This year, more than 10,000 children look forward to Christmas for Refugees events in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, and Bethlehem in the West Bank. As the Christian population is persecuted and continues to decrease in these areas, Christian parents find comfort in having a place where their children can be well taken care of and be in an environment of faith. (religiousfreedomcoalition.org)
Bethlehem Remembered
Christmas tradition brings hope to Christian families in the birthplace of Jesus
Minister William J. Murray has been at the forefront of social conservatism for more than four decades. This man, who was raised by atheist and Marxist leader Madalyn Murray O’Hair, has dedicated more than half of his life to informing the American public about the persecution of Christians around the world. Through his work with the Religious Freedom Coalition, he advocates for religious freedom in places where Jesus followers are oppressed.
Bethlehem, located in the West Bank, is a focus of the Religious Freedom Coalition, especially at Christmastime. The city, six miles south of Jerusalem, has been under Palestinian Authority since December 1995, which has resulted in great poverty for Christians, according to William.
He has been working with downtrodden Christians in Bethlehem for 40 years, watching the situation continue to worsen. In 1995 under the Oslo Accord, the city was handed over to the Palestinian Authority. William said things were bad under Israeli rule, however, under the Muslim majority government, he said things have deteriorated very rapidly.
“The most important thing Americans need to understand is that under the Palestinian Authority, Christians in Bethlehem don’t get relief supplies,” he explained. “It’s because of this that Christians have such a high unemployment rate. Because of the ongoing war in the region, tourism has completely collapsed. Food aid is not only necessary, but it’s critical.”
Because the area is under an international spotlight, the kind of pressure Christians are going through is considered “soft.”
“There are no weapons, beatings, etc,” William said. “But bank rates are discriminatory. Since feeding programs are under the U.N., the goods come in and the World Food Program distributes to the 1 million Palestinians first, as Muslims distribute the food. Although we do know there have been Christians who have been murdered, it’s more of a system of deprivation.”
The organization used to provide a Christian Christmas Program, but now aid has increased to the entire family. There are Christmas hymns, prayer, Christmas games, and even a Nativity Play as part of the program.
“It’s a large event where hundreds of children come. We provide them with hoodies that have a scripture on them, because the area can get quite cold. Then, we have a Christian marching band, different programs, and they get a hot meal while they are there,” William said. Christmas for Refugees is a spiritual event for the children to reinforce their faith in the Lord, and to enjoy the day, with everything else going on around them, with food to take home to their families.”
William explained that the organization has staff based there to handle all the arrangements.
“I used to go there every year, but since the war, it has made it impossible to get through,” William said. “The Allenby Bridge, the only way in, is only open sporadically due to security concerns with Israel. It has made it impossible for me to get into the area now.”
But God …
“The event will still go on this year, just as it has in years past; however…we buy everything on site to help the economy. We get wholesale pricing, and buying locally means that we know the supplies will go directly to those Christians we want to serve,” William said. “Thankfully, there is still enough of a Christian business infrastructure to handle our requests. Hotels can still serve the meals, people can provide storage of items we purchase, and we are even able to purchase much-needed adult diapers locally. Because of this, our monies go a lot further.”
Do you want to be a part of this vital, Christmas-season pilgrimage of food, gifts, clothes, and Christian biblical encouragement for those under persecution in the birthplace of Jesus? To offer help and support, visit religiousfreedomcoalition.org/Christmas-for-refugees-bethlehem.
William J. Murray has appeared on most of the major news outlets, both television and radio. He also speaks at conferences and church events each year. He is the author of seven books, including his best-selling autobiography, “My Life Without God,” which detailed his childhood under the authority of a mother whose hatred for God led to a lawsuit ultimately removing prayer and Bible reading from public schools in 1962.
