When Anglicans across Canada celebrate the third annual Jerusalem Sunday May 8, they will be able to share their experiences on social media via an official Jerusalem Sunday Facebook page and a new Twitter hashtag, #JerusalemSunday, which are in the works, says Andrea Mann, director of global relations for the Anglican Church of Canada.
“We’re trying to continue to offer a breadth of resources for people that want to enter into this work where they feel most comfortable,” she said. “We’re hoping to not only increase participation, but hear back from people [about] what was exciting about it.”
Resources that were available for previous Jerusalem Sundays will also be updated, Mann said, including new exegetical notes for preachers who want to integrate their celebration of Jerusalem Sunday with the day’s lectionary readings, and new pew resources such as bulletin covers.
The websites promoting Jerusalem Sunday and the Canadian Companions of the Episcopal diocese of Jerusalem will also be given a facelift, which Mann hopes will make it easier for interested parishes and individuals to download resources.
The 2013 General Synod approved the celebration of Jerusalem Sunday, every year on the Sunday after Ascension Day, as a way of bringing the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem closer, both on the national and the local level. But Mann stressed that it also provides an avenue for more tangible support.
“Jerusalem Sunday is not only an opportunity for prayer and worship and study, but also a special offering, a financial offering that will go toward the medical ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem,” she said, noting that the diocese supports many health-care initiatives, not only in the West Bank and Gaza but also in Lebanon, Jordan and Israel.
