A church community near Holt in Norfolk have raised £3,050.00 thanks to an event called ‘Dine for Palestine’.
On Sunday 23 June, 48 people attended the event in Hempstead, a parish which is part of the Matlaske benefice. A three course Palestinian lunch was prepared by a team from the benefice, who decided to prepare a menu that did not include hummus, falafel or baklava.
Emma Youngs who took part in ‘Dine for Palestine’ says:
“While this stretched the chefs greatly in terms of locating ingredients in Norfolk (online ordering is a wonderful thing), lemons were preserved, flatbreads were handmade, and the only failure was in procuring Palestinian wine, although a choice of Lebanese red or white was very well received.”
The money from the event has been sent to Friends of the Holy Land and will be used to support their medical clinic in Rafah. They have already received a response from Brendan Metcalfe, Chief Executive Officer for Friends of the Holy Land. It reads:
“Now more than ever, the small Christian community in the Holy Land needs our help to bring them hope and healing. Your donation will help us to support the most vulnerable at this very challenging time. Please continue to pray for the Holy Land and a peaceful resolution.
Meanwhile Baconsthorpe church, which is also in the benefice, will host Fr Mamadouh AbuSada from Beit Sahour on 4 August at 3.30pm. 25 years ago, Fr Mamadouh set up the School of Joy for children with learning difficulties in the West Bank. Today, 78 children experience love, acceptance and an education they can access at School of Joy, which is just outside Bethlehem.
- Find out more about the School of Joy
- There are seven parishes in the Matlaske benefice, find out more about them here: Church & Village News (churchandvillagenews.org.uk)