Our history Inspired by Pilgrimage In 2007 a group of pilgrims, led by our founder Michael Whelan, were so moved by the plight of Holy Land Christians they wanted to make an immediate improvement to their lives - the result was ‘Friends of the Holy Land’, formed in 2009. The group of pilgrims included the Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols, now Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster, who has been very supportive of our mission and remains a Patron. Following an Anglican appeal in 2011 by Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, for which FHL were asked to be the custodians, FHL became ecumenical – Christians over here helping Christians over there, regardless of denomination. We do not campaign for peace, leaving that to others who are better qualified. Our mission is quite simply to help through prayer and fundraising. Now, Bishops of two-thirds of all Catholic and Anglican Dioceses in England and Wales have appointed FHL Diocesan Coordinators to advise our FHL Trustees and Management Committee on how best to fulfill our objectives in their Dioceses. Since 2009 we have successfully funded the neediest Christians in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan. Each year we help over 2,000 named Christians, improving their lives in the key areas of education, employment, health and housing improvement. With the help of our supporters we have raised over £4.5 million. In 2019 we celebrated our 10-year anniversary with events at Temple Church in London, The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in Glasgow and Coventry Cathedral. We are delighted to have hosted the Most Revered Archbishop Suheil Dawani of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, who led all of our ecumenical services in London, Glasgow and Coventry. Click here to read more. Manage Cookie Preferences