A special St Andrew's Day service is being held at St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh today (Wednesday 30 November) in conjunction with the Friends of St Andrew's Jerusalem and Tiberias.

The service, which will be livestreamed via YouTube from 2pm today, will be led by former Moderator Lord Wallace of Tankerness who will reflect on the importance of the Church of Scotland in the Holy Land.

This year's offering from the service will be given to Parents' Circle, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organisation of over 600 families, all of whom have lost a family member in the ongoing conflict. Together, through dialogue and reconciliation, they aim to break down barriers of mistrust and build beacons of hope.

Lord Wallace said the service is one way the Church supports peacebuilding.

"There is a very significant Church of Scotland presence in the Holy Land serving both the local communities and visitors from Scotland and beyond; a mission of witness in a troubled place, crucially promoting a message of justice and peace," he said.

"Hope rather than grievance; justice rather than revenge – these are just some of the things that can make for peace. Or the leadership given by the Parents' Circle, an organisation of bereaved families, Palestinian and Israeli, who have lost family members through conflict and who have concluded that the process of reconciliation between nations is a prerequisite to achieving a sustainable peace, and to whom this year's offering will be given.

"If, at times, surveying the situation in Israel/Palestine, or for that matter other places of conflict around the world, we feel helpless, let us remember the practical initiative of the Parents' Circle or the practical things we can do in our own lives that make for peace."

Also taking part in the service will be Rev Peter Sutton, minister of St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh, Very Rev Andrew McLellan, Convener of the Friends of St Andrew's Jerusalem and Tiberias, and Rev Dr David Coulter, Carol Morton and Jacky Harkness, members of the Friends of St Andrew's Jerusalem and Tiberias.

Rev Muriel Pearson, Associate Minister at St Andrew's Jerusalem and Tiberias, will give the Benediction.

Music will come from soloist Karla Grant and organist Morley Whitehead.

Watch the service from 2pm today

You can read the order of service on the St Andrew's Church in Jerusalem website.

To make an offering to Parents' Circle and support the work they do, you can make a donation on their website or by using the following account details:

Account No: 00134859
Sort code: 83-06-08
Reference: FSAJ DON

The Church of Scotland has had a presence in the Holy Land since the late 19th century, initially through its medical mission in Tiberias. St Andrew's Church in Jerusalem was built as a memorial to Scottish soldiers who died in Palestine in the First World War.

Church of Scotland churches and institutions continue to welcome visitors to the area and to offer solidarity and support to Israeli and Palestinian partners.

For more information on the service visit www.standrewsjerusalem.org/friends