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HCEF Holds Successful Conference with over 500 Participants
23-Oct-01
Contact: Robert Younes, M.D.
301-983-3022, Toll Free 866-871-HCEF
younes@hcef.org
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF)
News Release
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation. s Third International Conference was declared a complete success according to Rateb Rabie, KHS, President of the Foundation.He stated, . This conference is the most successful thus far.attended the Conference on October 19, 20.Christian Americans from all denominations were told the truth about the brutal military occupation and the ongoing human tragedy in the Holy Land.On the morning of the conference, the Israeli military invaded Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace.Twenty-Five non-combatant Palestinian Christians were slaughtered; one person was killed by a sniper just outside the Church of the Nativity..
The Conference program, The Forgotten Faithful: Arab Christians Suffering in the Holy Land, featured 30 speakers with intimate knowledge of the circumstances that have lead to Arab Christian suffering in the land where Christianity was born.The speakers provided up to date information on the military occupation. s destruction of land, buildings, and the human spirit in Christian communities.Workshops explored how American Christians can assist their brothers and sisters in the Holy Land to survive under very difficult living conditions.
The Awards Banquet at the Capital Hilton was held on Saturday night, October 20, 2001.The Living Stones Solidarity award was given to the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and World Vision for their continued organizational support for the Holy Land Christians.Rev. Canon Drew Christianson and Rev. Dr. Don Wagner received the HCEF Award for their life long commitment to the Christians in the Holy land.Monsignor William Fay, Director General of the United States Catholics Conference of Bishops delivered the keynote address.
HCEF unites all Christian denominations in the single effort to bring peace to the Holy Land and to preserve Christianity in the land of its birth.American Christians, through HCEF, intend to out reach to American Arabs and Moslems to foster solidarity for the cause of peace in the Holy Land.Next year, the Fourth International Conference will be held on October 18, 19, 2002.
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation is a tax exempt, non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of Christians in the Holy Land by developing bonds of solidarity with Christians in the United States.HCEF, PO Box 6687, Silver Spring, MD 20906. (301) 871-9222, Fax (301) 871-2277. www.hcef.org. email: news@hcef.org, Toll Free (866) 871-4233
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