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About the Work

The Christian HolyLand Foundation, Inc. (CHLF) is an independent organization formed in the early 1980s for the purpose of sharing the Gospel message in the Holy Land. For more than 20 years that mission was carried out through our affiliation with George Awwad, a Christian Arab minister living in East Jerusalem. Following George's unexpected death in 2003 CHLF looked for two years for someONE to continue the work. When God brought us together with an already existing Team of couples in the Galilee, it was clear that it was time for a period of significant growth in the ministry.

As a 501(c)3 charitable organization under the tax code of the United States, contributions are tax deductible. The governing structure of the Foundation includes the American Advisory Committee which is made up of supporters from around the United States, and the Executive Committee which is made up primarily of ministers and church leaders from the US and the Middle East.

The Executive Committee directs the policies and budgets of the organization's operations, and the American Advisory Committee provides input from local churches and helps establish new contacts and opportunities for prayer and financial support. The men and women on these committees traditionally are leaders within Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. They are elected at the annual meetings that generally coincides with the National Missionary Convention, another independent organization of like-minded Christians working to reach the world for the Christ.

Financial support for CHLF ministry initiatives comes primarily from individuals and churches traditionally associated with the non-denominational Restoration Movement that began in the United States around 1800. That support is voluntary and is determined by each of the churches individually.

While there is no single Statement of Faith for the thousands of Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ around the world, an early expression of the movement is still used by many of the churches:

Where the Scriptures speak, we speak;
and where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.
In essentials unity, in opinions liberty, and in all things love.
No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible,
no plea but the gospel, and no name but the divine.

Basic tenets of the Faith that would be common among these churches, and which CHLF embraces, include:

• The unity of Believers.

• The authority of the Scriptures.

• The deity and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.

• The Triune God--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

• Salvation is a gift from God through His Son, Jesus; not through works.

• Complete obedience includes submission to the Father through baptism by immersion.

• Confidence that the Son will return to gather His church, and of an eternity with our heavenly Father.

Additionally, a number of individuals and churches holding similar beliefs but raised from other backgrounds have supported and do support the work of CHLF.

As part of implementing the CHLF Mission Statement, it is a significant task of the organization to educate American Christians about the struggles and opportunities for Kingdom building within the Arab-Israeli communities.

CHLF is non-political in its approach, focusing on the ministries that are leading Believers into deeper relationships with their Lord and welcoming converts that respond to the Gospel message that is taught from pulpits and from the lifestyle modeling and the small group approach of our Team of native Galileans.

CHLF avoids eschatological (end-time) debates because of the divisive history these issues have had between Believers in the Holy Land and Christians in other parts of the world, particularly the United States. We are not Christian Zionists, as some American evangelicals have been identified; we are simply Believers in the teachings and the person of our Lord Jesus Christ and are reaching out to our brothers and sisters in Israel and beyond to help them as they respond to Christ's charge to teach and make disciples.

All monies received by the Christian HolyLand Foundation are used in direct ministry through a registered non-profit organization--or Amuta--in Israel with a small portion allocated to the task of awareness education and fundraising to support their work; we do not accept applications for grants for any other purpose. Our only US employee works out of his home, so administrative costs can be kept to a minimum.