“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
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