Christians from the Holy Land share stories and Olive Wood handiwork.

Sunday, August 16, 2026

10 a.m. worship: Special Ministry Moment presentation
11:15 a.m.: Handcrafted Olive Wood sale
Dearborn First UMC sanctuary and Creator Space (former library)

On August 16, 2026 during  the service, we will hear stories shared from Christians of the Holy Land, and after the service you are invited to peruse a display of olive wood religious handicrafts from Bethlehem available for purchase.

The olivewood carvings include Nativity sets, crosses, Christmas ornaments, candle holders, angels and others, carved by Christian families from Bethlehem who rely on their crafts for their daily bread.

More than 70% of the Christian Community in the Holy Land depend upon tourism as their only source of income . Tourism in Bethlehem has plummeted and access to other sources of income has been sharply restricted due to the ongoing conflict, the wars, the 12-yard wall built around Bethlehem, the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently the catastrophic war in Gaza for the past three years.

Due to this unrest, tourists are afraid and unable to visit the Holy Land. This has made it very difficult for the Christian families to support themselves and has forced them to immigrate and flee their homeland.

The Christian population of the Holy Land was 30% in the last century, but today it is less than 1%. If this continues, soon we will find no Christians in the land of Christ, which could cause tragic consequences to our faith and holy sites.

A Christian family from Bethlehem will tell us the story of the Christians of the Holy Land and present these carvings after the services.

Please help support our Christian brothers and sisters in the town of Bethlehem where Christ was born by making donations for their carvings. All proceeds go to support Christian families from Bethlehem.

Source: Dr. George Ghanem, Holy Land Christian Solidarity Cooperative representative
www.hlcsc.org