Our Saviour’s to host virtual gala benefiting Palestinian students

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Naperville will host a watch party at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, for Bright Stars of Bethlehem’s Hope Abounds gala, benefiting students at Dar al-Kalima University in Palestine.

Bright Stars of Bethlehem, founded in 2004 by Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, a Lutheran pastor in Palestine, is a mission partner of Our Saviour’s. Bright Stars’ annual gala will take place live in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday evening with Rev. Raheb and special guest Rick Steves of “Rick Steves’ Europe” fame; Our Saviour’s is one of the official watch sites for the gala.

The event at Our Saviour’s is free to attend and open to the public; doors open at 6:30 p.m. for appetizers and beverages in the fellowship hall at Our Saviour’s campus at 815 S. Washington St. in Naperville (next to Edward Hospital). The watch party itself, hosted by Our Saviour’s Associate Pastor Ben Sloss, begins at 7 p.m.

Dar al-Kalima University, with a student body that reflects the religious and social diversity of the Bethlehem region in Palestine, is the first higher-education institution in Palestine dedicated to the arts. Students have produced visual media that has been showcased around the world and are helping to document life on the ground in Palestine today. Attendees of the Hope Abounds gala will have the chance to hear from current Dar al-Kalima students about the impact of their studies and about their hopes for Palestine.

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, with two campuses in central Naperville, is an inclusive, affirming Reconciling in Christ church offering both traditional and contemporary worship services each weekend. For more information on Our Saviour’s, visit oursaviours.com.