FUM Leads Pastoral Care Team to Middle East

In the last issue of the e-news, I shared about the recent FUM-sponsored pastoral care visit to Ramallah and Brummana Friends Schools in the Middle East. The purpose of the trip was to provide a ministry of presence to Friends Schools and communities that have experienced the ongoing fears of war and regional conflicts.

During our time in the West Bank, we had the opportunity to visit with three pastors: two who spiritually support Christian congregations and one who leads a university in Bethlehem. With ongoing military strikes on Gaza, persistent IDF operations, and settler violence in the West Bank, the faith leaders spoke about the pervasive trauma and grief that engulfed their society.

This trauma manifests in various ways. Directly, families face the anguish of lost loved ones in Gaza, witness the destruction of homes, and experience the ever-present threat of violence and displacement in the West Bank. One faith leader said, “We are not suffering from PTSD, but OTSD (Ongoing Traumatic Stress Disorder).”

Our students and staff at Ramallah Friends School are not immune from these stresses. We learned that one of our teachers lost eighteen members of her family in Gaza. Another teacher’s husband and children are stuck in Gaza. Witnessing or hearing about such intense violence and instability, and persistent exposure to news of suffering, leads to a profound sense of helplessness and anxiety.

Ramallah Friends School is responding by providing our students and staff with a sense of stability and normalcy. Despite the circumstances, students participate in sports activities, music programs, art classes, and even a model United Nations. A highlight for our team was listening to students present the results of a “Cultural Mapping Project.” The project explored the histories, the people, and highlighted the cultural distinctiveness of villages near Ramallah.

The school is also introducing a series of well-being priorities to help the community respond to stress or have a break from the chaos. This has included having a comedian visit campus, hosting a session with motivational speaking, teaching breathing techniques, and providing training in Alternatives to Violence.  During our visit, the team had the opportunity to facilitate the chapel gatherings at both the upper and lower campuses. Maintaining the chapel offers our students a sense of spiritual grounding.

Ramallah Friends School has also increased its counseling programs. Students have opportunities to meet with counselors to express their feelings and receive guidance and comfort.

Our pastoral team could not resolve the stress we witnessed. At times we could only sit in silence, share tears, and assure the members of the RFS community they were being heard. In these simple ways, we sought to remind our Palestinian friends of a God who “knows their pain and carries their sorrows.”

—Kelly Kellum

General Secretary, Friends United Meeting