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Founded by the Rev. Elizabeth Knott, 1993
Pal Craftaid
is a proud member
of the Fair Trade Federation
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Greetings!
Greetings from the Pal Craftaid Board. As we wrap up our fiscal year in a few weeks, we're pleased to be sharing this newsletter with you.
The Board met in late April for its annual face to face meeting in Dearborn, MI. This is always an energizing time for us as we review the past year and plan for a new year. Included in this meeting is our annual distribution of gifts from our sales to our partner agencies/organizations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This year we are very happy to share the following gifts:
- $1,000.00 - Arab Orthodox Society
- $5,000.00 - Aid to the Aged
- $500.00 - Sabeel Center Women's Program
- $500.00 - Sabeel Center Youth Program
- $1,000.00 - Atfaluna Society for the Deaf
- $1,000.00 - YWCA of Palestine - Ramallah
- $1,000.00 - YWCA of Palestine - Jericho
- $1,000.00 - YWCA of Palestine - Jerusalem
- $4,000.00 - Rawdat El-Zuhur School
The total of $15,000.00 is $5,000.00 more than last year and we are very grateful for our sales and your donations to support the ministry of Pal Craftaid.
Pal Craftaid was recently the recipient of a grant from the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP). This grant will be used to dramatically update our web page, enable an online sales capacity, enable online donations through Network for Good and update our data base capacity. We are grateful to PHP for this grant that will help us move into the future.
If you will be at the PC(USA) General Assembly in Pittsburgh, June 29 - July 4, or the Presbyterian Women's Churchwide Gathering in Orlando, July 18 - 22, look for the Pal Craftaid area in the Presbyterian Hunger Program's Global Marketplace. It is a good time to look for birthday and holiday gifts that will both provide inspiration and enjoyment - and will enable you to join in Pal Craftaid's work of making a difference in the lives of women and families in Palestine.
Carol Hylkema, President
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Pal Craftaid Makes a Difference...
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In Spreading God's Word
by Carol Hylkema
 Ellen Vallenga and Carol Jones met at a facilitators' training event held by the Reformed Church in America for an interactive approach to children in worship developed by Sonja Stewart called "Young Children and Worship."
Since the early part of the decade, they've been trainers in different regions for this approach to faith formation in young children, which includes a "wondering time" for children's questions, and a "blessing time," as each child leaves worship to be a disciple of God.
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Carol Jones (left) and Ellen Vallenga
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It was Carol who first saw the Pal Craftaid stole - made by women artisans on the West Bank - while she was browsing the booths at the annual meeting of the Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators (APCE) last February in Grand Rapids, Mich. Carol told Ellen she had to go see it for herself, saying, "You're going to love it."
Read Entire Article... |
In Developing Women's Skills
by Connie DePond
 Each stitch in Palestinian embroidery is done by the hand of a woman. There are stories in the designs, many going far back into history. Certain designs are specific to regions within Palestine. And the newer patterns are telling new stories - such as the story of Najwa Karajeh.
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Najwa Karajeh and the Windows of Hope design.
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When Najwa first visited the Melia Shop in Jerusalem's Old City, she was looking for work, and had an idea for a complex wall hanging. No pattern yet existed for what she had in mind, inspired by a photo she'd seen in a magazine that was tossed into the trash in Hebron. Something about the piece stuck with her, so she salvaged it. Once Najwa put her idea on paper, she was able to produce a replicable pattern that others might use.
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In Caring for the Elderly
by Mary Witherspoon
 At the end of June, Pal Craftaid will wrap up a focused funding-raising campaign for Aid to the Aged or ATTA, an organization that ministers to elderly Palestinians who have few resources. For ATTA's clients, the assistance and the warm friendships make all the difference between lonely uncertainty and the knowledge that they are loved and cared for.
ATTA, sponsored by the Arab Orthodox Society, provides physical and emotional care as it builds relationships among the elderly poor in a society that is divided by checkpoints, poor roads and diminished resources and where families are separated by occupation and immigration.
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In Healing Grief
by Sheron Antczak
 One never knows how the Spirit moves amongst us until we see it clearly in a moment of grace. Here, that moment is reflected in a tiny piece of olive wood sculpture, binding together two women's lives - not just in grief - but in healing that grief.
 Not so long ago, a woman came to the Pal Craftaid table at a Presbyterian Women's gathering in Texas, asking for a carving called "Child in the Hand of God," an olive wood piece that depicts a small child cradled in the palm of the much bigger hand. The available sculpture was a boy, but, as she talked, she said that she had lost a little girl 18 months before.
Read Entire Article...
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Your Gifts to Pal Craftaid Are Appreciated
Your donations are used to support Pal Craftaid ministries. To donate online, click the link below.
You may also mail your gift to Pal Craftaid, 520 N. 30th Street, Tacoma, WA 98407. Pal Craftaid operates as a 501(c)(3) organization. Gifts are tax deductible.
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