This week, we are giving thanks for the invaluable contributions of all those who volunteer for Embrace. We are also reflecting on some verses in Ephesians, which exhort us to ‘walk in the way of love’.

Just as this Palestinian village was a place of refuge for Jesus and his disciples, the small clinic we support there is a place of safety and hope today.

We’re learning about a joyful project in Dbayeh refugee camp, where women are learning to create beautiful and useful products from recyclable materials. We’re also reflecting on Psalm 24, rejoicing in God’s care for the whole of his creation.

This week, we’re learning about the work of an Embrace partner among children with autism in Egypt. We’re also reflecting on what Christian love looks like.

As troubling events continue to unfold in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank please join us in praying for a swift de-escalation to the violence and for peace to prevail.

This week we’re praying for an organic community farming project in northern Lebanon, which is providing fresh produce for food-insecure families. We’re also considering Jesus’ words about the harvest being plentiful and the workers being few.

I ask for your prayers for those souls we have lost and the severely injured. What was to be a time of joy has now turned into a whole community into mourning and deep shock.

This week we’re delighted to welcome a guest writer - Fr. Antoine Al Ahmar, Head of the Theological Department at the Middle East Council of Churches. Fr. Antoine invites us to reflect on Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan, with a particular emphasis on the challenge to ‘go and do likewise’.

This week we’re praying for our partner, Aviv Ministry, in Tel Aviv. We’re learning about the ways they serve people living on the streets of south Tel Aviv and we’re challenging ourselves to think about what it means to walk in mercy.

As violence once again escalates in the Holy Land, join us as we lift our voices in a prayer for peace and justice in this divided land.

The escalation of violence in Gaza and Southern Israel this week has left parents on both sides of the conflict fearing for the safety and future of their children. Please pray for these families and for leaders who share a vision for a beautiful future for all children in the land.

This week, join us in praying for the Notre Dame School in Beirut - a uniquely inclusive school that focuses on each child’s individual needs.

This week, we’re praying for the Pontifical Mission for Palestine as they provide transformational careers guidance for young people in East Jerusalem.

We pray for those affected by the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

This week we’re praying for people living with chronic diseases in the West Bank - and asking how God can use us to transform our broken world.

This week we’re praying for young people in a majority-Christian Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon - and reflecting on the importance of education.

This week we’re praying for BLESS in Egypt, the social development arm of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

This week we’re praying for our partner, the Middle East Council of Churches, which runs a women’s empowerment project in Lebanon that helps women improve their employment prospects through training classes.

This week we’re praying for our partner, the Harpur Memorial Hospital in Egypt, which runs a nurse training programme to ensure professional standards and excellent patient care.

This week we’re praying for our partner, the Al Kafaàt Foundation, a humanitarian organisation that runs educational, vocational, medical and residential programmes in Lebanon.