Seeds of Hope has been doing ministry in Jericho and the surrounding areas for over a decade. In that time, we’ve seen many changes to the community—some great and some challenging. As we navigate changes once again, we might be in our most difficult season yet.
The Christian community has never been large in Jericho. Seeds of Hope has grown the community from almost non-existent to a small but impactful group. Still, Jericho is over 98% Muslim. Nearby Bethlehem has traditionally had a larger Christian community with churches like our partner Emmanuel Church thriving.
Recently, we’ve seen this community start to decline. The unrest and uncertainty of the war have accelerated trends of young Christians emigrating out of our region. Some Christians have even experienced direct persecution, facing violent threats to their businesses and families. That fear, combined with the lack of economic opportunity during the war, has caused many young families to move away and seek a safer, more advantageous place to live.
The result for those who remain is a shrinking community with fewer resources. Many elderly Christians no longer have younger family members nearby to help care for them. Not only that, but outside of the government, Christian communities organize to provide the majority of the local aid to the medically fragile, widows, and other vulnerable groups.
In the face of these new challenges, though, Seeds of Hope has new opportunities.
In the gap created, we’re stepping in to serve and offer hope in any way possible. We’re committed to being a presence of joy, positivity, and support in our community.
This Christmas, we visited families struggling with sickness or injury to offer prayers, financial support, and the hope of community. We have a group of seven local widows—several of which are on the verge of poverty—that we’re committed to walking alongside and partnering with so they’re not alone.
As we plan for 2025, we’re formalizing some of these impromptu efforts and building them into our strategic plan for the year. We want to continue to be a presence of hope and help in our community.
In the midst of many Christians having to leave, we’re committed to staying. And it’s your generosity that has made that possible. Thanks to you, we have the resources to step into this gap and live out Jesus’ command to care for the vulnerable among us.
“I hope you understand how much your support has meant to us and to so many in Jericho,” said Khader Ghanim, Seeds of Hope CEO. “The same goes for any future help. We wouldn’t be here without you, and we know all future gifts will be how the Lord sustains our work.”
With your support, we are closing the year in the black financially once again. We’ve paid off all of the construction costs of our school expansion, as well as the salaries and expenses of our school and staff. This could not have been done without your loving support. Thank you!
We have a few more days to fully reach our end-of-year fundraising goal and start 2025 on the best financial footing possible. We are still aiming to raise $152,000 more to fully pay for the land we purchased, which will give us room to expand our school through the twelfth grade. Any additional year-end donations will go towards that loan.
Will you consider a special one-time gift to support the hope and help that Seeds of Hope is committed to providing in 2025?
Our hope is that we can not only continue the work we’re doing—keep growing our school, continue providing programs that bring people together, and carry on distributing food, financial aid, and medical supplies—but do even more in the years to come.
