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 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.
An Opportunity to Get Involved: Join our Steering Committee
Dear Members of MennoPIN,
The term of service of the current Steering Committee of MennoPIN is about to end, and several members, including the Chairperson will not be continuing to serve for a variety of personal reasons. We are looking for new members to join our Steering Committee, and help us as we seek to discern our direction and activities in light of the current situation in Palestine and the robust action-oriented activities of Mennonite Action, which we fully cooperate with and support.
If you are interested, and have the capacity to serve in any capacity with MennoPIN, please contact Lydia Brenneman @ LydiaBrenneman3@gmail.com to indicate your interest and to be invited to the next Steering Committee meeting.
In November, faith-based advocates, theologians, church leaders, and activists from Palestine and around the world gathered in Bethlehem, Palestine to commemorate the 16th Anniversary of Kairos Palestine.
Standing together in prophetic witness and committed action, this year’s conference presented a new Kairos document and call; a renewed theological and moral plea to the global Church at a time when Christianity itself faces the threat of extinction in its land of origin.
The new Kairos Palestine document, A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide, laments the loss of people, the land, and the world’s moral compass. It names the realities that Palestinians are experiencing and insists that others use this vocabulary that describes these realities: settler colonialism, illegal occupation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.
We encourage you to take some time this holiday season to read this Palestinian Christian initiative in its entirety and to open your hearts to their appeal for us, as their brothers in sisters in Christ, to join them in costly solidarity.
TONIGHT, Wednesday December 17th at 8 pm EST, Christians for a Free Palestine, Mennonite Action, and others will gather for a time of biblical reflection, action testimony, and ritual to conclude a season of action.
Sabeel Jerusalem invites you to join their online services in Englishtomorrow, December 18, at 11 am EST. Join together in prayer for the specific needs of this region through the Sabeel Wave of Prayer.
Join AFSC’s Action Hour for Palestine this Friday at noon EST featuring Rev. Dr. Munther Issac, Palestinian Christian theologian with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Palestine. He will speak about the experience of Palestinian Christians in this particularly difficult moment. You’ll also get updates from Palestine, be inspired by artists and actions, and call your members of Congress.
“They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”
Mennonite Palestine Israel Network
MennoPIN keeps you informed about Palestine/Israel through our monthly update, special alerts, calls to action, important resources and tour possibilities, all from an Anabaptist perspective. To find out more, please visit our website at www.mennopin.org
Feedback, responses, and suggestions for future updates can be submitted to info@mennopin.org
Steering Committee
Bob Atchison (Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan, KS) Lydia Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH) Dave Janzen (Fellowship of Hope, Elkhart, IN) Michael George (Landisville Mennonite Church, PA) Jonathan Kuttab (Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, Manheim, PA) Dorothy Jean Weaver (Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA) Zachary Murray (Mennonite Central Committee, Washington, DC) Adam Ramer (Co-coordinator of Mennonite Action, New York, NY) David Bluford (Rainbow Mennonite Church, Kansas City, KS) Gretchen M (Philadelphia, PA)
I’ve read several books about Israel/Palestine, covering the history, the politics, and the theology behind it. I read a lot of articles and emails from groups focused on the topic. Of all the time and mental energy I spend reading, Israel/Palestine commands a lion share.
It begs the question: Why are you so obsessed with Israel? It is a small country, far from my own. The casualties from the conflict are actually pretty small compared to other modern wars. And they are very small compared to wars of the past.
I think for me the core reason is the DISHONESTY surrounding it. So much of what I’ve learned from reading about it has shown my prior understanding to be false. And now that I have learned the details of the situation, I recognize just how much the rhetoric and the description of events in this country are biased against equal human rights. And my country, the government that represents me, is operating against the principles of Peace and Justice.
In my efforts to be a Peacemaker, I will continue to read and learn and gain as many perspectives as I can on this issue. I would love to reach a point where I feel a stable Peace has been established, and I could move on to other topics. But I doubt that will happen in my lifetime.
I encourage the readers of this email to read more also. Lately I’ve found that studying the modern history is effective in helping shape how people view the situation. Sources abound, including some we share with you below.
Also, as MennoPIN looks toward updating our website with helpful resources, we’d love to hear what book/s have been transformative for you. What book/s have challenged you, changed your perspective, or touched your heart and moved you to take action for peace in Israel/Palestine? Please email us at info@mennopin.org
Upcoming Events, Actions, and Resources
In our September newsletter, we shared with our readers about an opportunity to support the Palestinian Christian community of Zababdeh on the West Bank by purchasing their handmade olive oil soap. We’re pleased to discover that several churches have done so, and encourage more congregations to jump on board. With the holiday season quickly approaching, these soaps would make excellent teacher gifts, stocking stuffers, etc.
Below is an email sent to us recently about West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship’s experience supporting this project:
Good morning. Thank you for sharing the information about Zababdeh parrish, Melkite Catholic church olive oil project.
I corresponded with Abouna Firas Khoury in October and West Philly Mennonite Fellowship purchased soap. Working with Abouna FIras via email was fairly easy as well as figuring out how to purchase the soap. After paying, the soap arrived in a week and was well packaged and all in good condition. We are now selling the soap.
I would encourage other congregations or groups to consider working with the Zababdeh community to support the project. This is an opportunity for mutual aid that is straightforward and fairly simple to implement.
If anyone would like to contact me regarding the project, I am very willing to share what I learned.
Best,
Donna Sharer
Phila, PA
dLsharer@gmail.com
This Advent, Christians for a Free Palestine is mobilizing Christians to join the Boycott Chevron campaign and has created an Advent resource page for 2025 full of what you need to participate.
Two years ago, congregations across the U.S. and Canada rallied together in response to the escalated violence against Palestinians. Mennonites across the nation have been organizing, learning, painting signs, singing, holding vigils, showing up to legislator’s offices, pestering elected officials by phone and email, praying, taking public action, sharing money and resources, and living into our Anabaptist calling, together.
Mennonite Action’s Anniversary Call is an opportunity to reflect, mourn, celebrate, and recommit to the work of justice. Make plans to attend, and share this church bulletin with your congregation!
Join Red Letter Christians’ Book Club on Tuesday, November 25 at 7pm EST with Palestinian theologian Daniel Bannoura and New Testament scholar Dr. Gary Burge to discuss Being Christian after the Desolation of Gaza.
Grab your copy for 40% off using code DESOLATION40 from Wipf & Stock.
And be sure to read Chapter 17 by MennoPIN’s Amy Yoder McGloughlin!
Looking to expand your knowledge on Palestine? Or find something to recommend to a friend who is open to learning more? Check out this topical reading list compiled by two Palestinians in Ramallah.
Mennonite Palestine Israel Network
MennoPIN keeps you informed about Palestine/Israel through our monthly update, special alerts, calls to action, important resources and tour possibilities, all from an Anabaptist perspective. To find out more, please visit our website at www.mennopin.org
Feedback, responses, and suggestions for future updates can be submitted to info@mennopin.org
Steering Committee
Bob Atchison (Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan, KS) Lydia Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH) Dave Janzen (Fellowship of Hope, Elkhart, IN) Michael George (Landisville Mennonite Church, PA) Jonathan Kuttab (Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, Manheim, PA) Dorothy Jean Weaver (Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA) Zachary Murray (Mennonite Central Committee, Washington, DC) Adam Ramer (Co-coordinator of Mennonite Action, New York, NY) David Bluford (Rainbow Mennonite Church, Kansas City, KS) Gretchen M (Philadelphia, PA)
