St.
George Greek Orthodox Church of Taybeh in cooperation with
the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Norfolk,
Virginia has established an endowment education fund
to help Palestinian Christian families meet tuition
needs in local universities
in Palestine.
The endowment fund was established in 2006 through
the tireless fundraising work of Dr. Maria (Kouremenou)
Khoury. She is the author of Orthodox Christian children's
books including Christina Goes
to the Holy Land walking
the footsteps of Christ. She is a graduate of Hellenic
College (l982), Harvard University (l985) and Boston
University (l992)
with a doctor of education degree. Born in Tripoli,
Greece, she was raised in Denver, Colorado.
The Christian community of Taybeh is isolated and the
only 100% Christian village left now in the West Bank;
your help is greatly needed . Out of
the four million Palestinians living in Palestine, less
than 2% are Christian and it is difficult to maintain
an Orthodox Christian presence in such a
sacred land where our Lord and Savior was born, crucified and
resurrected.
The Taybeh Education Fund will help maintain the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
The Education Fund Objectives are:
- To raise money for an invested endowment fund to generate full or partial tuition payments each year for students of St. George Greek Orthodox Church.
- To help educate young Palestinian Christians at local universities.
- To sustain the Christian community in the Holy Land by helping with their basic needs for education.
- To foster better job opportunities locally.
- To help contribute to economic growth.
Click here to view the Education Fund Brochure.
You Can Help Educate Students in the Land of Christ’s Holy Resurrection by Donating to the Education Fund.
Make checks payable to:
Annunciation Cathedral - Holy Land
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
7220 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23505
For more Information:
Phone: (757) 440-0500 Fax: (757) 423-6929
Email: churchadmin@cavtel.net
Taybeh Education Fund Choices
Tuition assistance for Taybeh Students could include payments directly to the following institutions once a form of payment is verified with the specific institution. Other local institutions of higher education in Palestine could be considered by the Advisory Board of the Taybeh Education Fund, if they are not listed.
Click here to view a list of Universities and Vocational Centers of Higher Education in Palestine.
Who is Our Sister Parish
The Christian village of Taybeh has the Biblical name Ephraim (see John 11:54), and you will see Ephraim on the Biblical maps included in many Bibles. The village is situated on Mount Asur, and on a clear day you can see the Dead Sea, the Jordan valley and Jerusalem.
Our Sister Parish in Taybeh is St. George's Greek Orthodox Church, rebuilt in
1929. The original St. George's Church, was built by Saints Constantine and
Helen during the fourth century. You can still visit the ruins of this original
Church, the first one in the Holy Land to be named for the patron saint
Saint George.
Saint George is celebrated on April 23. This truly great and glorious Martyr
of Christ, was born of a father from Cappadocia and a mother from Palestine.
Being a military tribune, or chiliarch (that is, a commander of a thousand
troops), he was illustrious in battle and highly honoured for his courage.
When he learned that the Emperor Diocletian was preparing a persecution of the
Christians, Saint George presented himself publicly before the Emperor and
denounced him. When threats and promises could not move him from his steadfast confession, he was put to unheard-of tortures, which he endured with great
bravery, overcoming them by his faith and love towards Christ. By the wondrous
signs that took place in his contest, he guided many to the knowledge of the
truth, including Queen Alexandra, wife of Diocletian, and was finally beheaded
in 296 in Nicomedia. (Courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery)
Dr. Maria Khoury Thanks Annunciation
After a recent visit in Norfolk, Dr. Maria Khoury sent a letter of thanks and appreciation to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
Click here to read the entire letter.
Dr. Khoury is currently a volunteer at St.
George Greek Orthodox Church of Taybeh, Palestine,
fundraising for
a housing project to help sustain the small
Christian community. She has also spent three
years training teachers in new classroom strategies
in the Latin Patriarchate Schools throughout
Palestine. She served as the only female principal
at the Friends Boys School of Ramallah (l996)
and has worked closely with church leaders
in Jerusalem as a consultant for the World
Council of Churches (2004). She serves on the
Advisory Council of World Vision Jerusalem,
the Palestinian Center for Alternative Solutions
and another non-government organization called
Jehud promoting peace education; She was a
speaker at the International Bishops' Conference
at Bethlehem University (January 2004) and
many churches throughout the United States.
To hear Dr. Khoury's half-hour interview program
about the Christian presence in Palestine, broadcasted
on October 14, 2007, please visit St.
George Greek Orthodox Church of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Annunciation Cathedral Adopts Sister Parish
July 24, 2006 - Annunciation Cathedral Adopts Sister Parish in Taybeh.
At the July Parish Council meeting, the Council voted unanimously upon the recommendation of Father Seraphim Poulos that we adopt the Palestinian Orthodox Christian community of Taybey in Palestine as our "Sister Parish". Dr. Maria Khoury who works tirelessly there for the Christian
community was deeply moved when she was informed of our adoption program.
