UPDATED WITH VIDEO
GUEST SERMON SUNDAY, JULY 16, at the 9 and 11 a.m. services
"FRIENDS TALKING" FORUM: 10:10 A.M., Bloedel Hall
Saint Mark's is delighted to welcome The Rev. Fadi Diab, Rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Ramallah, Palestine, his wife Ruba and son Andrew to our diocese in July.
They will share with us about the lives of Christians in the Holy Land today. Palestinian families who make up most of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem are descendants of the original Christians first baptized at Pentecost. They seek to uphold the work and teachings of Christ in the very places where He ministered in His earthly life.
Fr. Fadi will preach at both the 9 and 11 a.m. services, and a conversation with all three members of the family is scheduled for the 10 a.m. "Friends Talking" Forum.
The Rev. Fadi Diab is a well-respected theologian in the Palestinian community and a prophetic voice for justice and peace. He also provides leadership and pastoral support to the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School (AEES), the Episcopal Technological & Vocational Training Center (ETVTC), and the Diocesan-sponsored Diabetes & Cardiovascular Clinic, which provides outpatient treatment to those suffering from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. He is also the Rector of a sister parish to St. Andrew's, St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Birzeit, which is constructing a retirement home and senior center. In August of 2022, St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Ramallah was forcibly entered and severely damaged by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in an early-morning raid targeting the human rights group Al-Haq, whose offices were located in an adjacent building. This raid was condemned by the Diocese of Jerusalem and international organizations.
UPDATE: A COMPLETE VIDEO OF THIS FORUM IS NOW AVAILABLE:
During the forum, Fr. Fadi shared an appeal for financial support for the orphanage and preschool operated by St. Andrew’s Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which is in desperate need of a new heating system before next winter, to replace the now failed system that was installed in 1966. Here is the background:
“The Evangelical Home for Children has provided a safe haven for thousands of orphans, underprivileged children, and refugees for nearly seventy years now. Programs currently include: the nursery school, after-school program, academic enrichment programs, summer camps, and a dormitory for volunteers and women in the workforce in Ramallah. There is an urgent need to install a new eco-friendly heating systems which will cost $60,000.”
Dean Thomason has given a gift from the Dean’s Discretionary Fund on behalf of the cathedral community. If interested, you can make your donation at saintmarks.org/give using the field labeled St. Andrew's Ramallah Orphanage & Pre-School. You can also make a donation via Venmo (@saintmarkscathedralseattle) or give by check—type or write "St Andrew's Ramallah Orphanage" in the memo field or line. Contact Erik Donner if you need assistance donating. We will collect all your gifts together in one sum to send to Fr. Diab and the orphanage for this project.
To learn more about the ministries of St. Andrew’s in Ramallah and several other ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, visit American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem or the website of the Diocese of Jerusalem.
UPDATE #2: In November of 2023, the donations from individual Saint Mark's community members and from the Dean's Discretionary Fund were supplemented by a $5,000 grant awarded from the Diocese of Olympia’s Global Mission Program. Each year the Diocese of Olympia awards Global Mission Grants to support parish-based partnerships in their ministries of global mission based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
A video of Fr. Diab's sermon may be seen below. Sermon audio can be found here.
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