The history of the Good Friday Offering reaches back to 1922 when, in the aftermath of World War I, The Episcopal Church sought to create new relationships with and among the Christians of the Middle East. From these initial efforts which focused on a combination of relief work and the improvement of ecumenical and Anglican relations, the Good Friday Offering was created.
Through the years many Episcopalians have found the Good Friday Offering to be an effective way to express their support for the ministries of the three dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Pastoral care, education and health care continue to be primary ministries through which the reconciling spirit of the Christian faith serves all in need. Participation in this ministry is welcome. The generous donations of Episcopalians help the Christian presence in the Land of the Holy One to be a vital and effective force for peace and understanding among all of God’s children.
For 103 years, Episcopalians have generously shared their love, compassion, and financial gifts to support the ministry of the Anglican Communion Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. These gifts have made an astounding difference in the lives of many people in the homeland of Jesus and beyond. Check out our history of the Good Friday Offering to learn more about this life-changing ministry.
This year, join the Good Friday Offering:
READ the presiding bishop’s letter.
We do not know what the political future of the Holy Land will be; but whatever that future, our siblings in Christ in The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East will continue to serve God’s people through their congregations, hospitals, schools, orphanages, and humanitarian aid programs. These vital ministries serve people of all faiths without distinction, bearing witness to the power of hope and healing across divides.
Read the whole letter here.
LEARN about the places impacted by your donations.
By supporting life-giving ministries in the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, including St. George’s, Baghdad; the eye clinic in Ras Morbat, Yemen; the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza; and numerous other institutions identified by their dioceses, you are ensuring that our siblings in Christ are not forgotten.
- Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City provides critical medical care to all people, in peacetime and wartime alike.
- St. George’s is the only Anglican church in Iraq, serving local Indigenous communities and displaced people through worship, schools, and medical care.
- Christ Church in Aden, Yemen, serves as the grounds of Ras Morbat Eye Clinic, providing critical medical care for all in a war-torn country.
- The Christian National Kindergarten at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Nablus, in the West Bank, provides high-quality early education to all kindergartners, regardless of religion.
WATCH the Good Friday Offering concert online.
Watch an encore presentation of the Good Friday Offering concert of sacred music, created at Christ and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Norfolk, in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, and streaming on episcopalchurch.org and our social media channels on Good Friday, April 18. During the concert, our invited guests will speak about the lifesaving work supported by the Good Friday Offering.
GIVE generously to ministries that make a substantial difference in the lives of our siblings in the Middle East.
Please make a gift to the Good Friday Offering in one of the following ways:
- Click here to give securely on this page.
- To give via phone or for gifts of stock, call (212) 716-6002.
- Send check to:
The Episcopal Church (DFMS)
P.O. Box 958983
St. Louis, MO 63195-8983
Make your check payable to The Episcopal Church with “Good Friday Offering” in the memo field.
Thank you. The Good Friday Offering affirms the dignity of the poor, the war-torn, and those in desperate need as God’s ministry is done. Thank you for spreading hope’s message through your gifts and prayers.
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