Rev Peter Eyre, minister of Biggleswade Baptist Church in Bedfordshire, UK and secretary of Baptist Twinning in Israel, has said that at least four more churches are urgently required to twin with churches in Israel.

The twinning scheme, set up by Mr Eyre and Revd Philip Hill, minister of Leighton Buzzard Baptist Church in Bedfordshire and chair of BTI, has been running for six years and works "to encourage international vision and strengthen the body of Christ in Israel and in the UK", says Mr Eyre.

Mr Eyre, who travels frequently between the two countries, says that the scheme brings positive benefits not just to the Israeli partner churches but to the UK churches also: "British churches are enriched through exposure to the Bible lands and gain a rare insight into the Middle East".

Mr Eyre also pointed to the vital mutual support that such a scheme offers, adding that "for Arab Baptists, a minority within a minority, knowing they are not forgotten takes on a distorted value: it matters a lot."

That more and more churches in the UK are expressing an interest in contacting Israeli Christians is seen as an encouraging development by Mr Eyre: "There is gradually increasing awareness of the situation for believers in the Holy Land, which helps us have a measured and balanced approach."

This is also a good sign for those churches in Israel looking for this kind of support.

"Every time we go we discover new situations which are desperate for the support and encouragement and fellowship that a twinning relationship offers," he said.

Mr Eyre sees the continued growth of the twinning scheme as an important contribution to reconciliation in the Middle East conflict.

"Reconciliation, both between individuals and God, and between individuals and each other, is a key part of the Christian ministry.

"It is incumbent on all of us to show the way, to model forgiveness and love.

"Reconciliation cannot just be done at Camp David. For a true peace to be sustainable, there needs to reconciliation at a grass roots level."

At present there are four churches twinned with churches in Israel, with another four having ‘meaningful contacts’.