Palestinian Bible Society - Update

Palestine

This year, we were delighted to be able to arrange several Easter events for communities throughout the country. The main event took place on Good Friday and attracted people from all over the Ramallah district, mostly Christians but several Muslim families attended, as well. We originally expected between 400 and 600 children but welcomed at least 800 children of all ages (excluding their parents).  Miraculously, we had enough candy to hand out as a previously canceled event had left us with excess, and thanks to the big area we had reserved, there was more than enough space for all of them to run and play in the beautiful weather. We hired a large inflatable bounce park, prepared a crafts area where the kids could get creative, and hid eggs in the garden for an egg hunt. There was even bingo for the parents.

In addition to our staff, about 20 volunteers from Ramallah and Birzeit were involved in planning and organizing the event and carrying out the tasks during the day including giving out gifts, face painting, caring for the children, and cleaning up afterward. The Bethlehem team was also with us and performed a show to deliver the Easter message and explain the symbols surrounding Easter. They closed by praying “Our Father” together with the crowd. Additionally, we gave out hundreds of copies of our recently published children's Bible as well as some school and craft books. After hours of fun and play, the children went home with what we prayed was a day of good memories.

We had to postpone our second event to Easter Saturday because of a security situation. Instead of the 250 people that originally planned to attend, we received 130. Despite the change of plans, we were pleased to be able to host the event. It was great to witness the joy and laughter that day. The attendees were children and youth with disabilities who came from two groups in the Ramallah district. We were allowed to keep the inflatable bounce park from the previous event and this turned out to be a success! It was a new and exciting experience for most of them, and they bounced and played for hours. The day ended with an egg hunt and bunny cupcakes before they departed.

After two years of the pandemic, these families were eager to enjoy a fun day of outdoor activities and social interaction and in light of the current unrest around us, we welcomed these opportunities as a joyful blessing.  The participants were very appreciative and affirmed that this was a much-needed event and celebration for the Christian community.

Nashat Filmon                                                          
Executive Director, Palestinian Bible Society

Read more about the Palestinian Bible Society HERE.

THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the mission and ministry of the Palestinian Bible Society. All gifts of any size are welcomed to help provide for the programs of PBS. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.