Together with a few ecumenical partners, “Solidarity with the Suffering,” a 35-member delegation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Israel/Palestine Mission Network returned home last week after eight days of solidarity with people who are suffering and mourning the deaths of those who have died in the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel.
When a crowd was gathered on the hill to hear Jesus preach and the crowd was hungry, the disciples wanted to send them away. Instead, Jesus instructs them in Mark’s gospel, “you give them something to eat.”
As attendees prepared for the final morning of the Matthew 25 Summit at New Life Presbyterian Church in South Fulton, members of The Many, the conference’s vocal instrumental group in residence, led those gathered Thursday in a time of centering, communal prayer.
Several hundred people online joined a few dozen worshiping in person Saturday at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, for “Christ in the Rubble,” a service of lament for the people of Gaza. Several partners of Christmas Lutheran Church, including the PC(USA)’s Israel/Palestine Mission Network, carried the 90-minute service, which can be seen here, here or here.
More than 400 participants logged in to watch the first in a scheduled series of webinars devoted to the ongoing crisis in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. Rabbi Alissa Wise, the lead organizer of Rabbis for Ceasefire, and the Rev. Fursan Zu’mot from the Arabic-speaking Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land (ELCJHL), led participants through an hour-long discussion that touched on humanitarian issues, differences between Christian Zionism and antisemitism, and the school of hatred seemingly being perpetuated from the ongoing conflict.
The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, advocacy director for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), was among a handful of faith leaders who met in the White House Wednesday with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and other administration staff.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a new online landing page that will allow users to engage with the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict more easily using digital resources.
It fell to a pair of longtime advocates for peace, economic security and Creation care to lay a foundation for turning swords into plowshares during Tuesday’s opening plenary of the Ecumenical Advocacy Days gathering.
More than three decades have passed since my trip to North Antrim — a rugged coastline battered by the sea on the far edge of Northern Ireland. While I still remember the beautiful views from the grassy hilltop above a sheer rock cliff, as well as the bone-chilling wind blowing in from the Atlantic, what remains with me is how intentionally coming together in community is a valued spiritual practice that can foster peace in this world.
What is discernment? What is God calling us to do in a particular situation, either as an individual or a congregation or mid council? How do we move forward?
