Lebanon-born Ali Elhajj came to faith in Christ while living in America. As he encountered evangelical culture, he became troubled by how deeply American Christians misunderstood Islam as well as Christianity in the Middle East.

"It really came to a head in 2006, when the Hezbollah-Israeli war happened, and there was a lot being talked about in the media and churches," Elhajj told Christianity Today during a recent interview. "I felt like I needed to be that glue between the East and the West."

After the war, Elhajj, who has a Muslim background, visited Israel and the West Bank. He met Palestinian Christian Salim Munayer, a Fuller Seminary grad and full-time instructor at Bethlehem Bible College (BBC), and Bishara Awad, president of BBC. Munayer and Awad are part of an influential nucleus of Palestinian evangelicals who are committed to Christian outreach and reconciliation across the countless political and religious boundaries in the region. …

After talking with Munayer, Awad, and others, Elhajj dreamed of finding a way to partner with them. One day, he asked his wife, Jennifer, "Wouldn't it be great to include Americans in the mix?" After much discussion, in 2007 the couple launched the fledgling Bethlehem Christmas Project from their dining room table in Weston, Florida. The idea was to invite Americans to travel to Bethlehem in early December to help local believers distribute Christmas gifts to needy families regardless of religion. Elhajj and his wife established a nonprofit corporation, started networking with interested leaders, and began finding financial supporters to underwrite their outreach. …

[As a result of their efforts] during the 2007 Christmas season, a small team of Palestinian, Israeli, and American believers handed out gifts to 200 children in Bethlehem. As it turned out, the greatest needs were at an orphanage and schools for children with disabilities. The gifts themselves were mostly clothes, educational toys, and basics for school and home, not the latest electronic gadgets.

Israeli volunteer Alex Voitenko, who participated in the gift distribution, first had to overcome the suspicion he felt toward Elhajj because he was an Arab. But now, Voitenko describes Elhajj as "an angel." He says, "This war [has] already continued a long time—for generations. I don't see any solution without Christ."

Elhajj told Christianity Today, "We have this body of Christ that is not hostile to one another, not so concerned about who gets what in terms of land and resources. We are all working toward peace." …

In early December Elhajj and his 2008 ministry team will [once again] board a plane, headed for the Middle East. This team of about 13 from churches in Florida, South Carolina, and Iowa, together with believers from Israel and Palestine, will visit Bethlehem to distribute gifts to as many as 500 children.

Abdullah Awwad, director of the Al-Basma Center for Children with Special Needs, remembers the reaction of children during last year's visit. "They don't think about who [the gifts] come from. They just see the gifts and feel happy with it. They are deprived of the simplest means of life."

This glues together all the pieces from Elhajj's original vision: Israeli, Palestinian, and American believers all working to address needs in the Middle East. Elhajj … believes that stereotypical perceptions of evangelicals being close-minded is just as unfounded as some evangelical stereotypes of Muslims. "If you'll just engage people, you'll find a wide range of beliefs and motivations. You try and find folks who are open, are ready to learn, and want to do the will of God."

When Christmas becomes a time for faithful celebration and border-crossing reconciliation, Christians discover afresh why God sent his Son.