Greetings!

Fall Greetings from Bethlehem!
 
We are entering a busy time of harvest here in Bethlehem! We pray for the blessing of this harvest time for you as well! 
 
October and November are special months for us here in Palestine. Our annual olive harvest is currently underway, and we wanted to highlight how the harvest and the fruit are used in our society. Check out the infographic as well as the Holy Land Tales section to read more! 
 
The Global Leadership Summit (GLS) was held on October 26-27th here at BethBC for the fourth year in a row! We were pleased with the input and direction given by the speakers as well as the participation of those in and around the Bethlehem area and abroad. 
 
You'll also want to get to know our Dean of Students, Shireen Hilal, as she shares her heart for students, women and the community. She is instrumental in coordinating activities with students and the community, which you'll also see includes donations of school bags for children who can't afford them. 
 
We thank you again for investing in the planting, maintaining and harvesting of the Kingdom here in Bethlehem!
 
Rev. Dr. Jack Sara
President
Bethlehem Bible College
For two days this October, Bethlehem Bible College’s staff, students and faculty joined efforts and worked diligently to host, for the 4th time, the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) in Bethlehem. Started by renowned pastor Bill Hybels, the GLS is a two-day leadership event telecast LIVE in HD from Willow Creek’s campus near Chicago to hundreds of locations in North America and to 675+ sites in 125 countries.

Last month, a group of Bethlehem Bible College graduates collected school bags and distributed them to needy students in nearby villages.
Berta Shomali, a Biblical Studies graduate of BethBC, shared with us, “As usual, my friends, Ghaida Rishmawi, Ala Khair and I met together, and during our conversation we suggested to brainstorm about something that we can do to serve others – something we learned during our years of studying at the college. 

“No one looks at an olive tree and asks why it hides its fruit. It blossoms when it’s ready and under the right conditions.”
― Sadiqua Hamdan, Palestinian Women: Rising Above Limitations, Expectations & Conditions.

October is a month of life, harvest and land. We, as Palestinians, celebrate harvesting olive trees – the trees we have been taking care of the whole previous year! For those who don’t know, we are so connected to our land, especially our olive trees. Similar to an olive tree, we stand deeply rooted, we blossom and bear fruit for the people of this land.

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In our olive harvesting season; here is a delicious meal made with olive oil and a lot of love.
  • Pray for those battling breast cancer.
  • Pray for Rohingya refugees and our outreach to them.
  • Pray for the family of Elja Anthonissen.
  • Pray for the GLS and its effect on our local community.