In April, Friends of the Holy Land established a grant of US$10,000 to support the work of the Revd Kevin Cable with vulnerable Christians in the community of St Peter’s Church, Jaffa. This grant marked the retirement of our longstanding friend, Archbishop Suheil, and reflected our gratitude to him for his help in our work among the Anglican community in the Holy Land.

Archbishop Suheil's father was forced to leave this very parish after its closure in 1948 due to war. The parish congregation are currently attending services in a temporary location while the Diocese of Jerusalem is fundraising to generate US$300,000, the estimated cost of the restoration of the church building.

  

Archbishop Hosam and Fr Kevin Cable inspecting the building

Fr Cable and his wife are now in situ in Jaffa to oversee the work and begin the process of re-establishing an active community there. We were pleased to receive this update from him.

Greetings from Jaffa! My wife Jen and I have just arrived this month (September) in Jaffa, having spent the preceding 3 months in Jerusalem. The time in Jerusalem was well spent, most of which was taken up with essential intensive language training and acclimatising to life in a very different culture to the United Kingdom. We were grateful for this time to adjust, and to begin to build connections with people that will be essential to our ministry here.

Now we have arrived in Jaffa, we are pleased to report that work on the renovations of the church building and grounds are well underway. Last week we were delighted to welcome Archbishop Hosam who came to meet with us and discuss the renovations and ministry here. Work will now also begin on forming a worshipping community from those both living locally, and from Anglican Christians who are serving in the Diplomatic Community in nearby Tel Aviv. Ministering in this context, it is important to have the support of the local community and especially the local Christian Community, and so most of our time thus far has been taken up with meeting representatives of both these groups and building our relationship with them. Local people are the best placed to be aware of local issues, and particularly areas in the community where there is hardship and poverty. Jaffa is indeed a beautiful place, with a rich history, but in common with many areas in the Holy Land, there are many here who are disadvantaged in some way and who live below the poverty line.

As we move forward, we will also be working with Mission to Seafarers to establish a welfare chaplaincy in the nearby port of Ashdod, providing Spiritual and practical support for the Seafarers who come into dock at the port. This is very much a long-term project, and access has been limited due to Covid19, but we hope the initial stages of this project will be underway very soon now that restrictions are starting to ease, and access to the port will hopefully be allowed.

The hard work also now begins in discerning where God is already at work in this community, where other charities and support groups are working, and how best we can utilise the generous donation and support of the Friends of the Holy Land in making a difference and supporting those who are in particular need. As we build our connections and begin to work in this community, we hope to keep you regularly updated as we apply the grant given to the Diocese of Jerusalem in supporting those who need a helping hand and the light of hope that benefiting from this grant would bring.

Fr Kevin Cable

 

Obviously, we are very excited to see what happens next with the building renovations, but more so to see how the vulnerable Christians in this community will be reached and supported. Your generosity is enabling us to provide support to the most needy brothers and sisters in this diocese, and we hope that with your help, we can continue to expand our help in this area in the coming months. Thank you for your continuing support of our work and please join us in praying for Fr Cable, his wife and their work in this place.