Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Update letter for supporting parishes back in the USA


“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” Mark 16:7


Dear friends in Christ,

Greetings from a peaceful day here in Nazareth in the Holy Land.  Out my apartment window lies the apse of Christ Anglican Church, and two hundred feet away the Basilica of the Annunciation, where Catholic tradition remembers the angel Gabriel visiting Mary. Since January, I have been serving at Christ Church in Nazareth and teaching in local schools as a missionary of the Episcopal Church and member of Jerusalem Peacebuilders. It is another chapter of my life and ministry, rich with our Lord’s gentle guiding and steadfast love.                                     

After a cold arrival in January characterized by two weeks without hot water in my apartment, I quickly went to work in reaching out to the schools where I had previously arranged to lead Jerusalem Peacebuilders (JPB) Leadership and Peacebuilding programs. What unfolded was a surge in demand and multiple grace-filled meetings with schools who were interested in bringing JPB programming to their students. In total, I secured four programs, with each class meeting weekly. Combine four days of teaching with two and a half days of volunteering at Christ Church and you end up having a very busy servant! Deeply rewarding, I have observed each of my nearly one hundred students grow and develop as a result of my teaching, example, and witness. They have grown in confidence, both personally and in their command and use of English as a second or third language. They have grown in their capacity to see the other side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have developed new skills in communication and peacebuilding. Most importantly, they have a renewed sense of hope for their future – that things will get better and peace is possible.

One very special moment came when the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church was on pilgrimage to the Holy Land in late-March during Holy Week and visited one of my school programs. Leading up to his visit, I had been working with the 11th graders on writing speeches and they were ready to share their words with Bishop Curry. Each student spoke well and captured the attention of the Presiding Bishop and his delegation, leaving me feeling like a proud parent but shying away from stealing the spotlight from the teens. For more detail, read the Episcopal New Service article on the visit.
JPB Teens from Christ School, Nazareth present speeches on leadership
and peacebuilding to Presiding Bishop Curry
These sacred moments of teaching in schools and serving in worship and parish administration have taught me one important lesson: that I am called to use my gifts to serve the Church and further the Kingdom of God in this life. And so, with this quiet confidence and sense of righteousness, I rise each day and go out into the Galilee to do the will of our Father in Heaven. Sending my prayers and thanksgivings for the community that so warmly welcomed me last fall.

In Christ,
Jack Karn