Give a Gift in Honor of Archbishop Elias Chacour's 70th Birthday (November 29, 2009) to help launch a Fitness Center!

Please consider a gift of $70, $700, or even $7,000 or more to provide the seed money for an extremely important new resource for the whole Ibillin community.  The village of Ibillin has a population of about 12,000 but no public parks or recreation areas.  Young people spend hours hanging out in the streets.  Many adults and children don't get the exercise they need to be healthy physically, mentally, or spiritually.  A Fitness Center built and run to serve MEEI as well as the whole community will serve this underserved population and build bridges of trust between school and community members.

 Download a pdf flyer here to learn more about the need and the proposed Fitness Center.

Individuals or Groups can support Peace-building in Israel/Palestine through Pilgrims of Ibillin!  Here's how:

1. Read and stay informed about the situation in the Middle East. Request a bibliography of resources and recommended web sites, e-mail pilgrims@triad.rr.com.  Check out the links and resources under our Resources tab. 

2. Make a $ contribution to Pilgrims of Ibillin.  Finishing construction of science labs is a high priority for 2009, along with scholarship assistance for students at all levels (including a special opportunity to provide scholarships for gifted and talented high school students), upgraded computers to replace 20 that have 128mb memories, and shaded space for students to be sheltered from sun and rain while they are outside before and after classes.

• Donate Now!  Make a one-time or recurring donation by credit card to Pilgrims of Ibillin!   Or set up a Recurring Gift from your checking or savings account by printing out the authorization_form_for_recurring_gifts_-_checking_and_savings and sending it with a canceled check to the Pilgrims of Ibillin Development Director, Rev. Joan Deming, 1541 Comanche Glen, Madison, WI  53704-1012. 
• Use your Facebook page or other social networking site to raise funds personally for Pilgrims of Ibillin!  Join the Pilgrims of Ibillin cause on Facebook!

3. Order one or both of the books written by Archbishop Elias Chacour, or the 23-minute video, A Man of Galilee. When you read these inspiring books you will become more familiar with his life and work. Print orderform here.

4. Join a pilgrimage to Israel.  Travel throughout the Galilee region, where Ibillin is located, is very safe. There are many holy sites to visit in the Galilee region. Rev. Bob Sawyer and George Shalabi are leading a pilgrimage in October 2009.  For information about itinerary and pricing, contact Bob at pilgrims@triad.rr.com.

5. Plan a program and fund raising project in your church to support the work of Pilgrims' partner agencies in the Holy Land.

6. Talk to the staff and members of your church and community to encourage forming a local chapter of Pilgrims of Ibillin. See Chapters page for more information.

7.  Pray for the faculy, staff, and students of Mar Elias Educational Institutions that they may continue to be a beacon of hope in a very troubled land.

Consider volunteering your time and talent ...

Help out at the Mar Elias Educational Institutions for a few weeks or more, or at one of Pilgrims' other Holy Land partners.  Volunteer applications can be downloaded here for  individuals or  groups.  Questions about volunteering can be directed to Rev. Bob Sawyer, Pilgrims' executive director (pilgrims@triad.rr.com) or sent directly to MEEI c/o office@m-e-c.org.  When you submit your application to the MEEI office, please send a copy to Bob Sawyer at P.O. Box 21461, Winston-Salem, NC 27120.