 |
|
|
| Students
from Mar Elias University
Visit Wheaton - July 2006
Students from Mar Elias University in Galilee, Israel,
the school begun by now Archbishop Elias Chacour, visited Wheaton
and the Chicago area on the weekend of July 14-16, 2006.
The students were hosted by families from First Presbyterian,
St. Matthew, and Christ Church for the weekend.
|
|
|
| After they returned from Chicago, they had dinner at Chipotle
Mexican Grill on Butterfield Road here in Wheaton, IL, where some
of them learned they do not really enjoy Mexican food. They
then had a great time bowling at Fox Bowl nearby. For some
reason a bowling alley is one of the few places they can congregate
in Indianapolis. Many host families and students participated.
Although the level of skill was sporadic, the amount of fun was
consistently high. That night the students went back to individual
time with host families. |
|
| On Sunday morning the students attended three different churches
with their host families, First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton,
St. Matthew Catholic Church, and Christ Church of Oakbrook.
All three of these churches had been visited by Archbishop Elias
Chacour in March 2006. The students were introduced and welcomed
at the services. At First Presbyterian several actually participated
during the 8:40 a.m. Tapestry Service and the 10:00 a.m. Celebration
Service. The minister would say one line from the Lord's Prayer
in English, then one student would say the line in Hebrew, and
the next student would say the line in Arabic. It felt like an
echoing effect of the words and a transcendence of God's words
over language and differences. It was very moving. Although a
majority of the students are Muslim, they still all attended the
worship services. As a matter of fact, some were more animated
and enjoyed the clapping and singing of the congregation to some
of the "new wave" music more than some of us older stodgy
Presbyterians. |
|
| After church services a luncheon was planned, where other
non-host people were invited to meet and hear the students. The
plan was simple; lunch, a panel of students would be interviewed,
and then they would play their music, sing, and dance. Too
bad the world got in the way. After church the students started
getting reports of rockets hitting Haifa, Nazareth, and even close
to Ibillin. They had family in those towns; they had no cell phones
that could get through to their families; they couldn't find out
if their family members were safe. Several became distraught,
and the fear began to spread and even turn to anger. Then the
ministers sprang into action; Jerry Landrey led the whole room
in prayer to remind us all who was really in charge and to borrow
courage from Him. Caryle Aitken Wilkie gathered up those with
tears in their eyes and took them to her office. She sat down
on the internet with them to find out facts, then got on the phone
to make contact with their families. Jay Moses and Diane Slocum
pitched in to help individual students. Young women and men who
were 10,000 miles from those who mattered most to them learned
they had people here in America who cared. It worked. Families
were contacted, and everyone was found to be safe. Some might
call it crisis management; others would say it was true pastoral
care.
|
|
| Lunch came late, but everyone was calmed. Eight of the students
participated in a panel discussion. The questions were about their
education and their new view of America now that they have been
here. Someone from the audience asked how much the school helped
in job placement after graduating. Several students responded
and explained that Christians and Muslims cannot find jobs in
Israel. They are systematically excluded. One student then said
that he was not worried because Abuna Chacour would not forget
his students. Somehow Abuna Chacour would help them.
They were also asked "What did you like the most in America?"
After the light-hearted answers, one student stood up and said,
"I love your freedom." She explained that, "being
a minority in Israel was a constant burden, always restrictions,
no freedom to speak freely, constant fear." |
|
|
Student
Visit Page 1
Student Visit Page 3
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Financial support is urgently needed to sustain educational
programs. Mar Elias University is a mission of First Presbyterian
Church of Wheaton, and we have a separate account established
here. Checks can be made out to First Presbyterian with "Mar
Elias University" in the memo line and sent directly to
our church office:
First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton
715 North Carlton Avenue
Wheaton, Illinois 60187 |
Your donations will go directly to Mar Elias University and
are tax deductible. For additional information Susan Drinan
can be contacted by email at BLACKTHORNE369@aol.com.
|
You can also help Palestinian Christians by purchasing beautiful
hand-carved olive wood items that come directly from Bethlehem
and Beit Sahour - the town of the Shepherd’s Field next to Bethlehem.
Proceeds go directly to Palestinian Christians to provide employment
and education for the children at Mar Elias Elementary School,
founded by Father Elias Chacour. For more information or to purchase
these beautiful items, which were on display at our November
2005 Christmas Festival, contact Cerena Fischer at 630-289-4942
or by email at bethlehemimport2@aol.com.
You can also view photos and obtain more information on the Bethlehem
Imports website - http://www.bethlehemimports.org.
|
Our thanks to Cerena Fischer and Susan Drinan
for the photos!
|
|
|
|
