The Diocese of Jerusalem operates four healthcare institutions in some of the most difficult and conflict scourged environments in the region, providing care and services for more than 50,000 patients every year. These patients span all ages, from conception to the end of life, receiving comprehensive services from routine checkups to the most complicated and sophisticated surgical procedures.

Common to all the institutions and varied services is one overriding commitment: to provide the best care possible to anyone who needs it, regardless of age, gender, religion, political affiliation, or ability to pay. The Colorado Episcopal Foundation invited all the churches in our Diocese to raise funds to add to the $7,000 the Foundation budgeted for the Millennium Development Goals.

More than one billion people – 1/6 of the world’s population – live in extreme poverty. The dimensions of human poverty go beyond income: pandemic disease, widespread conflict, environmental degradation, chronic hunger, and a lack of access to education are all both causes and effects.

A total of 189 countries began the new century by signing the Millennium Declaration, pledging a massive global mobilization to cut poverty in half by 2015. Out of this historic covenant came eight measurable goals known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The 74th General Convention adopted Resolution D-006 in support of the MDG’s. It calls us to contribute at least 0.7% of our budgets to support programs that foster economic development in the world’s poorest countries. In order to help achieve that goal please support the More than a Match initiative. Thank you for all you do.