Behind the BibleLands Bethlehem carol sheet

Over the past fifty-two years, the Bethlehem Carol Sheet has become a firm favourite with churches and carol singers alike, its pictures of smiling children now an established feature of Christmas celebrations throughout the UK. Behind the pictures, however, are the stories of lives that have been transformed by the work of BibleLands, the High Wycombe-based Christian charity which, through its local Project Partners in Israel and the Occupied Territories, Lebanon and Egypt, puts the love of Christ into action every day of every year.

Shown in this year's Bethlehem Carol Sheet are children from the Helen Keller Centre for the Visually Impaired in Jerusalem, a project that epitomises BibleLands’ philosophy of offering hope to those in need, whatever their religious background. Led by Suad Younan, a Palestinian Christian and Israeli citizen, the Centre is a beacon of excellence in caring for visually impaired children in a supportive environment of love and peace.
Located on the main road between Jerusalem and Ramallah, the Centre's work continues in the face of great challenges caused by the unstable political situation and a checkpoint just a few metres from its front gates. Travel is restricted and the students do not know from day to day whether they will be able to reach their school.  In spite of this, Mrs Younan and her staff are determined to continue providing teaching and training to the visually impaired children in their care.

Instability and violence also affect some of BibleLands' Project Partners in Lebanon, where the infrastructure is still recovering from many years of civil war and where recent assassinations have once again destabilised the country.
Beit-el-Nour is a social care project working with teenagers whose lives have been damaged by abuse and who have fallen into petty crime. One of its key areas of work is a centre providing rehabilitation, training and shelter to these vulnerable young people, situated in a Christian suburb of Beirut that has suffered regular bomb explosions in the past year.

Beit-El-Nour's Director, Robert Caracache, says: ‘We have to keep going on with our “normal life”, relying on God as we did during the tragic years of the Lebanese civil war.’ In the midst of this difficult situation, Beit-el-Nour reaches out to help members of Lebanon's next generation overcome the negative experiences of their early lives.
In Egypt, the  Anglican Diocese of Egypt Social Work Board administers, with BibleLands' support, a range of social projects, both with the indigenous Egyptian population and with refugees fleeing persecution in Sudan. Representing a small section of the few Christians in a country with a Muslim majority, the Diocese's work is not so much focused on overt evangelism as on service, showing the love of Christ through the provision of schools, medical care facilities, vocational training for deaf people and a day centre for elderly widows.

BibleLands has supported ongoing vital work 'on the ground' in the Middle East for more than 150 years. The region's volatile political situation is frequently in the news, but sometimes the  poverty and disadvantage faced by many innocent people is less reported. BibleLands seeks to look beyond the political issues and beyond religious divisions by offering healing and hope to those in the greatest need.

By using the Bethlehem Carol Sheet, you can help to support the work of BibleLands' Project Partners..
Copies of the 52nd Edition of the Bethlehem Carol Sheet are available from BibleLands Trading on 01234 740000 or can be ordered at www.biblelands.org.uk.

To find out more about  BibleLands and its Project Partners, please call 01494 897950 or email info@biblelands.org.uk.

Caroline Rance works for BibleLands in High Wycombe.