"Come to him, a living stone though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight and like living stones, let yourselves be build into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices accept- able to God through Jesus Christ" 1 Peter 2:4-5
On an early spring morning some two thousand years ago, the Holy Spirit descended upon a small group of people who were gathered in a room in Jerusalem. It was in this place that those first followers of Jesus became the earliest witnesses to the Gospel of Christ, giving rise to what would become the Church. It was from this place that those witnesses went into the whole world to share the good news of God in Christ Jesus, planting the seeds of the Kingdom of God wherever they journeyed. The descendants of those first Christian witnesses are still to be found here today - whether in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, or elsewhere. They are "living stones" who continue to bear testimony to the power, truth and love of the Gospel, as they have done faithfully and steadfastly throughout the last two millennia in this place of Jesus' birth, ministry, passion and resurrection.
On the occasion of the great Jubilee of the year 2000, the local Christian Community wishes to invite you to their land. They wish to share with you their narrative and their heritage, to help you discover the land in which our common Christian and apostolic faith remains firmly rooted despite all the hardships. We would like you to come and celebrate with us the 2000th anniversary of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to partake in the different activities that will take place through- out the year and to enjoy with us the warmth and hospitality of the Palestinian culture, and the spiritual rich- ness of our Churches. As we greet you all in Christian fellowship, we say Ahlan wa Sahlan - you are most welcome here.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" Acts 1:8
Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem,
President of Pax Christi International,
Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches