Matt Middleton
International Center of Bethlehem
PO Box 162
Paul VI Street 109
Bethlehem
West Bank via ISRAEL
Matt Middleton

Matt ended his term of service in Palestine in March 2008.

Matt was appointed as a long-term volunteer in January 2006 to serve as a music teacher in Bethlehem, Palestinian territory currently occupied by the state of Israel. He is chair of music at Dar Al-Kalima College and music coordinator for Lutheran ministries in Bethlehem. Matt is also director of Bethlehem Star Music, a joint program of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church and International Center of Bethlehem, which has five ensembles: band, chamber ensemble, choristers, chorus, and handbells. In June 2007, Matt began a blog about Bethlehem Star Music.

Matt’s placement is through a PC(USA) partner, the International Center of Bethlehem, a Christian hub for several institutions in Bethlehem that promote creative learning, wellness, personal development, and social responsibility through a spectrum of programs, including the arts.

Letters from
Matt Middleton

• March 2008
• August 2007
• April 2007
• September 2006
• July 2006
• May 2006

“I sense an undeniable call to gain understanding and compassion for people from different global realities,” writes Matt. “I’m grateful for the chance to use my talents and education in the mission field. It’s a dream come true.

Matt’s placement on the West Bank is not his first experience in mission in an Arabic-speaking country. He spent a year (August 2004 through July 2005) in Cairo, Egypt, with the PC(USA)’s Young Adult Volunteer program. He taught at the Theological Seminary of Cairo, served as organist at St. Andrew’s United Church, and assisted the General Secretary of the Synod of the Nile.

Matt has a bachelor’s of music in organ performance from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas. In his spare time, Matt is studying music education through Boston University and piano performance at the Jerusalem Academy of Music.

He is a member of Hope Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. Prior to his appointment to mission service with the PC(USA), Matt was the organ scholar at Bristol Cathedral and the Church of St. Mary Redcliffe, England, August 2003 to August 2004.

Birthday - February 10