospitals in the north-eastern part of the States, to observe and receive additional training in the chaplaincy ministry. These visits are part of Nazareth Project's ongoing goal to encourage and to equip Christian believers in positions of leadership throughout the Holy Land. We see tremendous, mutual value in fellowship between believers from the Holy Land and those in the States. Midge Crystal
Photo by Stephen Woodhead
S
As part of their time here, they also took part in various social programmes. The work they did was a great encouragement to all at the Hospital and we look forward to their next group, scheduled for 2009.
You can e-mail Midge on: npi@nazarethproject.org
In the meantime, work on the Operating Rooms project has been continuing and we are delighted that the work is proceeding on schedule. All the funds from American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) have been received through our Friends in the States - Nazareth Project Inc - with an additional $300,000 additional grant promised! We are still seeking funds for equipment needed for the new Operating Rooms, which we hope to raise from donations. Anyone interested in receiving more information about this should 2 get in touch.
CANADA Photo by Stephen Woodhead
In early November, we had another first, with an American work group from Texas led by Bill and Phyllis Becton. Their project was the refurbishment of the Medical ward. They worked for four intensive days and achieved a huge amount, to the delight of staff and patients! The group was also a great encouragement to all and they, too ,will return late 2009!
The Toronto Chapter, were pleased to welcome the Medical Director of the EMMS Hospital, Dr. Bishara Bisharat, to our dinner dance party. He told the audience about the projects the hospital is in need of. The funds collected were transferred to the hospital with a request that it be used in the operating room. We hope to continue raising funds for the Hospital, hoping this, as well as your projects, will bring the hospital closer to meeting the needs. Our prayers are with you. Nabil Beidas You can e-mail Nabil on: nabil_beidas@hotmail.com
PRAYER BOX Please pray as requested above and for the work of all our International Friends and supporters - that they will be successful in their endeavours to spread the news about EMMS Nazareth and attract further support. 19
INTERNATIONAL
NAZARETH
FRIENDS
HOSPITAL
AUSTRALIA
Throughout the year we have also organised different events for the community.
A
n Australian Group of 39 members, known as the Nazareth Workparty 2008-9, led by Dr Paul & Rev Merrill Kitchen, is planning to leave for Nazareth on 27th December 2008 to do volunteer work at the Hospital during their summer holiday time.
Photo by Stephen Woodhead
This is the 10th such Australian Workparty and 14 have been on a previous team, enjoying it so much they applied to go again! They expect to be painting walls at the hospital so have been practising their painting skills, with painting days at the supporting church, and a winter weekend painting camp. They have raised money for paint and equipment with fund-raising activities, including a concert, an evening with the Welsh Male Voice Choir, and a very successful Arabic dinner. They will take brushes and rollers with them, and the paint will be bought in Nazareth just before they arrive in early January. A small group will go to Ibillin to work at Fr. Chacour's College, and another group will work at the Nazareth Village project. Pray for the team, especially as they face the prospect of increased travelling costs due to the world financial crisis. Pray for their health and strength to undertake the tasks appointed to them. Dr. Paul Kitchen You can e-mail Paul; on: p.kitchen@unimelb.edu.au
USA Nazareth Project, Inc. (NPI) began eighteen years ago with a shared vision to connect followers of Jesus in the United States with our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land. Over the years, NPI has sent over $3.5 million to Nazareth Hospital and School of Nursing for capital and education projects. A large portion of our funding capacity has come through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a federal grant for schools and hospitals abroad. 18
These have included a very successful Mother and Baby Day, where the local community was invited to come and hear about the hospital services for labour and maternity, with advice on raising children, breastfeeding and other areas of child care. For the children there was also some entertainment in the form of clowns who entertained old and young alike! Later in the year we also hosted a conference on Breast Cancer, at which the Chairman of EMMS Nazareth, Prof. David Harrison, was a guest speaker. The day was attended by doctors and health professionals from Nazareth and the North and was successful in its aim of promoting awareness of this disease. The Annual EMMS Bike Ride also took place in November and we were delighted to welcome the riders at the hospital on their arrival. Having received a tour of the Hospital, and especially of the new operating rooms they were raising funds for, the team went on to cycle a massive 350 km in the Negev desert. Along with Dr Thomas Comtiani, obstetrician from the hospital, and volunteer Matthew Woodhead, the riders ended their trip in Eilat. We would like to thank all those who participated in these activities or contributed in other ways to the achievements of the past year. PRAYER BOX For the Hospital to be able to continue serving the sick, wounded and distressed in Nazareth. That the necessary equipment will be able to be obtained to complete the planned developments, and that the Hospital will grow as a community reflecting Jesus’ love in the truest sense.
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SCHOOL OF
P. K. VARTAN
NURSING
MEMORIAL (excerpt)
I
t has been a challenging year for our School, particularly in respect to new legislation in Israel eventually requiring all nurses to have studied to degree level. This is a shift of policy to which the School has, as yet, been unable to respond - primarily because it does not have college status. But this has not deterred us as we are working hard to negotiate a partnership agreement with Haifa University enabling us to deliver the degree programme in our own building. In addition, we are working hard to find support to entirely finish our new facilities, for our auditorium, our ICT suite and to be able to install a fully electronic medical library to support our student body. But perhaps the most precious area in which we need support, is our desire to develop a new bursary scheme in 2009. We are hoping that donations will allow us to be able to build up a bursary fund so we can provide places for promising young people whose families would simply not be able to support their education in normal circumstances. In this way, we hope to help lift entire families out of poverty and provide life-long potential to their young people. But, of course, we cannot forget the wonderful successes we have had this year. Our class of 2008 had a 100% pass rate and it was one of our students who obtained the highest examination score in the whole of Israel! An outstanding testament to the quality of our faculty and the dedication and quality of our young people.
PRAYER BOX That we will be able to meet the demands placed upon us to deliver the nursing degree programme, and that we will be financially blessed in 2009, allowing us to meet the needs of young people with promise.
Rev James Huber was the Anglican priest in Nazareth at the time and assisted Dr Vartan. In his second year in Nazareth, Dr Vartan received a box of medical supplies and equipment from the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society. In 1864 the Syrian Asylum Fund dismantled, ending Dr Vartan's financial support. As adequate funding became difficult to obtain from friends and supporters Dr Vartan once again sought the help of the E.M.M.S., becoming their first missionary to the Holy Land in 1866. Life in Nazareth Nazareth in Dr Vartan's time was a far cry from today. The population was approximately 9,000 people, about 75% of whom were Christian, with the surrounding villages mainly Muslim. Under Ottoman rule at the time, government health services were limited to municipal doctors, employed on a part time basis. Voluntary and charitable hospitals were the only medical and health service providers for the population. In 1861 this meant that Dr Vartan's dispensary was actually the only hospital existing between Jerusalem and Damascus Work in Nazareth In 1860, just before Dr Vartan's arrival, average life expectancy was 22 years for males and 24 years for females with infant mortality (for children up to one year) at 380 per 1000. A colleague of Dr. Vartan, Dr Frederick Scrimgeour, relates how the work began in Nazareth from his conversations with the man himself...
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PLEASE GET IN TOUCH TO GET THE FULL 28 PAGE MEMORIAL PUBLICATION FREE OF CHARGE. 17
NAZARETH
P. K. VARTAN
VILLAGE
MEMORIAL (excerpt) Study in Edinburgh At the end of the Crimean War, P.K. Vartan decided that his dream was to study medicine. However, due to his financial situation, he could not see how this would ever happen. According to the account of Salim Abboud, pharmacist at the dispensary in Nazareth, a conversation at the end of the war led to him obtaining private sponsorship through the wealthy aunt of a British Army General. P. K. Vartan requested to study in Edinburgh, whose well acknowledged medical school had been established in 1726. The international fame of Edinburgh as a centre for medical education grew due to the large number of outstanding students, including Joseph Lister (who went on to research and introduce the concept of antiseptic surgery) and Sir James Young Simpson (who entered the university at only 14 years old and went on to discover chloroform anaesthesia). These developments illustrate the rapid developments in medicine at the time. On the death of his sponsor, P.K. Vartan was forced to seek alternative support for his studies. The Edinburgh Medical Missionary took over his funding and he received his licentiateship on 14th May 1861. The road to Nazareth Later that same year (1861) Dr Vartan was sent, with the support of the Syrian Asylum fund of £100 per year, to Beirut. He arrived there to help the victims of the recent massacres in the Civil War, but found that many other organizations had already come for the same purpose. Following an invitation from the Anglican Episcopal Mission, he decided to leave Beirut and go to Nazareth. On arrival in Nazareth in December 1861, Dr Vartan rented a house and began work. 16
O
ver 30 centimetres of mud, dust, and reeds gave way during the re-enactment of the story of the paralytic man being lowered through a first-century roof recently at Nazareth Village. The crowd surrounding Jesus in the house was covered with dust and listened in stunned silence as Jesus spoke in a loud, clear voice to the man with palsy, “Arise, and take up your bed, and go to your house.” (Mark 2:11) New meaning to this familiar biblical story was gleaned by 21st century observers during this re-enactment. What an amazing act of faith and generosity the house owner demonstrated to permit this huge hole to be dug in his roof! How many months/years and at what expense would it take to repair this damage? In all likelihood, the whole roof would have needed to be replaced. Observers were also struck by the faith and persistence of the friends of this man. They were obviously convinced that Jesus would heal this man if only he could be in Jesus’ presence. Unshakeable faith in God, generosity beyond reason, and loving persistence in doing what is right for the benefit of others - would that all of us demonstrate these Christian attributes daily in our relationships with others.
PRAYER BOX Please pray that the Nazareth Village will continue to be an outstanding ministry expressing the reality of Jesus’ life and message to all peoples and faiths. 5
P. K. VARTAN MEMORIAL (excerpt)
Seeds of Hope
Injuries to the chest and abdomen were simply left untreated due to lack of knowledge and equipment and soldiers often died slowly as the result of infection and disease.
NAZARETH HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY SERVICE
November 2008
Florence Nightingale
MEET NANA HAMATI Having
worked
at
the
Hospital for more than twenty years as PA to three
of
the
hospital
directors, Nana is known by
everyone
at
the
Hospital! She now works in the
Nana has worked for the Hospital for more than twenty years!
department of Medical Risk Management, as well as being coordinator of the Helsinki
A contemporary of P.K. Vartan, Florence Nightingale is renowned for her influence in nursing. The situation in Scutari hospital, where she was stationed, was appalling. On her arrival, Florence Nightingale found the men kept in rooms with no blankets or decent food, wearing the same clothes they had fought in, still covered with blood and dirt. The death toll was extreme, though most men died not of their wounds but of other diseases resulting from the conditions in the hospital, such as typhus, cholera and dysentery.
Committee and a member of the Pastoral After a difficult start and the reluctance of army officials to heed her warnings, Florence Nightingale managed to use public opinion following the battle of Inkermann to improve sanitation and reduced the death rate substantially.
Care Committee. She participated in organising the recent summer camp and staff retreat weekend which owed much of their success to her
P.K. Vartan was present at the battle of Inkermann and no doubt knew Scutari hospital where Florence Nightingale worked. It is not improbable that the sight and smell of hospitals in the Crimea were a major factor in P.K. Vartan's decision to study medicine.
hard work. Nana says, “My desire is to establish a bible study in the afternoons, where staff members can meet, discuss and pray together. Please pray for God’s guidance as we research this and try to get
Following the Crimean War, the concept of nursing as a profession, requiring education and training, also began to grow, not least as a result of Florence Nightingale's work. P. K. Vartan, during his time in Nazareth, also saw the necessity of this step as he trained nurses to work at the dispensary in Nazareth.
the right time and format together.”
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P. K. VARTAN MEMORIAL (excerpt)
NAZARETH HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY SERVICE
Our Ministry
The Beginning
As we look back at the year, we can see how the
P
akradooni Kaloost Vartan was born on 5 June 1835 to Vartan & Tefaric Ohannessian, an Armenian embroiderer and his wife living in Constantinople. Following the death of his father, P.K. Vartan trained to become a translator. It was this training which led him to his work with the Turkish Army in the Crimean war (1854 – 1856)
work of the Chaplaincy department has not only continued but also grown and developed.
Madeleine Bernath was the wife of Dr Hans Bernath, Superintendant of the Hospital in the 1980’s, and sadly passed away this year. Known for her skill with languages, her heart for the Lord and for Nazareth, Madeleine was a truly inspiring woman. A memorial service was held for her in the Hospital chapel and was attended by many who knew her both from the Hospital and the town.
The Crimean War The Crimean War began as a dispute between French and Russian religious fraternities over rights to the holy sites in Palestine. Things escalated when Russian troops were dispatched to shield these areas, occupying Ottoman territory. Soon afterwards a Russian attack on Turkish ships meant that a response was inevitable. The threat of loss of control of the Mediterranean trade route brought France and Britain into the conflict, fighting alongside Turkey, and the war began in earnest in 1854. Many famous battles occurred in the Crimea, including the Siege of Sebastopol and the battles of Alma and Balaklava. Dr Vartan received the Crimean war medal with four clasps, Sebastopol, Inkermann, Balaklava and Alma, for his service from June 1854 to July 1856. It was following his time in the Crimea that P.K. Vartan decided to study medicine. Medicine in the Crimean War Although surgeons and medical staff were present at the Crimea battlegrounds, the treatment provided for injured soldiers was often brutal. Injuries experienced included those from muskets, cannon balls and bayonets, and anaesthetics, at that time in their infancy, were not used. Wounds were often treated simply by amputation of the affected limb and surgeons worked quickly in order to reduce the pain and shock to patients. 14
The memorial service for Madeleine Bernath was attended by both current and former staff of the Hospital
At the end of October, the children’s ministry continued with the start of a fortnightly Good News club for children of hospital staff. With an average attendance of 20 children, this work, although in its infancy, is already being blessed!
New Assistant Chaplain The Chaplaincy service were also delighted to welcome Rev Emad Duabis, who has been assigned by the Episcopal Church to assist the chaplain at the Hospital. We welcome him as he seeks to serve God with us in this vital work. 7
EMMS Nazareth
NAZARETH HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY SERVICE
In Northern Ireland Staff Retreat Weekend In November, the Chaplaincy Department held a retreat weekend, the first of its kind for most of those attending. Five families attended with their children and ten others, with an additional member of the Child Evangelism Fellowship to provide activities for the children.
There is no quicker way for one to advance than to acquaint themselves with a longstanding experience expert in the field. Stephen possesses a fantastic entrepreneurial spirit where fundraising is concerned, and his advice has been invaluable.
The weekend was led by Rev Iain Macritchie, of Raigmore Hospital, Inverness and centred on “Encouraging one another”. The programme included daily worship, along with sessions aimed to help evaluate Christian witness at the Hospital.
Raising awareness of EMMS Nazareth in Northern Ireland requires a careful blend of networking, public relations and marketing. In the New Year we are planning to launch both the Sower’s Fund and Nazareth Tithe in Northern Ireland with an EMMS Nazareth rally. We are working towards obtaining a high-profile guest speaker so please pray that God’s hand continues to guide. As an additional exciting development, Export Technologies, a Belfast-based software company has offered to underwrite the event, and the Rev Stafford Carson, Minister of First Portadown Presbyterian Church, has not only offered the church and its services for the rally but agreed to help in any way possible to raise awareness of EMMS Nazareth.
Families, volunteers and staff attending the EMMS Nazareth Retreat 2008
Held in the beautiful surroundings of the Golan Heights, the retreat was attended by Joseph Main, CEO of EMMS Nazareth, Randa Elias, Director of Nursing Services, and Amal Khazin, Director of Nursing Education, as well as many others! The retreat went well and many of us returned feeling refreshed, encouraged and invigorated!
God is truly wonderful, and his ways perfect. Please pray that my faith continues to grow and that I walk daily in his will, so that incredible, miraculous and wondrous things unfold both in Northern Ireland and the Holy Land!
Also, in November, the annual conference
PRAYER BOX
of the United Christian Council in Israel was held at the Hospital. Mr Joseph Main, CEO, was invited to speak at the conference, along with Chaplain Suheil Bathish. The conference was attended by about 80 people from Christian groups and organisations from all over Israel.
Please pray as requested and also for success in Alanya-Grace’s work throughout Northern Ireland. That more and more people will be powerfully blessed by the testimony of EMMS Nazareth in such a way that their lives are changed.
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13
EMMS Nazareth
NAZARETH HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY SERVICE
In Northern Ireland
Meditation
G
reetings! And let me introduce myself as Alanya – Grace Hill, a 23 year old committed Christian with a passion for ‘mission’. This passion has strong roots stemming from my childhood, where I was brought up in a Godly home and attended a thriving Evangelical Presbyterian Church. From a young age, I grasped the vision of mission work, and the importance of extending God’s Kingdom to the ends of the earth. At the tender age of 6, I expressed my little girl dream, writing “When I grow up I want to be a missionary”. A trip to Mexico at the age of 11 was all I needed to turn my dream of mission to a practical reality. I witnessed first hand the depravity and social injustice of the Street Children which led me to become involved directly fundraising for the social outreach works of OMS in Mexico City. It is clear looking back, that in those successive years, God had his hand in my life, shaping me in many areas for the challenge of one day becoming involved with EMMS Nazareth in Northern Ireland. Since starting on the 1st October, I have been ‘sowing the seeds’ of hope - the EMMS Nazareth vision - to anyone who has the ears to hear. One man I met in my third week recommitted his life to the Lord once he had heard our story. Incredible indeed! And miraculously, doors have begun to open and initial sprouts appearing. Stephen Williamson, Regional Director of OMS International in Northern Ireland, whom I have known for many years, kindly offered to assist my work in any way he could. 12
These verses remind us of the positive effect we have experienced as a result of the prayers for the Hospital of all those who receive the Seeds of Hope. We have been greatly encouraged by the numerous messages of encouragement we have received from supporters, both old and new! For all those who have contacted us via mail and e-mail, we would like to send our thanks. We feel an amazing difference knowing that we are included in your thoughts and prayers. We have seen new developments in the chaplaincy service this year, due to the support and encouragement of our leaders, both spiritual and administrative. Now the seeds sown in years of dedicated service are beginning to bear fruit and we all thank God for his faithfulness, both personally and as part of the pastoral team. We would like to thank God and all of you for your prayers and support. We ask God to continue to breathe His life into each one of us as we serve Him. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to extend our service and reach more people with Christ’s love. Nana Hamati
PRAYER BOX For the Chaplaincy Team made up of Rev Suheil Bathish, supported by Rev Emad Duabis and the dedicated team of volunteers. That the Chaplaincy Team will be empowered to build on the recent success of the Retreat weekend, the UCCI conference and the responsibility of developing the Spiritual Care Policy for the Hospital. Please also pray for the success of our Chaplaincy Appeal, the total of which is currently £4,293.75. 9
EMMS Nazareth
HELP US
In Scotland & England
SPREAD THE WORD
W
e now have a range of posters and leaflets to help you spread the word about the inspirational work of EMMS Nazareth. We can send them to you free of charge to put out in your church, community hall or wherever you think they may attract interest. If you would like to volunteer as a local co-ordinator to help support our work, please get in touch with Vincent (page 11).
EMMS Nazareth
Laurel Gables, Claude Street, Hetton le Hole, DH5 0AU (0191) 645 0 643 www.emms-nazareth.org
Healing in the name of Jesus since 1861
...those who are weary?
...those who despair?
...those in distress?
...those who grieve?
In the same town where Jesus lived & walked, Christians have been reduced to a small minority. So who, in the name of Jesus, will care for...
...those who fear?
...those who are alone?
...WE WILL
Support the Chaplaincy Team in our Hospital in Nazareth.
Rev. Suheil Bathish and our small team of volunteers need your prayers and your donations to keep serving the sick, wounded and distressed in Nazareth.
EMMS Nazareth
Laurel Gables, Claude Street, Hetton le Hole, DH5 0AU (0191) 645 0 643 www.emms-nazareth.org
Healing in the name of Jesus since 1861
In a land divided by religion and war, what happens if you need help and you are Christian, Jew or Muslim?
Well it simply doesn’t matter to us. Because it was Jesus who called us to minister to the sick and wounded.
Help Us
Support our Hospital in Nazareth.
Our Hospital needs your prayers and your donations to keep serving the sick, wounded and distressed in Nazareth.
EMMS Nazareth
Laurel Gables, Claude Street, Hetton le Hole, DH5 0AU (0191) 645 0 643 www.emms-nazareth.org
Healing in the name of Jesus since 1861
Being surrounded on all sides helps us keep Jesus at the centre...
International Volunteers
Support our International Volunteer programme in Nazareth.
Help us bring gifted and talented Christian believers to our campus so that, together, we may empower and support the Christian communities in Nazareth and beyond
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F
or the first time since the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society became the two separate organisations (EMMS International and EMMS Nazareth), we at EMMS Nazareth have a presence in the UK specifically focussed on building support for our work. As the work in Nazareth grows, building on the outstanding achievements of 150 years 'Healing in the name of Jesus', our vision is that EMMS Nazareth becomes a link between Christians in the Holy Land and Christians in the rest of the world. From our side, we can help, support and sustain God's people who have been in the Holy Land since Jesus' time. From the other, we will bear witness to the testimony of Jesus, enabling reconciliation, concord and unity in Nazareth and beyond. Through the programme of the 'Nazareth Tithe', we are developing a network of groups and individuals spread across the UK. As well as providing Nazareth with prayer and material support, these groups will raise awareness of:
the significance of Nazareth, the lives of Christians in the Holy Land, and the positive impact of EMMS Nazareth.
Much of this work will depend on a series of Volunteer Coordinators. If you would like to know more about becoming one of these key volunteers, please contact Vincent Acheson, Head of Programmes for the UK, on 01284 848186, or email him at : vincent@emms-nazareth.org.
PRAYER BOX That Vincent will be able to continue successfully raising the profile and obtaining UK-based prayer and financial supporters for our work.
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