Beit Sahour

Beit Sahour Partnership

As a result of a Holy Land pilgrimage in 1999, and a desire to support a dwindling Palestinian presence, in 2000 Temple entered into a partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church and School in Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. Beit Sahour means ‘house of the shepherds’ and is the traditional place where the angel choirs announced to the shepherds the good news of the Saviour’s birth. It is almost unique in having a 75% Christian population. 

Our support is both prayerful and financial. At present Temple and a few friends in other churches sponsor 14 students at the Lutheran School enabling Palestinian youngsters whose families suffer economical hardship under occupation to gain an excellent Christian education which will improve their chances of employment and encourage them to stay in the land. At Christmas and Easter we send financial gifts to help both school and church. Once a month we receive news from our partners and take a retiring collection to help with the sponsorship. 

Rev. Jean Hughes, who has visited Beit Sahour several times, is our link person who keeps us updated with news and occasionally gives talks about the partnership to other churches/organizations.

More information about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour can be found by clicking on this link:

http://www.elcjhl.org/elcjhl-ministries/congregations/beit-sahour/

More information about the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour can be found by clicking on this link:

http://www.elcjhl.org/department-of-education/schools/beit-sahour/

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Below is a photograph of the children that are supported by Temple Methodist Church, other Churches in the Exeter Coast & Country Circuit and many individual sponsors.

Latest update:

We now support two new students:

The school chooses the students according to family needs and they have chosen Georgi Shady Qassis (left), aged 5, who is in the Kindergarten and who has a sister, Jules, in Grade 1.  Their father is a part-time mechanic.  The second student is Fadi Fahed Hannounh (right), aged 7, whose father is a waiter at present, but has health problems including epileptic seizures.  His mother, Fida, is deaf and dumb.  Fadi has two brothers, Nicolas and Antonius and a sister, Selina.