PWRDF in the ruins of Gaza: Giving HOPE to the Middle East

By Rev. Canon Greg Jenkins

THE OTHER DAY,  I was asked if I would be attending an event. I quickly answered, “I hope so.” Later, I realized how casually I had used a word that has held such deep meaning for our faith for thousands of years.

The word "hope" has lifted entire generations from despair, giving people courage even in the most desperate situations. Hope is not just a fleeting feeling but a steadfast belief in God’s promises, even in the midst of great trials.

The work done by our Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) is rooted in this very hope. When we meet with our membership partners across the world, their examples give us hope. One such example is the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Jerusalem. This diocese is home to about 7,000 Anglicans worshipping in just twenty-eight congregations. Yet these relatively few Christians are responsible for more than thirty institutions, including hospitals, schools, clinics, and rehabilitation centres, scattered across Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. It is hard to imagine working across these borders, checkpoints, and national governments, each with their own divergent laws and politics.

Despite the challenges, these Anglicans respond to the need for healthcare and education in areas where many cannot afford it, making no distinction between religion, ethnicity, or gender. They work faithfully to bring stability to a troubled region, bearing witness to Anglican Christian values and offering a voice of moderation, reconciliation, and peace.

They are known globally for running our hospital in Gaza, which has been repeatedly devastated by ongoing war and violence, yet continues to function against all odds.

Through their work, we see that hope is not passive. Hope is not sitting idly by, waiting for God’s promises to come true. Hope is active. It takes on flesh in the hearts and hands of those who work to bring God’s kingdom into reality, even when the world seems determined to tear it down.

The prophet Jeremiah, standing in the ruins of Jerusalem, bought a field even as the city was about to fall to the Babylonians (Jeremiah 32:15). This was an act of hope. It was a belief that God’s restoration would come, even when the situation seemed hopeless. Similarly, Anglicans across the world offer a witness to the power of hope. In the ruins of Gaza, hospital walls are upheld; amidst hatred and killing, our friends offer healing without distinction between religion, ethnicity, or gender. They remind us of Paul’s words in Romans 5: “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

This is the kind of hope that transcends borders, bridges checkpoints, and resists the forces that seek to divide us. It is a hope rooted in the unwavering belief that God’s kingdom will come, that peace will reign, and that love will conquer hate. As Martin Luther King Jr. once proclaimed, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” These Anglicans are bending that arc with every act of love, every child they educate, and every patient they treat.

Their work reminds us that hope is not some distant dream, but a present reality we are called to build, brick by brick. Yes, the situation may seem all but impossible, and yes, the obstacles may often appear insurmountable, but the God of hope calls us forward. He calls us to be his hands and feet in this world, to work for a future where peace and reconciliation are not just ideals but realities.

So, let us take courage from their example. Let us remember that hope is not found in the absence of difficulty but in the midst of it. Let us look to our PWRDF partners as a living testimony of the power of Christian hope. It is a hope that rebuilds, reconciles, and refuses to give up. Let us join in their work, believing, as they do, that the work of the Gospel is where we find life’s true meaning.

Please continue to pray for those affected by this conflict and donate to PWRDF’s Gaza and West Bank Emergency Appeal. You can also donate online at PWRDF.org, or by phone at 416-822-9083 (or leave a message toll-free at 1-866-308-7973, and we will return your call) or by mail. Please send cheques to PWRDF, 80 Hayden Street, 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON, Canada, M4Y 3G2, and indicate “Gaza and West Bank” in the memo field.

Rev. Canon Dr. Greg Jenkins is PWRDF representative for Huron.