Front Page

Churches Sponsor Missions to Honor MLK Holiday

January 16, 2009 – Children at Fernwood United Methodist Church in Chicago will be the honored guests at a Jan. 18 dinner to celebrate the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the inauguration of the first African-American president of the United States. The dinner is part of the church's participation in the national Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. During the dinner, the children will read letters they have written to King at the urging of their pastor, who is one of the three people ordained by the civil rights leader in 1966. "Adults are always being invited to sit-down dinners, and nobody thinks of the children," said the Rev. Al Sampson, pastor of Fernwood. He got the idea to have the children write a letter to King from the children's book, "The Sea Is So Wide and My Boat Is So Small," by Marian Wright Edelman.

Faith Leaders Call for Increase in U.S. ‘Living Wage'

January 16, 2009 – Faith leaders across the United States have joined a national effort to increase the federal minimum wage to $10 by 2010. The United Methodist Board of Church and Society is among a group representing 11 denominations and national faith organizations signing a letter of support to end "poverty wages" and lift the economy by raising the minimum wage. The letter from Let Justice Roll calls on the 111th Congress "to raise the minimum wage and join us in bringing needed economic security to our families, our communities and our country." According to the coalition, nearly 400 faith leaders from across the country are supporting the $10 in 2010 campaign.

Church World Service: Food, Medical Aid Enters Gaza
Scope of Current Emergency, Rehabilitation, Child Trauma Needs ‘Tough, Disturbing'
NGO Campaign Calls for Greater U.S., International Pressure for Ceasefire

January 13, 2009, NEW YORK CITY – Responding to the Gaza humanitarian crisis, global relief and development agency Church World Service reports that three CWS-supported delivery trucks laden with emergency food and medical supplies have been unloaded at Kerem Shalom checkpoint at the Gaza border for transport to Gaza City. The supplies, expected to arrive in Gaza by 7:00 this evening, will immediately be dispatched to Al-Ahli Hospital. The delivery includes nearly US$68,000 in medical supplies as a first shipment, along with 12,000 cartons of high protein biscuits for children, 20,300 liters of fortified milk, and blankets and quilts.

North American Lutheran Bishops Meet Key Muslim Leader, Discuss Peace

January 15, 2009, RAMALLAH, West Bank – A key Muslim leader here told a group of seven North American Lutheran bishops Jan. 13 that Christians and Muslims must work together for peace and justice. Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Al-Tamini, supreme judge of the Islamic Shari'a Courts in Palestine, suggested that world Muslim and Christian leaders meet soon and deliver "a strong message to the world" for peace in the wake of failed political negotiations and escalating violence in Gaza.

Kinnamon, Forbes Open Peace Gathering with Calls for Unity and Celebration

January 14, 2009, PHILADELPHIA – Heeding God's Call: A Gathering on Peace, convened by the Church of the Brethren, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, and Mennonite Church USA, opened here Tuesday, seeking to raise voices, inspire hope, and take action. More than 300 people of faith committed to working for peace in this world have come together to share in times of worship, hear from speakers and panels, and work together to bring a message of peace to the global community. The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, USA, brought greetings of peace from the broader ecumenical movement.

A Christian, Muslim and Jew Pray for Peace among Nations

January 12, 2009, NEW YORK – Leaders of three faiths that trace their origins back to a common ancestor – the Patriarch Abraham – joined their hearts and pens today to form a common prayer for peace between Israel, Gaza and among all nations. Rabbi Steve Gutow of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon of the National Council of Churches USA, and Dr. Sayeed Sayid of the Islamic Society of North America, acknowledged having "different views" as to how to end the confrontation between Israel and Gaza, said they looked "to the power that is greater than any of us can even contemplate" to ask for peace in the Middle East.

CWS, Other Human Rights and Refugee Protection Agencies, Urge Protection of Gazans

January 15, 2009, WASHINGTON – Humanitarian agency Church World Service and a diverse group of international human rights and refugee protection organizations have called on President Bush and other U.S. leaders, the United Nations, and Israeli and Egyptian ambassadors to uphold the rights of the 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to seek protection. The letter said, "It is … incumbent upon Israel and Egypt to immediately open their borders and provide full rights and protection to [Gazan] civilians under international law." Two-thirds of Gazans are refugees. Both Israel and Egypt are signatories to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

Stepping Closer to the Dream
Presbyterians Walk for Justice on Martin Luther King's Birthday

January 15, 2009, LOUISVILLE – A hardy band of about 75 Presbyterian Center employees and others from around town braved near-zero temperatures today (Jan. 15) for a "Justice Walk" to commemorate the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The three-mile trek took the marchers from the Presbyterian Center to seven historic sites in Louisville's own checkered racial history and concluded at the historic Presbyterian Community Center in the city's predominantly African-American Smoketown neighborhood.

Presidential Inauguration

Archbishop Demetrios Invited to Inaugural Ceremonies

January 16, 2009, NEW YORK – Archbishop Demetrios of America was invited by President-Elect Barack Obama to participate in the inaugural ceremonies in Washington D.C. In particular, on Tuesday Jan. 20, the Archbishop will attend the Inauguration Ceremony on Capitol Hill, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The next day Wednesday Jan. 21, at 10:00 a.m. Archbishop Demetrios will participate in the Inaugural Ecumenical Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral which will be attended by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden.

Obama Asks Sharon Watkins to Lead National Prayer Service

January 11, 2009, WASHINGTON – President-Elect Obama has invited the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins to preach at the National Prayer Service in the National Cathedral on January 21. Watkins is General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and an active member of the National Council of Churches Governing Board. "The President-Elect has chosen a preacher with exceptional skill and theological insight," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the NCC, also a Disciples minister. "She speaks out of a deep personal faith commitment and with profound respect for the views of others, which is the historic stance of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). I'm sure she'll sound just the right note to bring people of faith together at this crucial moment in history."

Lutherans Join in Presidential Inaugural Activities

January 16, 2009, CHICAGO – When Barack Obama is sworn into the nation's highest office Jan. 20, Carolyn Cosmos will be among an estimated 18,000 volunteers enlisted by the Presidential Inaugural Committee to help with the crush of spectators. Cosmos joins a long list of members from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) involved in inaugural activities. "One of the reasons I volunteer is that I want to be able to make a contribution," said Cosmos, a member of First Trinity Lutheran Church, Washington, D.C. She cited Obama's pledge to help society's most vulnerable – people in need of food, shelter and health care. "That's always been a part of my faith," she said.

Presiding Bishop to Give Closing Prayer at National Prayer Service after Inauguration

January 16, 2009 – Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will offer the closing prayer at a National Prayer Service set for January 21 at Washington National Cathedral. President Barack Obama and his family are scheduled to attend the invitation-only service. The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, Dean of the Washington National Cathedral, will welcome attendees to the event, followed by an invocation from Diocese of Washington Bishop John Chane. The 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee announced on January 16 the spiritual leaders who will participate in the service, which is a tradition dating back to the inauguration of George Washington and is considered the conclusion of the official inaugural events.

General News

Sister Act – PC(USA) Clergywoman Embraces Contemplative Life as a Benedictine

January 15, 2009, LOUISVILLE – When Lynne Smith was a girl growing up in El Paso, TX, she said she wanted to be a nun. And so Smith followed the more conventional path ... to ordained Presbyterian ministry and a first pastorate in Dodge City, KS. But the yearning for a more contemplative spiritual life was never far from her mind. While in Dodge City, Smith went on a spiritual retreat in 1985 sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph, "and had a deeper experience than I'd ever had before," she told the Presbyterian News Service in a recent interview here. "It really changed my spirituality toward the contemplative."

"Hope Channel TV" to Air U.S. Adventist Ministries Convention

January 15, 2009, SILVER SPRING, Maryland – "Come and See! Renewing the Call to New Testament Evangelism" is the theme for the 2009 Adventist Ministries Convention, January 18-21, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina /USA. Hope Channel will broadcast all of the general sessions of the convention, including the general Leadership Sessions, the Worship Services, and the launch of "Share the Hope," the kickoff event for the 2009 Year of Evangelism.

Christians Express Fear, Concern to North American Lutheran Bishops

January 15, 2009, RAMALLAH, West Bank – Israel is targeting the small Palestinian Christian community here, threatening a key connection to the West and worrying Christian leaders, said Dr. Rafiq Husseini, chief of staff to the president, Palestinian National Authority (PNA). He made the comment Jan. 13 in a meeting here with seven North American Lutheran bishops. The bishops were part of a group of 44 bishops representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), who visited the West Bank and Israel Jan. 6-13.

Peace Is the Message of the Church

January 13, 2009 – NCC General Secretary Michael Kinnamon brought greetings January 13 to the opening session of Heeding God's Call: A Gathering on Peace in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and the Church of the Brethren, both member communions of the National Council of Churches USA, joined with the Mennonite Church USA to bring together an ecumenical group with peacemaking as its aim. In his remarks, Kinnamon said peacemaking is the role not only of historic peace churches, but of the church ecumenical.

Lutherans to Learn about Climate Change and Poverty in Nicaragua

January 16, 2009, WASHINGTON – Ten members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will travel Jan. 19-29 to Nicaragua to examine the effects of climate change for people living in a developing country. They will also study how extreme poverty, hunger and climate change interrelate. "Participants will learn about the scientific basis of climate change and many of its anticipated and concrete manifestations, with a special emphasis on those related to hunger and poverty," said Mary Minette, director for environmental policy and education, ELCA Church in Society.

Interdependence of Human Beings Calls for Mutual Sharing of Burdens
2009 New Year Message from LWF General Secretary

January 14, 2009, GENEVA – The interdependence of human beings in bearing each other's burdens, whether as nations or members of the Christian community, is the focus of the traditional New Year message from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). In the 2009 message released today, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko invites the Lutheran communion to reflect on the Apostle Paul's calling to churches to bear one another's burden in order to fulfill the law of Christ. He points out that while all human beings carry burdens irrespective of the nature or size, society admires the "do-it-yourself" approach to life, prizing independence, and educating its members for self-reliance. Nations similarly aspire for security within their own borders and walls.

CRWRC Sponsors Renowned AIDS Author at Calvin College Lecture Series

January 14, 2009 – The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (at http://www.crwrc.org/) is partnering with Calvin College January Series to underwrite the January 15th presentation of Dr. Helen Epstein, author of the 2007 Viking UK publication, "The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West and the Fight against AIDS." Epstein is has authored five books to date, three of which have made The New York Times list of notable books of the year. Her background in journalism, tropical medicine, and years of research in developing countries have resulted in a work that The Times calls "both enlightening and troubling."

Can a Small, Failing Church Take on Ike and Win?
Clothing Ministry Revitalizes Texas Congregation in Hurricane's Aftermath

January 15, 2009, LAMARQUE, TX – At LaMarque Presbyterian Church, we think we can! Although once a flourishing church with lots of members and youth at church every Sunday, LaMarque Church became one of the run-of-the-mill failing PC(USA) churches. Now things are changing. Radically. At the outset of the 2008, we made a tough decision. Should we sell and relocate, change our schedule, or something else?

Lutherans Participate in Service Activities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 13, 2009, WASHINGTON – In observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will participate Jan. 19 in President-elect Barack Obama's national call to service to "Renew America Together." "Lutherans believe they are called to share God's love with the world and are ready to carry out God's work with their own hands," said Andrew Genszler, director for advocacy, ELCA Church in Society. As part of the call to service, Lutherans will assemble disaster kits, serve food to the homeless, tie quilts, sew crib sheets and knit hats, donate blood, do yard work for the elderly, package food for children who are hungry, build homes and more.

Churches Say ‘Atheist Buses' Promote Discussion about God

January 14, 2009, LONDON – Major Christian denominations in Britain have said a month-long poster campaign on buses throughout the country promoting atheism will encourage debate and interest about God. Oxford University evolutionary biologist, Professor Richard Dawkins, in early January launched the first of 800 buses on regular routes throughout Britain bearing the slogan, "There's probably no God – now stop worrying and enjoy your life." Further advertisements are scheduled to follow on underground metro systems quoting religious sceptics such as Albert Einstein, Katharine Hepburn and author Douglas Adams.

Focused Outward, Falls Church Parish Re-Groups
Lay Ministry Highlights Continuing Community's Growth

January 14, 2009, VIRGINIA – Just more than two years after the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia parish of the Falls Church split in a theological dispute, the remaining Episcopalians, many of whom long to return to their parish home, are learning that a church is more than a building. "You definitely feel the Holy Spirit moving through the place," Matt Rhodes, who joined the parish with his wife and two young daughters about six months, told ENS.

‘Purpose- Driven' Pastor Offers Space to Dissident Episcopalians

January 13, 2009 – The Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of southern California-based Saddleback Church and a leading conservative evangelical, has reportedly told a number of Anglican leaders that he is willing to aid dissident Episcopalians in southern California. "We stand in solidarity with them, and with all orthodox, evangelical Anglicans. I offer the campus of Saddleback Church to any Anglican congregation who need a place to meet, or if you want to plant a new congregation in south Orange County," Warren reportedly wrote recently in a letter.

Convocation Inspires Pastors to Build Bridges

January 15, 2009 – United Methodist pastors of African-American congregations left a national gathering inspired to turn walls of obstacles sideways and make them bridges for reclaiming God's promises. Civil rights activist Angela Davis, in a 1988 autobiography, defined a bridge as a wall turned sideways, and that definition helped focus the 2009 Convocation for Pastors of African American Churches. "Building Bridges Into the Future" was the centering point for the nearly 400 participants at the convocation, sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.

Editorial Page

Vision, Virtue, and Vocation:
The "Mainline Church" Message to Obama

January 17, 2009 – Everyone, it seems, has a message for the new President. They are full of wish lists and urgent demands and heartfelt dreams for our nation. The churches have a message for President Obama, too. Mr. President, we have thought about what needs to be done, and have been working at it throughout the history of these United States. And we are ready to help you achieve great deeds that will bring positive change for the people of America and the world. We Protestant and Orthodox churches – the ecumenical faith community – know how serious is the need for social reconstruction at home and the restoration of honor abroad. We have long worked in the soup kitchens, sheltered the homeless, pushed for environmental justice, defended public education, volunteered overseas, and steadily opposed the war with Iraq, despite the weaknesses of media and congressional oversight.

Analysis: United Methodists Assess Bush Presidency

January 16, 2009 – A painting of a cowboy riding up a steep embankment with other horsemen close behind hangs on a wall of the Oval Office. President George W. Bush says the painting reminds him of a heroic Methodist circuit rider and the Charles Wesley hymn, "A Charge to Keep I Have." He titled a 2001 autobiography after the painting, "A Charge to Keep––My Journey to the White House." In truth, the painting was commissioned by the Saturday Evening Post in 1916 to illustrate a short story called "The Slipper Tongue." The painting depicts a horse thief being pursued by a lynch mob. The original magazine caption was "Had His Start Been Fifteen Minutes Longer, He Would Not Have Been Caught."

New York Metro News

Major, National Long-Term Children's Health Study to Begin in Queens
Will Examine Effects of Environmental Conditions on Child Health and Development

January 13, 2009, FLUSHING, NY – A major federally funded study of the long-term effects of environmental conditions on children's health and development will begin in Queens, announced Queens Borough President Helen Marshall today during her State of the Borough Address. The study, at a cost of $3 billion nationally, is the largest health study in the country's history. Queens, along with Duplin NC, was selected by the National Institute of Child Health and Development as one of the "Vanguard" locations to launch the massive National Children's Study, which will investigate whether factors such as the air children breathe, the communities in which they live and the food they eat are contributing to a rise in health problems such as birth defects, asthma, obesity, diabetes and learning disabilities.

National News

Lutherans Support Faith-based Advocates in Rallying Congress

January 12, 2009 – More than 700 mainline Christians are expected on Capitol Hill in March to express their views on peace, justice, environmental and economic issues. The March 13-16 "Ecumenical Advocacy Days" is supported by 45 different religious organizations. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a major sponsor. Participants will meet for two days of workshops in nearby Alexandria, Va. On the final day they'll travel to Capitol Hill to meet with members of the U.S. Congress. Their goal is to "discuss the abundance of our world and how it can be allocated in a way that is fair and just for all creation," according to an event statement.

International News

Call to an African Day of Prayer and Fasting for Zimbabwe

January 15, 2009 – The 9th General Assembly held in Maputo, Mozambique in December 2008 gave the African churches a strong mandate to continue their longstanding accompaniment of the Church and people of Zimbabwe. The Assembly declared January 25th an African Day of prayer for Zimbabwe. The call is to join our Zimbabwean sisters and brothers in prayer and in fasting, in words and in deeds, in contemplation and in action. As AACC we therefore call on all our member churches, councils, fellowships and institutions; all friends in the ecumenical worldwide family; all our international partners and all people of good will to make January 25, 2009, an African Day of Prayer and Fasting for Zimbabwe.

Churches Donate Government-Issued Consumer Vouchers
To Help Those Hit by Financial Crisis

January 18, 2009 – During 2008 New Year's Eve prayer meeting, Taipei Bread of Life Church Senior Pastor Shen-chu Chow urged church members to donate their consumer vouchers to help those struggling financially or help the families of those who just lost their jobs get by during this difficult season. Church members at the prayer meeting responded with enthusiasm and about 1,500 of them responded to the call. The government of Taiwan will issue consumer vouchers worth $3,600 NTD (approximately $105 USD) this month to all Taiwanese citizens in hopes of increasing consumption levels.

Fiji Floods – A Message from the New Zealand Archbishops

January 15, 2009 – Kia ora tatou, At this time of serious flooding at Nadi, Labasa and other places, Archbishops David Moxon and Brown Turei have asked Anglicans in Aotearoa New Zealand to pray especially for the Diocese of Polynesia in Fiji. "We encourage Christian communities everywhere to join in prayer each day for those most affected by this disaster. "We have heard news reports that people have been displaced from their homes, and that many are seeking refuge in church, government and community shelters. There seems no sign of an early end to the flooding.

PCT Pastors Urge Christians to Use Consumer Vouchers Wisely

January 18, 2009 – In an attempt to invigorate the Taiwanese economy, the Ma administration is determined to go ahead and distribute consumer vouchers beginning January 18th. Though most Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) pastors do not support this policy, most PCT pastors agree that instead of declining the vouchers, Christians should use them wisely to help the poor and disadvantaged. Pastors are also urging believers to use vouchers at small, independent stores and buy Taiwan-made products instead of imported goods.

Steer to Education, Health and Development – Archbishop Kolini

January 15, 2009 – "Steer to health, education and development for the good of the church." These were the words of Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini to Nathan Gasatura, the newly elected Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Butare. Archbishop Kolini was addressing the people who attended the consecration of Bishop of Butare, His Lordship Bishop Nathan Gasatura on 11 January 2009. The prelate advised the new bishop to ensure transformation in his diocese for the sake of building the society. He urged him to work hard in an attempt to lead saints to green pastures. "God is the only answer for what you intend to achieve in your new assignment," he said, adding that God's prayer is a remedy for an achievement.

Sudan's Mundri Diocese Terrorized by Lord's Resistance Army Attacks

January 16, 2009 – Several parishes and villages in Sudan's Episcopal Diocese of Mundri have fallen victim to a fresh wave of attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel organization whose soldiers are prolonging a two-decades-long terrorist campaign gruesomely marked by widespread massacres and child abductions. At least four people have been confirmed dead and insecurity in the region is forcing residents to flee the villages of Tore Wandi, Moba, Bangolo, Ledinwa and Garia for the relative safety of Mundri. One of the slain is Wilson, a lay reader at a parish in Moba, wrote the Rt. Rev. Bismark Monday, bishop of Mundri, in a January 15 email to church partners.

Primates to Address International Concerns at February Meeting in Alexandria, Egypt

January 15, 2009 – The primates and moderators of the Anglican Communion will be hosted by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East for a February 1-5 meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, a January 15 press advisory from the Anglican Communion Office has confirmed. Meeting behind closed doors at the Helnan Palestine Hotel, the primates will discuss international concerns such as the proposed Anglican covenant, the situation in Zimbabwe, global warming, and Christian responses to the global financial crisis. The primates will also hear an update from the Windsor Continuation Group and receive a report the group is presenting to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Middle East News

Lutherans Provide Funds to Support Humanitarian Aid in Gaza

January 14, 2009, CHICAGO – Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) provided $50,000 Jan. 8 to secure food aid, trauma counseling and medical care in Gaza. Violence in Gaza has compromised the services of medical clinics and limited people's access to food, water and other basic necessities, according to Megan Bradfield, associate director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Global Mission. Since air raids in Gaza began in late December, more than 900 Palestinians have died, including nearly 400 women and children.

Lutheran Bishops Hear from Families of Middle East Conflict Victims

January 11, 2009, JERUSALEM – One man mourns a daughter, the other grieves a father. Their losses put them on an unlikely path to friendship in an area of the world marked by Palestinian-Israeli strife. Rami Elhanan, an Israeli, and Mazen Faraj, a Palestinian, shared their stories recently with 45 bishops from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada visiting the Holy Land Jan. 6-13 to support Christians and promote peace. As the two men spoke, the bloodshed in Gaza continued to escalate, adding to the toll of about 7,000 lives already snuffed out by violence since 2000.

Lutheran Bishops Plant Olive Trees, Pray at Israeli Separation Barrier

January 13, 2009, BEDDO, West Bank – North American Lutheran bishops visited this small Palestinian village in the West Bank, northwest of Jerusalem, an area where the Israeli separation barrier cuts through Palestinian agricultural lands, making way for Israeli settlements to be constructed. Many of the bishops helped plant olive trees near the barrier as signs of peace.

North American Lutheran Bishops Preach at Middle East Worship

January 12, 2009, BETHLEHEM, West Bank – Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) attended and preached at worship services Jan. 11 at five Lutheran congregations in Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank. Forty-four bishops representing both churches are participating in a series of meetings Jan. 6-13 with religious, political and community leaders in Israel and the West Bank, and visiting religious sites.

Lutherans Worship at Church of the Holy Sepulchre for First Time, Visit AVH

January 12, 2009, JERUSALEM – For the first time North American Lutheran bishops, spouses and staff worshipped Jan. 9 at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a historic religious site built on the place of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. The Franciscans permitted the Lutherans to use the Franciscan Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, said the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and Holy Land (ELCJHL). The Rev. Fergus Clarke welcomed the Lutherans on behalf of the Franciscans.

Al Ahli Arab Hospital Brings Hope to Palestinians Amid Gaza Crisis

January 14, 2009 – As the embattled residents of Gaza struggle for survival 18 days into a bloody Israeli military operation, the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City continues to bring some semblance of hope to the local Palestinian community through its commitment to providing critical healthcare services to anyone in need. One of 37 institutions run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the hospital has struggled to meet the increased demands on its already-overburdened staff, who have tended to the wounded despite being surrounded by conflict, the challenges of diminishing medical supplies, and their own fatigue.