Dear Atlanta Mennonite Church,
I hope this note finds you well! My name is Laura Poetzel, and I work as a programs coordinator with the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice, an institute of the Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem, Palestine. I’ve attached our Public Engagement Director, Daniel Bannoura, to this email as well.
We are hosting a conference called Church at the Crossroads this November 5-7 in Atlanta (at Grace Midtown Church) which, while welcoming of all audiences, aims especially to engage evangelicals with Palestinian Christians and provide a space to wrestle with questions about Palestine, Israel, the war and genocide in Gaza, and beyond (I’ve attached an official conference ‘blurb’ below).
This is the second iteration of the Church at the Crossroads conference, with the first being held in Glen Ellyn, Illinois last September. During this conference, a local Mennonite church (Lombard Mennonite, which I personally attended as a university student:) generously helped support the conference by providing some trained de-escalator volunteers from their congregation; these folks were stationed in different locations during the conference to help navigate any conflictual interactions.
We would love to invite your congregation to join us as attendees this November, and we would also be curious in having a conversation around whether you would have trained de-escalators as part of your congregation who would be interested in supporting us in this way. However, if this is not something that your congregation would feel comfortable or able to do, that is completely understandable.
Please let me know if you would be interested in a conversation, and regardless thank you for your time and consideration!
For Peace,
Attend Church at the Crossroads in Atlanta
—- Conference ‘blurb’ below —-
For many American Christians, the voices of Palestinian Christians have been almost entirely absent from conversations about Israel and Palestine.
Church at the Crossroads is an opportunity to change that.
Meet pastors, theologians, and ministry leaders whose communities have worshiped in the Holy Land since the earliest centuries. Hear how they read Scripture, understand the gospel, and follow Jesus amid one of the world’s longest-running conflicts. Along the way, you’ll wrestle honestly with the biblical questions many evangelicals are asking about Israel, the Church, the land, justice, peace, and faithful discipleship.
Join us November 5–7 in Atlanta for a conversation rooted in Scripture, shaped by the witness of the historic Church, and open to honest questions.
—
Rev. Dr. James Rissler
Pastor, Atlanta Mennonite Church
I try to live with love, joy, and presence.
