Monday, November 21, 2011

Shepherd's Scouts of Beit Sahour Organize "Freedom Marathon"

Here's an uplifting story from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).

Shepherd's Scouts of Beit Sahour Organize "Freedom Marathon"

JERUSALEM, 30 October 2011 – Earlier this month the Shepherd’s Scout group of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour invited their community to come out, come together, and run, bringing back to life a long-standing tradition of ‘town marathons’—races that traverse the streets (and hills) of the small West Bank community of Beit Sahour.

Generations of Beit Sahourians have grown up watching and participating in races like this, but due to lack of funding, town races had not occurred for the last few years.
And so, the young leaders of the Shepherd’s Scout group decided to take on this year’s planning, preparation, and execution themselves.  “We are capable of organizing such an event,” the youth said, “and we will prove it to the community.”

The youth decided to call their race the “Freedom Marathon” to inspire the community to continue along the long path toward peace, justice, security, and freedom for Palestine and Israel.

The enthusiasm of the youth was so infectious that soon the Beit Sahour municipality, many local organizations, and the community at large were eager to support and to be a part of the upcoming event.

More than four months of preparation and countless hours of work later, it was a joy for these young leaders to see 380 participants line up to run and countless more community members turn out to cheer on the runners and join in the festivities.

See the complete story are this link.

Visit the website of the ELCJHL to read about other recent events, to browse photos, or learn about the mission and ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

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