Tekton Ministries raises $398,000 for Christians in the Holy Land through pilgrim donations
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) March 11, 2015 -- Tekton Ministries is proud to announce that in 2014 its Holy Land pilgrims donated a combined total of $398,000 in support for Christians in the Holy Land.
“We were so encouraged by the donations of individual pilgrims, parishes and dioceses,” said Richard Sontag, director of Tekton Ministries.
“In 1996, we began working with the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL) in order to help safeguard the Christian presence in the Holy Land,” Sontag said. “The relationship has been one that has been a valuable spiritual experience for us. Hundreds of Christian families were leaving the Holy Land at that time in search of better working and living conditions. So much has changed now.”
According to the FFHL website, less than two percent of Christians remain in the Holy Land but the number of Christians leaving has steadily declined since the FFHL’s founding in 1994.
“I think that our Holy Land pilgrims benefit from a firsthand perspective of the work of the Franciscans in the Holy Land. In fact, I know they do. They don’t just visit the holy sites but they get to meet the living stones, the Christian people who populate both Israel and Palestine.”
Clearly, the experience leaves a lasting impression on Holy Land pilgrims. “For our pilgrims to be so moved by the need of the Christians in the Holy Land for education, housing, jobs and social services so as to give almost $400,000 in 2014 is truly incredible.”
The FFHL uses money donated by Tekton pilgrims and other individuals and organizations to support the 14 programs and projects carried out by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
One of the most important of those programs is the program for university scholarships. An annual university education is $6000. “Some of our pilgrims have paid for all four years without blinking an eye,” said Sontag. “We even have some pilgrims who pay the way for others to go so they can come to understand how important it is to pray and support Christians in the Holy Land.”
“Our Holy Land pilgrims have been so generous,” Sontag said. “I am so grateful that their pilgrimage to the Holy Land gave them the opportunity to witness the challenges Christian face there.”
If pilgrims to the Holy Land with Tekton Ministries are as generous this year as last, the FFHL stands to gain even more ground in their efforts to safeguard the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
For more information about Tekton Ministries, visit their website at http://www.tektonministries.org, or email Chris Weldon, PR associate and media manager at [email protected].
To make a donation to the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, click here: FFHL Donation link
Chris Weldon, Tekton Ministries, http://www.tektonministries.org, 866-905-3787, [email protected]
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