Annual Service of Thanksgiving 2011 (London)

The BibleLands annual meeting and service of thanksgiving was held at St Michael's Church in Chester Square, London SW1, on Saturday 8 October 2011. We were pleased to welcome almost 100 supporters, volunteers, friends, staff and even some of our partners from the Middle East - to what was a great day!

The Chair of BibleLands, Hugh Bradley, and the Chief Executive, Jeremy Moodey, updated supporters on the work of the charity and its partners over the last year. The emphasis was on balancing continuity with change; taking the best of the heritage of BibleLands, with its 157-year history, but also updating the charity, its grant-making and image. Several members of staff talked about their particular areas of work and about various BibleLands events, including our highly successful presence at this year's Greenbelt festival.

The keynote speaker this year was Mrs Maha Tarayrah-Yasmineh (pictured), Deputy Director of the Princess Basma Centre for Disabled Children on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. She spoke powerfully about the challenges of life in East Jerusalem today, and the unique ministry of the Princess Basma Centre.

After a delicious Palestinian lunch there was a service of thanksgiving led by our Honorary President, Rev Daniel Burton, with an address from the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester and former General Secretary of the Church Mission Society. Bishop Michael spoke eloquently about the plight of Christians in the Middle East and the potential of organisations such as BibleLands to make a real difference in the region.

If you would like a copy of any of the talks from the Annual Service, please contact us.

Service of Thanksgiving 2011 (Glasgow)

We were delighted to welcome supporters to St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral on Saturday 15 October. Maha Tarayrah-Yasmineh, Deputy Director of the Princess Basma Centre in Jerusalem spoke movingly of the work of the centre, which provides rehabilitation services and community outreach programmes for disabled children.
She also gave a fascinating insight into the challenges of life in Jerusalem.

We would like to thank the preacher, Rev Colin Douglas, the worship band and the staff at the cathedral for supporting us at this event.

BibleLands' Annual Lecture 2011

Friends of BibleLands were host to an excellent annual lecture in Oxford on 17 May 2011, held at Christ Church Cathedral. The speaker, Dr Bernard Sabella, is the Executive Secretary of the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) for the Middle East Council of Churches. His talk was entitled Palestinian Refugees: What, in God's name, is happening?. He spoke with humility and power, and inspired and facilitated a really interactive and insightful discussion.

Audio files of the speakers' talks (.wma):

Dr Bernard Sabella - keynote speaker (17MBs)

(Transcript of Dr Bernard Sabella's talk)

Dr Karma Nabulsi - responder (3.5MBs)

(Photographs by KT Bruce. www.ktbrucephotography.com)

BibleLands' 2010 Annual Service of Thanksgiving

BibleLands' annual Service of Thanksgiving was held on Saturday 2 October 2010, and we were pleased to welcome many supporters and friends to the event.

A great day was had by all - many people especially enjoyed the fellowship and opportunity to hear more about BibleLands work, from the many inspiring and challenging speakers.

The keynote speaker this year was George Haddad, from JL Schneller School in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. It was inspiring to hear him talk of the difficulties the school faces but also of the opportunities they have to be a light in that place.

The day also included a service of thanksgiving with an address from Rev Canon George Kovoor, Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, and the opportunity to hear from BibleLands' Chief Executive, Jeremy Moodey, as well as the chance to chat and mingle with staff, trustees, volunteers and friends.

Audio files of the speakers' talks (.wma):

George Haddad - keynote speaker (11MBs)
Jeremy Moodey - summary of the past year (8MBs)
Caroline Rance - recent Israel trip reflections (2MBs)
George Kovoor - guest preacher (10MBs)

Transcript of George Kovoor's address (pdf)

Educating for Peace in Israel and Palestine: a lecture by Archbishop Elias Chacour

We were honoured to welcome Archbishop Elias Chacour to give BibleLands' inaugural annual lecture at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, on 13 April 2010. An audience of nearly 400 people listened to his inspiring account of his life and work, and his hopes for peace in the Middle East.

You can listen to the lecture below, or to request a copy on CD, email Heather at info@biblelands.org.uk or phone 01494 897933.

Download Audio file (.wma) 1 hour 10 mins.

Transcript of the talk (PDF)