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3.
October
2017.
New book: A Week of Prayer in Jerusalem - A Traveller's Tale by Rev. Andy

ADVANCE INFORMATION SHEET

A Week of Prayer in Jerusalem

A Traveller's Tale

By Rev. Andy Roland

***MEET REV. ANDY! Rev Andy will be launching A Week of Prayer in Jerusalem in the Institute of Directors in London from 1800 on October 13th2017. He will also be at the Christian Resources Exhibition, Sandown Park, from 17thto 19thOctober. For press passes/more info:info@literallypr.com***

 

Every January, the churches of Jerusalem, from Lutheran and Roman Catholic to the Orthodox churches of Armenia, Egypt and Ethiopia, join in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In January 2017 Rev. Andy Roland made his third visit to the Week of Prayer and his seventh to Jerusalem.

 

In his latest book,A Week of Prayer in Jerusalem, Andy takes the reader on this exciting and historic journey with him, to each of the evening services celebrating the Week of Prayer, and to meet fellow worshippers. Each day has a unique theme: Holy Sepulchre, the Christian pilgrim sites; the Muslim and Jewish Quarters, the Israel Museum, Tel Aviv and Bethlehem. Andy shares fascinating facts about each place, for example, the mystery of Caliph Hakim of Egypt, who destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1014, disappeared seven years later, and all that was found was his donkey and a blood-stained coat!

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Andy also introduces the reader to ordinary Jerusalemites, such as a Muslim cobbler, an Armenian money-changer, a Jewish taxi driver, a Palestinian Christian lady of 90, a German human rights worker and some Israeli soldiers. Every day, the author experienced first-hand some of the tangled political issues that infect the land, which he recounts with the aid of his past visits to Israel. Upon departure, Andy fittingly found eleven wall panels in Ben Gurion airport giving the Zionist narrative of Israel; this is reproduced in the book, together with unique comments and some rather uncomfortable facts. As Andy writes in his conclusion: "Jerusalem is fascinating, energising, exhausting and deplorable but never dull!"

 

About the Author

[image]Andy's interest in Israel was sparked by a newspaper article in August 1963 which mentioned a call for volunteers at a massive archaeological dig in Masada, Herod's fortress-palace by the Dead Sea. Andy went out for a fortnight, and has returned six times since; in 1975, 1990, 1996, 2012, 2015 and 2017. With a German Jewish father and a Christian mother, and having studied history at Oxford, Andy's interest in the Holy Land came naturally. His Christian faith led him to study the Bible, particularly the links between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He read theology at Durham University and in 1984 was ordained as deacon, then priest, in the Church of England. He spent 31 years in parishes in south London, and co-led a parish pilgrimage to Israel in 1996. Since retiring in 2015 he has become engrossed in writing. In April 2017, he published "Bible in Brief", a six month exploration of the Bible with an accompanying websitehttp://www.bibleinbrief.org/; "Discovering Psalms as Prayer", drawing on his experience in South India; and "The Book of Job for Public Performance", with a foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury.

 

Talking points...

  • What is it like to visit Jerusalem as a tourist? With all the headlines surrounding this polemic part of the world, this book offers a refreshingly unique perspective on ordinary life in Jerusalem.

  • Are you interested in the history of Jerusalem and how we got to be where we are in terms of our religious beliefs and traditions?

  • The situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories can be a confusing subject for those outside - and inside - of the region; Rev. Andy Roland would love the opportunity to discuss his experiences and observations!

 

ESSENTIAL DETAILS

 

Title:A Week of Prayer in Jerusalem

Author:Rev. Andy Roland

Genre:Christianity, Religion, Israel, Travel, Non-Fiction

Publisher:Filament Press

Publication date:October 13th 2017

Availability:Paperback, eBook, International distribution

ISBN:9781912256440

Price: £14.99

Website:http://www.bibleinbrief.org/

Press folder:http://bit.ly/2y9pCUE

Online profile:http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Reverend-Andy-Roland.php

 

 

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