In preparation for my pilgrimage to the Holy Land next week I did research on Christian communities in Israel and neighbouring countries. I've learned that the outlook appears bleak for Christianity in the Middle East, in the very home of the religion, where Christ walked the earth and the central events of Christianity occurred.Christians of the Holy Land have endured for two thousand years through the rise and fall of empires. I invite you to pray with me for them in these challenging times.Here's just a few tacts. After World War II, Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, was 80% Christian and Nazareth 60%. Now those percentages are 20% and 30% respectively, and are shrinking. Jerusalem Christians were a plurality in the 1920s; today, they number under 2 percent of the city's population. Thousands of Christian families left their homeland, caught literally in the crossfire between Palestinians and Israelis. For more info see: http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_current_christians.php