Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land

We often hear of the persecution and maltreatment of Christians in the Middle East.  Most of us feel powerless to do anything because we live so far away.  All of us can help our fellow Christians in the Holy Land.  We can personally make a difference through our prayers, fasting and almsgiving in the lives of our brothers and sisters.
 
On Good Friday, the Church will again take up its annual worldwide collection for the Holy Land—its people and its shrines.  The shrines are the Holy Sites, including the Tomb of Christ.  Monetary support from each of us is desperately needed by those struggling to maintain our Faith and our physical presence there.  We can help to insure current and future generations of Christians in the Holy Land can live and thrive there.  Funds collected help to maintain the Holy Sites and support schools, parishes and housing needs for Christian families.
 
This year, we are asked again to be extra generous.  If you gave nothing in the past, please consider making some type of gift.  If you gave last year, please consider increasing the amount, if you can.  Consider putting your gift in an envelope marked GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION and mailing it to the parish office (The Community of the Good Shepherd, 8815 E. Kemper Rd., Cincinnati, OH  45249).  Envelopes are included in the monthly contribution packet for those who receive them. 
 
Christianity is rapidly disappearing from the Holy Land.  For our brothers and sisters there, it is a daily struggle for survival. Please pray for peace in the Holy Land and we ask all to join in their suffering by making a sacrificial gift on Good Friday. 
 
Good Shepherd parishioners have been very generous in supporting this collection in the past and we ask for your continued support by your contributions to the Good Friday Collection.