First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton IL funds vital medical equipment for two hospitals in Nazareth, state of Israel
Abraham’s Children, a 20-year mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton, sponsored seven events in three states during October 2015, in order to fund the shipment of 40 foot containers of equipment to Nazareth Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, both in Nazareth, state of Israel. At these events officials of Nazareth Hospital outlined critical needs at these private institutions, who receive little or no funding from the Israeli government for equipment, despite the fact that there are no government-run hospitals convenient to the region of Galilee, the nucleus of Christianity in the state of Israel (and where large numbers of Muslims reside),
The equipment was provided by Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach (HSMO), a faith-based organization that cares for people in need through recovery and world-wide distribution of much-needed medical supplies and equipment. Since all the equipment is donated, the sponsoring organization only needs to raise shipping and handling fees. In this case, the retail value of each of these containers sent to Nazareth exceeds $150,000. Both hospitals have received their equipment and more medical needs will be sent in the near future.
“We appreciate this opportunity to tell the story of our hospital, and how we minister to people of all faiths in the Nazareth region and in the Occupied Territories,” said Dr. Bishara Bisharat, managing director of Nazareth Hospital. “In some of these areas, we are the only medical support” he said. “This gift of equipment allows us to divert capital resources to scholarships for our Nursing Program, which is the only one in Israel that offers such instruction to Christian and Muslim Arabs.”
Susan Drinan, co-founder of Abraham’s Children, said, “This partnership with Nazareth Hospital and the HSMO is a great way to extend our mission of striving for peace and justice in the Holy Land.
Georgia Winson, president and executive director of HSMO stated “Without the support of hospitals and clinics providing the equipment, the HSMO systems in place to recover it, and the sponsorship provided by Abraham’s Children, none of this equipment would find its way to Nazareth.”
About Nazareth Hospital: This modern general hospital employs over 400 staff, has 147 beds, and operates within the framework of the Israeli Healthcare system. See http://www.nazarethtrust.org/about/hospital for more information.
About Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach (HSMO). Since 2002, HSMO has improved health care quality in 87 countries around the world by redistributing nine million pounds of surplus medical equipment and supplies valued at over $49 million that would have otherwise ended up in American landfills. See http://www.mission-outreach.org/ for more information.
About Abraham’s Children: This church mission is celebrating 20 years of support for marginalized Christians and others in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Its efforts focus on three initiatives: Educating Americans on peace and justice issues in the Holy Land, supporting the Mar Elias Christian Schools K-12 (open to students of all faiths), and helping to create and support Nazareth Academic Institute (NAI), a Christian-inspired, fully accredited college. Students at the new NAI nursing program will receive their clinical training at Nazareth Hospital.
About First Presbyterian Wheaton: We are a dynamic and involved community of discerning believers guided by the Holy Spirit. Abraham’s Children is just one of the ways we touch people’s lives. For more information www.firstpreswheaton.org
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
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Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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