One Community Church in Blackburn was the venue for the 2012 Nazareth Workparty reunion dinner, a celebration of the 10 Nazareth Workparty run since 1986 as well as the 150 anniversary of the Nazareth Hospital.

The Nazareth Workparties aimed at providing practical assistance to the Nazareth Hospital in Israel where Islamic, Christian and Jewish health care workers provide an example of reconciliation in a land where much is needed.

“In Nazareth, the work of Australian teams of Christian volunteers is valued greatly by the local people, and the work each team does helps in the cause of reaching out to needy and disadvantaged.” (Dr Paul Kitchen – leader of 9 Nazareth Workparties).

The aim of the dinner was to raise funds for the building of a desperately needed updated mortuary at the hospital that will serve the needs of the historic town of Nazareth.

I was given the honour of being the master of ceremonies on this night and enjoyed sharing the stage with my sister Lisa Mason and my mother Rev Merrill Kitchen to presented some images from their recent visit to the hospital. The following video was taken by Lisa to show some of the areas of the hospital that have been attended to by the 10 workparties.

Lisa Mason presenting at the fundraising dinner