Steering and Other Committee

A Steering Committee provides basic oversight and administration of MennoPIN. Meet the members.

Lydia Brenneman was born in Bethlehem to a Christian Palestinian family. As a youth she witnessed the devastation of the 1967 war, and massive community emigration, she arrived with her family in the United States at the age of 11.  In the United States the family quickly connected with Mennonite communities. A lifelong learner Lydia attended Eastern Mennonite College and received a bachelor’s degree in Biology and from Bowling Green State University, she received MAs in Psychology and School Psychology from Dayton University respectively. She also holds an M in Family Ministry from Winebrenner theological Seminary. In 1990 Lydia, her husband Brice, and two young sons Jonathan and Jameel moved to Beit Jala (near Bethlehem) to serve with MCC. She and Brice were co-director of Hope Secondary School, a boarding school for Palestinian youth, for two years.  Upon return to Ohio, their third son Joseph was born. She has made numerous trips to Palestine for family visits. Lydia and Brice have now led three “Holy Land Trips” with an emphasis on the living stones as well as the historic aspects of the area. The trips exposing life under military occupation and celebrate resilience of peacemaking communities.  These trips include visits to Tent of Nations, Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron, and visits in Palestinian homes. Lydia is an active member of Lima Mennonite Church. She serves on the spiritual council and teaches a youth Sunday School class. She is an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church, and works as a chaplain at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, Ohio.

Bob Atchison is a forester with Kansas State University and a member of Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan Kansas.  He has been engaged in the Israeli-Palestine conflict off and on since 1998 when he served as a delegate on a Christian Peacemaker tour of Israel – Palestine.  He currently chairs the Western District Conference, Israel-Palestine Task Force.

Jonathan Kuttab is a Palestinian attorney, and human rights activist.  He grew up in Jerusalem, studied in the US, graduating from University of Virginia law School, and worked a couple of years at the Wall Street Law firm of Mudge Rose Guthrie & Alexander.  He is a member of the Bar Association in New York, Israel, and Palestine. Mr. Kuttab founded a number of human rights organizations including Al Haq, and the Mandela Institute for Palestinian Prisoners and is the Chairman of the Board of Bethlehem Bible College, and of Holy Land Trust, and is active in many other civil society organizations in Palestine and internationally.  He was the Head of the Legal Committee negotiating the Cairo Agreement of 1994 between Israel and the PLO and has been active in Peace and justice issues for many years.  He is a recognized authority on international law, human rights and Palestinian and Israeli affairs.

Dorothy Jean Weaver is Professor Emerita of New Testament at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, VA, where she taught from 1984-2018 and has more recently served as an adjunct. Weaver has a PhD from Union Presbyterian Seminary (1987), an MDiv from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (1977), and a BA from Eastern Mennonite University (1972).  She is a long-term member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of Matthew’s Missionary Discourse: A Literary Critical Analysis (Sheffield, 1990; Bloomsbury, 2015) and The Irony of Power: The Politics of God within Matthew’s Narrative (Pickwick Publications, 2017).  On the Middle East front Weaver has spent four sabbatical semesters in Israel/Palestine engaged in writing (Jerusalem: 1996, 2003, 2010) and teaching (Bethlehem: 2000).  Since 1998 she has led or co-led eleven Israel/Palestine study tours (“Places, People, & Prayers”) for Eastern Mennonite Seminary, eight “Nazareth/Bethlehem Work Groups” for Virginia Mennonite Missions (with ongoing plans in place), and an emergency delegation to Bethlehem in 2002, sponsored conjointly by EMU and VMM.  Weaver has likewise done short-term teaching stints for Mennonite Central Committee in Beirut, Lebanon (Near East School of Theology, 1995) and Cairo, Egypt (Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, 2002).  From 1999-2002 Weaver served on the Christian Peacemaker Teams Steering Committee.  And in 2001 she participated in a CPT delegation to Hebron, Palestine.   Weaver has likewise traveled briefly in Jordan (1995) and Syria (1995, 2010).  Weaver is currently engaged in discussions concerning occasional or short-term retirement postings to Middle East schools.  She is a member of Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA, where she ushers, leads singing occasionally, and teaches occasional Sunday School classes.

David Janzen: I am a retired social worker/human resources director, having worked in agencies assisting low-income families and persons with disabilities in Elkhart County, IN, and as HR Director at Goshen College. I graduated with an MSW from Kansas University and attended Anabaptist Biblical Seminary. In October 2020, several of us from Fellowship of Hope Mennonite Church in Elkhart accepted our pastor’s challenge to consider entering the “Twinning” portion of the Menno/PIN program of Mennonite Church US. We linked up with the Gaza YMCA and learned of their fine work with children and families in Gaza City, including witnessing their annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. After the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023 and Israeli acts of genocide, we were challenged to keep our regular twice-monthly Zoom calls going as our contact people were scattered or lacked reliable internet. Presently, we have regular communication with two YMCA leaders, who along with their families moved to other countries. They keep in touch with people living in one of two churches or in mostly demolished homes. We send regular donations for food and supplies to YMCA leaders who distribute it. Many in our church participate in demanding the US government stop sending military supplies to the Israeli government, holding weekly peace vigils, and joining with other groups in larger demonstrations. We seek to follow Jesus who blessed the peacemakers, called for justice and mercy for all people.

Growing up in Gaza, Tareq Abuhalima lived a thriving life with his family of 15. Tareq finished his Bachelor’s degree at Al-Azhar University, Gaza majoring in English language. In 2023, Tareq arrived in the US pursuing his postgraduate in Business Administration at Bluffton University, Ohio. Tareq has contributed hugely MennoPIN and its programs particularly its connection with Palestinian groups from Gaza. In the US and as he was doing his master’s, Tareq toured 11 states and delivered more than 40 presentations to different groups advocating for Palestinians’ rights.

 

Jacob Janzen

Adam Ramer

David Bluford

Michael George

Gretchen Merryman-Lotze

Zachary Murray