Partner
HCEF VISION STATEMENT, MISSION STATEMENT, CORE VALUES AND GOALS
HCEF Vision Statement
We envision a world where:
- Americans and others understand the plight of Arab Christians in the Holy Land.
- The geographic Christian identity (for example, Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem) is recognized and thriving.
- There are strong bonds of solidarity between Arab Christians in the Holy Land and elsewhere.
- All Palestinian Arab Christians in the Holy Land are free to practice their faith.
- All Palestinian Arab Christians in the Holy Land have adequate housing and economic opportunities.
- Palestinian Arab Christians are no longer forced to emigrate from the Holy Land.
- Palestinian Arab Christians are empowered to:
- Determine the contours of their own present and future.
- Join their Palestinian brothers and sisters in preserving heritage, building civic society and promoting investments.
- Be the natural bridge for peace among Jews, Muslims and Christians.
HCEF Mission Statement
HCEF is committed to the continued presence, empowerment and well-being of Arab Christians in the Holy Land and to developing the bonds of solidarity between them and Christians worldwide.
HCEF Core Values
Our mission and core values underpin everything we do. Whether we are designing programs, putting together a conference or disseminating news from the Holy Land or from parishes around the U.S. and elsewhere, we look at whether we embody these values. These core tenets give our programs the roots they need to sustain the work when challenges arise. HCEF is:
- Ecumenical
From the very beginning, HCEF has been an ecumenical organization. There are multiple Christian denominations in the Holy Land, and our programs aim at supporting all of them. We encourage Palestinian Christians to be ecumenical in their outreach to Christians around the world, and we encourage HCEF’s supporters to be ecumenical in their prayers and support. Because Christians in the Holy Land comprise less than 2% of the population, it is important that they build their support for one another on the Christian faith they share.
- Based on Christian Faith
It is a core belief of Christians that we are one mystical Body in Christ. We want all of our work to reflect that unity and to demonstrate that if any part of the body suffers, we all suffer. By the same belief, we also demonstrate that when one part of the body rejoices, we all rejoice.
- Dedicated to Peace and Justice
We firmly believe that a just peace in the Holy Land is the only long-term solution to the difficult living conditions that have led many Christians to emigrate. We encourage the work of those who help bridge the distance between the political factions that exacerbate the situation in the Holy Land.
- Service-Oriented
Each person at HCEF seeks to be a servant leader following the example of Jesus Christ. We serve both the Christians in the Holy Land and our amazingly generous supporters around the world. We want each person who interacts with us to feel that we have given them our full attention, and we want each of our programs to reflect the importance of interpersonal connections.
- Transparent
We want our work to be transparent. We want people to understand how we build relationships between Holy Land Christians and how each of our programs operates. We want HCEF supporters to connect in personal ways with the Christians whom they support in the Holy Land.
HCEF Goals
HCEF lives its mission and core values by witnessing the teaching of our Savior Jesus Christ.
• We educate people around the world about the presence of Arab Christians in the Holy Land and remind them of their moral, practical and spiritual obligation to the Mother Church.
• We build community between Christians throughout the world and Arab Christians of the Holy Land through communication, publications, pilgrimages and other joint endeavors.
• We develop bonds of solidarity through church-to-church, family-to-family and person-to-person partnership programs in order to bring Christians together in community for future cooperation.
• We promote peace, justice, interfaith dialogue and reconciliation in the Holy Land by removing the causes of suffering and replacing despair with hope, fear with human security and humiliation with dignity.
• We undertake specific projects designed to empower Arab Christians and advance better living conditions in the Holy Land. Projects focus on creating economic opportunities, advancing education, building and renovating houses and developing the healthy growth of children.
“Let us work together to replace despair with HOPE, fear with HUMAN SECURITY, and humiliation with DIGNITY”
