Diaconal Ministry has always been a component of the ELCJHL, but recently we have been working with international funders and local organizations to centralize our diaconal work with the Diaconal Center. The newly restructured Diaconal Ministry includes our Deaf Ministry program, financial aid to local families (including housing bills, school fee, and medical bills assistance), spiritual counseling, our Ramallah “Meals on Wheels” program, food aid assistance, and community events.
In the future, we hope to work with more local organizations so there is a sustainable and competent system of emergency care that is accessible for community members who need it.
The idea for the restructuring and building of the ELCJHL’s Diaconal Ministry was born out of the deep financial recession currently happening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of tourists that resulted from it. We hope to use the ministry of Jesus to lift the most vulnerable in our community out of poverty and create more sustainable individual and societal solutions for financial, spiritual, and medical crises.