Visit the Holy Land virtually during Advent and Christmas

World Mission brings Bethlehem 2020 to you

by Kathy Melvin | Presbyterian News Service

The Church of the Nativity and Manger Square’s Christmas tree on a December 2020 evening. (Photo by Douglas Dicks)

LOUISVILLE — In the seasons of Advent and Christmas, when the minds of Christians are centered on biblical Bethlehem, there’s a chance to visit the Bethlehem of today virtually.

Mission co-worker Douglas Dicks, who is sheltering-in-place in Israel-Palestine, has worked with local partners to produce a virtual visit.

“We are sharing some of the Christmas story, where it all began, and then taking you on a journey to today’s Bethlehem to see some of the current reality on the ground and to hear from some of our friends and partners who live in the contemporary Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Beit Jala,” Dicks said. “With all of its challenges and trials, we will meet some of the people who live and remain here, in spite of the situation, in order to serve their community and provide a glimmer of hope in a hopeless situation.”

The video begins with the Christmas story set in the shepherds’ fields, with the reading of the Christmas story from Luke. Born in Beit Sahour, the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, Palestinian Christian pastor, theologian, writer, speaker and blogger, reads about the shepherds. The Rev. Mitri Raheb reads about the nativity. Raheb was born in Bethlehem and continues to live and work there.

“Lots of thought went into the crafting and narrative of this film,” said Dicks. “We hope people will find it very special.”

Like much of the rest of the world, the recording was made under pandemic lockdowns and curfews imposed on the Bethlehem region, which created its own challenges. Dicks said those involved in crafting the project followed all necessary safety protocols.

Luciano Kovacs, World Mission’s coordinator for the Middle East and Europe, and Christina Cosby, mission specialist for the region, have coordinated the project in the U.S.

“PC(USA) has organized ‘come and see’ visits to Israel and Palestine for a long time,” said Kovacs. “These trips have offered the opportunity to Presbyterians to visit the biblical sites in the region rooted in today’s socio-political context and see with their own eyes the lives of Palestinians under Israeli military occupation. Those who have the privilege of seeing first-hand what happens on the ground are asked to ‘go and tell’ about their lived experience and share with their communities what they have heard from our partners.

“PC(USA) is committed to supporting the beleaguered Christian Palestinian community in occupied land and has pledged to make sure that our churches know of their suffering, their resistance and their resilience,” Kovacs said.

When the pandemic broke out, those visits stopped. “This had huge repercussions on the livelihood of many of our partners who also benefit from tourism in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and other towns,” Kovacs said. “Thus, the idea of planning virtual ‘come and see’ visits came about. With such programs, we will continue supporting the people in Palestine who render such services as well as our partners, we hope with donations from this video,” he said.

Philip Woods, World Mission’s associate director for strategy, program and recruitment, believes it is a privilege to be with Palestinian siblings during this Advent/Christmas season.

“Few of us ever get this opportunity to see how the Christmas story unfolded on the ground, and what it means for the Palestinian people today,” he said.  “To be able to connect in this way I hope will bring the story alive in new and fresh ways and strengthen our commitment to stand with and support our Palestinian partners who today are still living under occupation.”

To view the video, click here. At the end of the video, a donation can be made at https://www.presbyterianmission.org/donate/e052195/.