COFFEE HOUR AT THE COMMONS
  • Home
  • About
  • Episodes
    • Season 1 >
      • Episode 0
      • Episode 1
      • Episode 2
      • Episode 3
      • Episode 4
      • Episode 5
      • Episode 6
      • Episode 7
      • Episode 8
      • Episode 9
      • Episode 10
      • Episode 11
      • Episode 12
      • Episode 13
      • Episode 14
      • Episode 15
    • Season 2 >
      • Episode 16
      • Episode 17
      • Episode 18
      • Episode 19
      • Episode 20
      • Episode 21
      • Episode 22
      • Episode 23
      • Episode 24
      • Episode 25
      • Episode 26
      • Episode 27
      • Episode 28
      • Episode 29
    • Season 3 >
      • Episode 30
      • Episode 31
      • Episode 32
      • Episode 33
      • Episode 34
      • Episode 35
      • Episode 36
      • Episode 37
      • Episode 38
      • Episode 39
      • Episode 40
      • Episode 41
      • Episode 42
      • Episode 43
      • Episode 44
    • Season 4 >
      • Episode 45
      • Episode 46
      • Episode 47
      • Episode 48
      • Episode 49
      • Episode 50
      • Episode 51
      • Episode 52
      • Episode 53
      • Episode 54
      • Episode 55
      • Episode 56
      • Episode 57
      • Episode 58
    • Season 5 >
      • Episode 59
      • Episode 60
      • Episode 61
      • Episode 62
      • Episode 63
      • Episode 64
      • Episode 65
      • Episode 66
      • Episode 67
      • Episode 68
      • Episode 69
      • Episode 70
      • Episode 71
      • Episode 72
    • Season 6 >
      • Episode 73
      • Episode 74
      • Episode 75
      • Episode 76
      • Episode 77
      • Episode 78
      • Episode 79
      • Episode 80
      • Episode 81
      • Episode 82
    • Season 7 >
      • Episode 83
      • Episode 84
      • Episode 85
      • Episode 86
      • Episode 87
      • Episode 88
  • Contact

Episode 25: AFEDJ: Building Hope in the Holy Land

Today we sat down with two people who work for a Connecticut-based organization that works across The Episcopal Church, the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, AFEDJ. These were John Lent, AFEDJ's executive director, and Heidi Shott, their communication director.
​
John was appointed in June 2018 after serving as deputy director since 2016, then acting executive director after Anne Lynn retired in January 2018.John is an experienced non-profit, education and corporate leader who started his career as a teacher and worked in educational publishing for many years. He served as Executive Director of a national non-profit that recruits and trains school leaders in partnership with many of the largest urban school districts in the country and previously served as COO of an educational technology company. John is active in his Episcopal parish, where he has served in numerous leadership roles.

Picture
Heidi is AFEDJ's first communications director. She came on board in September 2018 and credits her three trips to the Diocese of Jerusalem over the past two years as playing a key role in discerning her call to work for them. Before her current gig, she served for 10 years as Canon for Communication and Advocacy in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, and before that, she was the communications director for a statewide community development loan fund. Heidi is a popular, award-winning writer whose news stories and features about the church and essays about faith in daily life have appeared in Episcopal Cafe, Episcopal Life, The Witness, Trinity (Wall Street) News, and other publications.

Our conversation started with an explanation of AEFDJ, its founding (in 1988) and its clear mission to raise money and awareness and support in the United States of the 30 humanitarian institutions in the Diocese of Jerusalem- which stretches across five countries -- and include schools, full-service hospitals, medical clinics, and centers for children with disabilities. There are only 5500 members and 27 parishes in the entire Diocese of Jerusalem. The institutions are open to and serve people of all faiths.

The institutions offer high quality care and education and while they don't proselytize, they operate on Christian values, said John and Heidi, which they said include treating people with dignity and respect, and teaching acceptance, love, tolerance, and reconciliation.
We also talked about their fundraising and some projects (including one right now to raise money for an ambulance). Later, they talked about how they were each drawn into working for AFEDJ, based on their experiences in the Holy Land and awareness of the tiny but important Christian population there.

They feel safe when they travel there, each said, and talked about additional on-the-ground realities such as how travel restrictions, or access to electricity, impacts the institutions. Pilgrimage is essential, said John, for the spiritual experience of visiting the holy sites as well as learning about life there; Heidi added the importance of experiencing their hospitality and hope.

We ended with John and Heidi sharing how this work for AFEDJ has had an impact on their spiritual lives.
​
There's lots more information about the organization at their website, afedj.org. including a link to sign up for their newsletters, and a list of some upcoming pilgrimages. The bishops of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, with ECCT’s “Holy Landers” Ministry Network, are also leading a pilgrimage June 9-19, 2019. More info including a video and registration form here.

You can find this episode and others on our website coffeehour.org. Be sure to like us on Facebook, and give us a follow on Instagram and Twitter. ​

In Christ and Coffee,
Karin & Alli

SUBSCRIBE:

SPOTIFY
apple podcast
PODBEAN
RSS feed
STITCHER
​
@coffeehourpod
© COPYRIGHT 2020 ​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
  • Episodes
    • Season 1 >
      • Episode 0
      • Episode 1
      • Episode 2
      • Episode 3
      • Episode 4
      • Episode 5
      • Episode 6
      • Episode 7
      • Episode 8
      • Episode 9
      • Episode 10
      • Episode 11
      • Episode 12
      • Episode 13
      • Episode 14
      • Episode 15
    • Season 2 >
      • Episode 16
      • Episode 17
      • Episode 18
      • Episode 19
      • Episode 20
      • Episode 21
      • Episode 22
      • Episode 23
      • Episode 24
      • Episode 25
      • Episode 26
      • Episode 27
      • Episode 28
      • Episode 29
    • Season 3 >
      • Episode 30
      • Episode 31
      • Episode 32
      • Episode 33
      • Episode 34
      • Episode 35
      • Episode 36
      • Episode 37
      • Episode 38
      • Episode 39
      • Episode 40
      • Episode 41
      • Episode 42
      • Episode 43
      • Episode 44
    • Season 4 >
      • Episode 45
      • Episode 46
      • Episode 47
      • Episode 48
      • Episode 49
      • Episode 50
      • Episode 51
      • Episode 52
      • Episode 53
      • Episode 54
      • Episode 55
      • Episode 56
      • Episode 57
      • Episode 58
    • Season 5 >
      • Episode 59
      • Episode 60
      • Episode 61
      • Episode 62
      • Episode 63
      • Episode 64
      • Episode 65
      • Episode 66
      • Episode 67
      • Episode 68
      • Episode 69
      • Episode 70
      • Episode 71
      • Episode 72
    • Season 6 >
      • Episode 73
      • Episode 74
      • Episode 75
      • Episode 76
      • Episode 77
      • Episode 78
      • Episode 79
      • Episode 80
      • Episode 81
      • Episode 82
    • Season 7 >
      • Episode 83
      • Episode 84
      • Episode 85
      • Episode 86
      • Episode 87
      • Episode 88
  • Contact