In this edition of Sanctuary I produced for Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries, we meet the Alkhoury family, and take a closer look at growing evidence of widespread persecution of religious minorities, as well as efforts by faith communities here in Chicago, the United States government, and the United Nations to find ways to support and protect some of the worlds most vulnerable people.

The post Modern Christian Martyrs appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Isak Abu Sbieh is a Palestinian dialysis patient at the Lutheran World Federation‘s Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in East Jerusalem. Abu Sbieh lives in Kafr Aqb, an Arab village just beyond the Kalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem. Three times a week Abu Sbieh must pass back and forth through the Kalandia checkpoint on his way to AVH for dialysis.

Kalandia is the main checkpoint between the northern West Bank and Jerusalem. The checkpoint is used by the Israeli military to control Palestinian access to East Jerusalem and Israel. Israel requires Palestinians to have permits to pass through the checkpoint to East Jerusalem and Israel for their work, medical care, education or for religious reasons. Kalandia is only 8 miles from Augusta Victoria Hospital, but the checkpoint process often takes 2-3 hours each way. Without dialysis, Abu Sbieh would perish.

Augusta Victoria Hospital AVH is the first and only hospital to provide radiation therapy for cancer patients in the Palestinian territories and is the only medical facility in the West Bank offering pediatric kidney dialysis.

The Rev. Eric C. Shafer and I recorded this story in February, 2016.

The post LWF Jerusalem Isak Abu Sbieh appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

The Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, extends and invitation for pilgrims to visit the Holy Land to see the living stones.

The post The Living Stones: A Holy Land Invitation from Bishop Younan appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

The post Stations of the Cross appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Sanctuary, Healing in a Holy Land from Tim Frakes on Vimeo.

Augusta Victoria Hospital featured in documentary
By Candice Buchbinder, ELCA News
Augusta Victoria Hospital, located on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, is featured in a documentary, “Healing in a Holy Land,” produced by Frakes Productions. Augusta Victoria is a program of The Lutheran World Federation and supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

In August the ELCA provided $100,000 in humanitarian assistance to help support the operation of the healthcare system in the midst of the recent violence in the Middle East. The funds were disbursed through Lutheran Disaster Response to The Lutheran World Federation, a global communion of 144 churches representing more than 72 million Christians in 79 countries. The ELCA is the communion’s only member church from the United States.
During filming this past April, “the situation in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem was relatively quiet. However, the systemic factors which led up to this summer’s violent confrontations were all in place,” said Tim Frakes of Frakes Productions.
Frakes said his team “observed the many checkpoints and physical barriers which prevent Palestinians from moving freely from their homes to places of business to schools and healthcare facilities.

“We also observed the effects of high unemployment in the West Bank and the strong desire on the part of many Palestinian youth to obtain an education and thus create hope for some kind of sustainable employment.”
In his visits with Gaza patients and their families, Frakes had the opportunity to hear personal stories about the siege of Gaza.

“Augusta Victoria Hospital arranges for Gaza patients to come to East Jerusalem, accompanied by one family member,” said Frakes. “(The hospital) houses these families in a modest hotel on the Mount of Olives. During the day, while patients are receiving treatment, family members are not permitted to venture outside the hotel. Doing so subjects them to arrest and imprisonment. Once the treatment, which often takes several days, is complete, the patient and their family member must get back on a bus and return to Gaza.”

“The documentary is designed to present a stark contrast to the images of war and death by holding up tangible evidence of positive work being done on the behalf of ELCA members,” said Frakes. “The Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem’s Augusta Victoria Hospital is truly ‘God’s work. Our hands.’”

The post Sanctuary, Healing in a Holy Land ELCA News Release appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

The AVH is an important pillar in the Palestinian health system and is widely acknowledged in governmental and church circles for its excellent treatment and care. The hospital recently sent voluntary medical teams to Gaza to help treat the injured in the conflict

Join us for stories of hope, faith and courage.
– George Abu Saadah is alive through kidney dialysis.
– A mobile diabetes clinic takes healthcare into villages.
– A world-class soccer field brings joy to children.
– Red Nose Clown Doctors lift the spirits of children receiving life-saving cancer and kidney treatment.
– Vocational Training in East Jerusalem and Ramallah prepares Palestinian youth for meaningful jobs.

For more information, check out this blog post from the Lutheran World Federation.

The post Healing in a Holy Land: New Broadcast Documentary, ABC7 Chicago appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

This is a video I produced for Mark Brown and the Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem‘s Augusta Victoria Hospital. There is an urgent need for elder care and palliative medicine in Palestine and Israel. Augusta Victoria Hospital is responding to that need by building a 120-bed facility for elder care and palliative care on the east side of the hospital. This facility will help both patients and their families cope with the difficulties of their circumstances.

The post Planned Elder Care Facility at Augusta Victoria Hospital, Jerusalem appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Amidst the conflict and tragedy currently taking place in Gaza, Augusta Victoria Hospital and the Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem continue to provide on-going care for Palestinians. One example is the first mobile diabetes clinic to serve the southern part of Palestine. The mobile clinic is equipped with a diabetes clinic, eye clinic, and a foot care clinic.

The post Augusta Victoria Hospital Mobile Diabetes Clinic appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

This is a video I produced for the Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem and Augusta Victoria Hospital. AVH and the LWF work hard to ensure the rights of patients in the West Bank and Gaza to access health care. Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem provides specialty services that are not available anywhere else in Gaza or the West Bank.

The post Serving Gaza, AVH Efforts to Ensure Access to Healthcare appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

What was once a dusty, rocky, dirt field is now a state-of-the-art soccer pitch with artificial turf and lights that normally stay on late into the night as community clubs and neighborhood children practice and play on the field.

LWF Jerusalem purposely held this video for release on July 7th, to coincide with the beginning of the final week of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brasil. Many of the kids in the video dream of being a great footballer one day. With much sadness, the release of the video also comes at a time of tragedies and heightened tensions in Jerusalem. As if to express the collective grief and frustration of the community, the field has been dark and silent on recent nights.

This is one of a series of videos I produced this year with Mark Brown for The Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem Program.

The post LWF Mount of Olives Sports Field appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.