When images of tragic world events - such as the most recent violence in the Middle East - come to us through our television screens and social media, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless about what one individual or community can do to help ease such large-scale human suffering. So when the congregation of St. Thomas Anglican Church in East Vancouver heard that the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund was providing urgently needed support for victims of violence through Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, we knew it was a perfect match for their annual Lenten Outreach Project. 

“Each year, during Lent and Advent, we choose an outreach project to support,” said St. Thomas church warden Jayne Fenrich. “We create opportunities to educate the congregation about the issues involved and raise funds to help in whatever way we can.” The parish alternates between local and overseas projects, ranging from helping to alleviate food insecurity in the neighbourhood to reducing infant mortality through midwife training in Africa, and support for local farmers and women’s networks in Bangladesh.  This year was slated for a local project, but the needs in Gaza were too urgent to ignore.  

“It has always been important to our congregation to look outward, seeking ways to be in relationship with others and supporting those who are vulnerable, in our own community and around the world” says Fenrich. “We had all seen the news about what was happening in Gaza and we all wanted to reach out in some way, but we didn’t know how. When we learned that the Primate’s Fund already had a program in place to get medical resources and other community support to those working on the front lines in Gaza, we wanted to do our part to help.” 

St. Thomas invited PWRDF executive director Will Posma to give a zoom presentation to the congregation during a Sunday service, during which parishioners saw photos of the staff working at the hospital and learned more about the life-saving work being done under extremely dangerous conditions. 

The congregation was told that each $1,000 raised could fund an operation for someone seriously wounded in the violence. “Knowing that these brave medical teams were risking their lives on the front lines to provide upward of 20 surgeries a day, and then hearing the impact that each $1000 could make, it was an added incentive for us. It gave a tangible idea of what our money could do,” says Fenrich. 

Fellow church warden Cheryl Tobias says it was important to the congregation to focus on humanitarian aid rather than politics. “We wanted to make sure that this project wasn’t a about taking sides or making a political statement – it was about helping ordinary people whose lives have been devastated by terrible circumstances beyond their control. One of the things that really appealed to us about the Primate’s Fund approach was that it was non-partisan political in terms of who the hospital was helping and it involved an alliance with fellow Anglicans in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the United States and Canada.”   

The small congregation organized some fundraising events, including a potluck dinner with entertainment, a bake sale and a book sale organized by the young people in the parish. In addition, parishioners gave generously each week to the project through direct donations.  In total, more than $10,840 was raised to send to Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and related local programs through the Primate’s Fund. 

“As Anglicans, it is valuable to have a structure like the Primate’s Fund,” says Tobias. “When we see needs around the world and are moved to take action, we often don’t know how we can make a difference. PWRDF has so many long-standing partnerships around the world and these relationships offer us a channel to do our small part to stand in solidarity and fellowship with those who need our support and compassion.”