Remember Holy Land Christians on Jerusalem Sunday, June 20

American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem
Posted Jun 10, 2021

Each year, on June 22, the Anglican Cycle of Prayer calls for prayers for the Diocese of Jerusalem.

American friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem are invited to remember our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land on the fourth Sunday of Pentecost, June 20 – the Sunday closest to the appointed day – to reflect and pray for them and for the life-changing humanitarian ministries they freely offer their neighbors across Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon.

During Pentecost, we mark and remember the first Christians who were present when the gift of the Holy Spirit moved among the followers of Jesus.

The descendants of those early Christians in the Holy Land remain followers of Jesus today. Their Christian witness across the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem is embodied in the ministries of charitable hospitals, schools for impoverished students, and centers for children with disabilities.

On each visit to a diocesan institution, the leaders repeatedly say to visitors, “Keep us in your prayers. Please do not forget us.”

Bishop Greg Rickel, chair of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ)  and Bishop of the Diocese of Olympia:

“The deep faith of our sisters and brothers in the region – lived out with great hope amidst unimaginable challenges such as they’ve faced in recent weeks – is a powerful witness to us all. Jerusalem Sunday creates a space in the Episcopal Church for us to honor, pray for, and remember that abiding witness.”

To help the Diocese’s American friends mark this day, AFEDJ has created a number of resources to help Episcopalians and preachers across the Episcopal Church turn their gaze eastward toward Jerusalem.

Visit AFEDJ’s Jerusalem Sunday page at www.afedj.org/jerusalemsunday for prayers that can be shared and used during the Prayers of the People, pilgrim stories from AFEDJ trustees and Diocese of Jerusalem leaders that can be used by preachers in their sermons on June 20. A flyer, a social media post, and other resources are also available to share in congregations and dioceses as well as across wider networks.

On June 20, AFEDJ invites Episcopalians to help keep our promise to the Christians in the Diocese of Jerusalem that we will remember them in prayer and continue to offer support for their remarkable ministries. Consider a donation to support the ministries in the land of the Holy One at  www.afedj.org/give/give-online.

AFEDJ is a nonpolitical, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to transforming lives of the vulnerable and displaced in the Middle East through support of the schools, hospitals, and centers for children with disabilities that are owned and operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem in Palestine, Jordan, Israel, Syria and Lebanon. Learn more at www.afedj.org.