Updates

We would like to highlight the Sabeel Wave of Prayer, updated weekly by the Sabeel Palestinian Christian organization. Reminding us that prayer is an essential part of peacemaking, these prayers address regional, timely concerns for Palestine-Israel from a Christ-centered perspective. The posts address regional, timely concerns for Palestine-Israel in a Christian perspective. Subscribe and join this community of prayer.

Greetings! Here is another update from the steering committee:

Mennonite Church USA resolution:

As many of you already know, the Palestine-Israel resolution was affirmed by the Constituency Leaders Council, approved by the Executive Board, and will be presented to the Delegate Body at this summer’s convention in Kansas City! Many thanks to all of the folks involved in the drafting and dialogue around this resolution!

We continue to encourage all of you to be in conversation with your congregation’s delegates to Kansas City, providing them with whatever resources they might find helpful for their preparation. We hope to make available a brief list of frequently asked questions that we hope will be useful as you discuss with your delegates. In the meantime, remember that the full resolution packet is up on the MennoPIN website here: https://mennopin.org/resolution/. There you can also read about some of the anticipated reasons for supporting and objecting to this church statement as well as a brief history of Mennonite involvement in Palestine-Israel. There is also a link to resources for further learning as well as the list of MennoPIN suggested materials for your congregation.

As the Kansas City convention approaches, we want to compile a list highlighting events and activities that will be of interest to folks attending the convention. In order to do this, we want to hear from you all. Who is going to Kansas City? What would be most helpful as you prepare? Please email us back at mennopin@gmail.com.

MennoPIN Logo?

In preparation for the Kansas City convention, we are organizing a MennoPIN booth. In addition to providing resources related to the resolution, we also want to provide more general information about Palestine-Israel and MennoPIN, something like a MennoPIN brochure. But as we prepare, we are realizing that we do not have any visual brand or logo for our network! That’s where we need your help. So calling all artists and graphic designers, we are asking for your submissions for a MennoPIN logo. For inspiration check out our website, especially our ‘about’ pages: https://mennopin.org/about/.

Mennonite Media:

We want to highlight a couple of reflections on Palestine-Israel that have appeared in recent issues of the Mennonite World Review. Check out articles by Andre Gingerich Stoner (http://mennoworld.org/2015/04/13/columns/a-moment-of-truth/) and Tom Harder (http://mennoworld.org/2015/04/27/latest-issue/being-pro-jesus-on-israel-palestine/).

Also we recently learned that documentaries on Palestine-Israel produced by Mennonite Central Committee have been posted on their YouTube channel. Check out the videos “Children of the Nakba” (https://youtu.be/bVtmA5zCnfI) and “The Dividing Wall” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX7-w_gXYHM)!

“Without peace, you cannot live.” Shatha Al Azzeh, Aida Refugee Camp, Bethlehem

MCC Palestine continues to share stories of women involved in the search for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel. They recently highlighted the story of Shatha Al Azzeh, a young woman who runs the Lajee Center Environment Unit in Aida Refugee Camp. As part of her work Shatha conducts water consumption and safety trainings and carries out tests for bacteria and other contaminants in Aida Camp’s water sources. Water is “not just a local problem,” she emphasizes. “It’s a political issue.” During the hot Palestinian summers, access to clean water is severely limited, and not just for residents of refugee camps. Israel controls access to Palestine’s aquifers, redirecting almost 90 percent to Israeli West Bank settlements and towns inside Israel; Israeli water companies sell the remaining 10 percent back to Palestinian residents. Read more at https://mccpalestine.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/without-peace-you-cannot-live-shatha-al-azzeh-aida-refugee-camp-bethlehem/.

You can also keep up to date by checking in with these Mennonite-related websites:
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
MCC Palestine Update
Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA)
MCUSA Peace and Justice Support Network
Mennonite Palestine Israel Network

Again, please do let us know what your plans are for Kansas City and submit your MennoPIN logo ideas to mennopin@gmail.com!

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin

Steering Committee:
Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

Greetings! Here is another update from the steering committee:

Mennonite Church USA resolution
Since the last update, this resolution was submitted to the resolutions committee who then sent it on to the Constituency Leaders Council (CLC), for discussion at their meeting last week. We were happy to hear that the CLC recommended the resolution to the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board. Now we wait to hear for the outcome from the Executive Board meeting in early April.

In the meantime the full resolution packet is up on the MennoPIN website here: https://mennopin.org/resolution/. There you can also read about some of the anticipated reasons for supporting and objecting to this church statement as well as a brief history of Mennonite involvement in Palestine-Israel. There is also a link to resources for further learning as well as the list of MennoPIN suggested materials for your congregation.

In the coming weeks, as we get closer to the Kansas City convention, we will compile a list highlighting events and activities that will be of interest to folks attending the convention. Stay tuned!

Lenten reflections from Kairos USA
This Lenten issue features a powerful reflection on the meaning of Kairos in our modern world: http://kairosusa.org/a-litany-for-holy-week-troubling-days-in-jerusalem/. Also check out this heart-grabbing litany, specifically for Holy Week: http://kairosusa.org/a-lenten-reflection-my-kingdom-is-not-from-this-world/. And read this testimony about one person’s journey in support of Palestinian rights, tying his witness to his commitment to human rights here at home in the U.S.: http://kairosusa.org/walking-where-jesus-walked-led-to-the-proctor-conference/.

Pro-Israeli, Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Jesus
Former MCCer Ryan Rodrick Beiler has written a great piece lifting up the voices of Palestinian Christians like Rev. Alex Awad. Ryan writes: “Stun grenades and tear gas bombs exploded in the street outside of Bethlehem Bible College, forcing Rev. Alex Awad to end his class early. Down the block, youth threw stones at the Israeli separation wall that cuts deep into Bethlehem. Frequent clashes had erupted in the months since the Israeli offensive known as Operation Protective Edge killed more than 2,200 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians. During that operation, 66 Israeli soldiers and seven civilians were killed by Gaza militants. In the months that followed, Jerusalem became the focal point of further violence. ‘Many people ask, what are signs of hope?’ says Awad. While the facts on the ground get worse, he names one encouraging trend: ‘Many evangelicals are moving from the Israeli side into what I think is the peace and justice side.’” Read more at http://sojo.net/magazine/2015/03/pro-israeli-pro-palestinian-pro-jesus. Also read Ryan’s piece “To evangelicals, Zionism an increasingly tough sell” at http://electronicintifada.net/content/evangelicals-zionism-increasingly-tough-sell/14357.

MCC Palestine: “There is no victory in war.” Mariam Zakout, Khan Younis, Gaza Strip
In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8 and March as U.S. Women’s History Month, MCC Palestine presents several stories of women involved in the search for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel. We highlight these stories not because women peacemakers are an exception to the rule, but because these are exceptional women committed to bettering their communities through nonviolence, in spite of systems of patriarchy and occupation. Whether consciously or subconsciously, these women have taken on oppressive systems of power, remained engaged despite obstacles, and continue to believe in a better future for their people. Read more: https://mccpalestine.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/there-is-no-victory-in-war-mariam-zakout-khan-younis-gaza-strip/.

Prayer requests
A new item we will begin to share are regular prayer requests that you can use in your congregations. We will format them so you can include them as church bulletin inserts: https://mennopin.org/category/prayer-requests/. We also encourage you to continue to pray alongside Palestinians using prayers like those shared by Sabeel: http://www.sabeel.org/waveofprayer.php.

MennoPIN learning resources list
We are happy to share a list of learning resources compiled by our Education Subcommittee. In the attached you will find helpful ideas for further learning. We welcome your feedback. Work continues as we develop a Kairos Palestine study guide for Mennonites. As always, check out the MennoPIN website for more information on Kairos Palestine, BDS, and more at https://mennopin.org/. Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mennopin. And follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/mennopin.

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network Steering Committee:

Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

PDF VERSION

Preamble

For more than sixty-five years, Mennonites have lived, studied and ministered in Palestine and Israel … We open our hearts when we again hear of the suffering you experience in an occupied land as homes are taken from you, families and communities are separated by walls and checkpoints, and countless large and small indignities and humiliations are visited upon you each day.

This excerpt from a 2011 letter written by Ervin Stutzman, Executive Director of Mennonite Church USA on behalf of the Executive Board, was a response to Kairos Palestine, an appeal from Palestinian Christians in December 2009.

Already in June 2007 ten representatives of Mennonite-affiliated agencies who traveled together to the region reported in an Open Letter to Mennonite Church USA Congregations: Becoming Peacemakers in Israel/Palestine that, “The continuing Israeli military occupation and the dispossession of Palestinians is sinful, responsible for unjust suffering and a major cause of the ongoing conflict.”

Since 2007 the urgency of the crisis in Israel-Palestine has only deepened, with little progress to show politically and ever-increasing levels of suffering. We find ourselves at a Kairos moment, as articulated by Palestinian Christians.

We strongly affirm the longstanding Mennonite presence in the region of Israel-Palestine, including the work of Mennonite Mission Network, Eastern Mennonite Missions, Virginia Mennonite Missions, Mennonite colleges, universities and seminaries, Mennonite Central Committee, Christian Peacemaker Teams and Mennonite Church Canada.

The presence of these workers and others has provided a powerful witness to the way of peace in a place of great conflict. In turn, our understanding of our Anabaptist identity and beliefs has been greatly enriched by interactions with fellow believers and others in the region.

We urge that programs of service to Palestinians and Israelis working for a just peace not only continue but be enhanced, including work by various Mennonite-related groups to improve lives and build peace and advocacy initiatives from Mennonite Central Committee’s Washington (D.C.) Office.

We note the personal and congregational concern that Mennonites have long shared for Christian stewardship and the social and environmental impact of our investments. We believe that the finances contributed to our churches will be used to further our Christian witness to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we believe that these resources should not be used in the furtherance of pain, death, and suffering of one people at the hands of another. We affirm Everence’s practice of screening investments with attention to issues of human rights and military involvement, among other considerations.

We affirm the “Come and See” initiative of Mennonite Church USA, which seeks to provide
opportunities for Mennonite pastors and other leaders to participate in Israel-Palestine learning tours and to “come and see” the current reality (Purposeful Plan, lines 980-984). We encourage all church members who are considering travel to the region to follow the goals and criteria/tour components for Come and See tours as outlined by Mennonite Church USA.

We acknowledge the long history of violence by Christians against Jews. All actions that stereotype or demonize people based on their religious beliefs or ethnicity are contrary to the teachings of Jesus; we must have no part in them.  When addressing the injustice of the current Israeli occupation of Palestine, it is critical that we speak about the policies of the Israeli government and not identify or equate the Jewish people with that government.

Resolution

In light of the foregoing information, we thereby resolve:

• To encourage the reading and study of the Kairos Palestine document. We affirm our particular kinship as brothers and sisters in Christ with Palestinian Christians. In this context we hear the “cry for help” expressed in the Kairos Palestine document, issued in 2009. Based in a theology of loving ones’ enemies and sacrificial love, this document is worthy of careful study by member congregations of Mennonite Church USA, as recommended by the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board in 2011. In support of this effort, we encourage Mennonite Church USA to develop a structure and process for disseminating and studying the Kairos Palestine document and appropriate study materials, in conjunction with the Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network. We encourage congregational resource advocates to make available information about Israel-Palestine.
• That Israel’s military occupation of Palestine is sinful, based on injustice and must come to an end; and that as U.S. citizens we are complicit in this sin due to our government’s significant and longstanding military support for Israel. As Palestinian Christian leaders noted in 2009 in the Kairos Palestine document, “the military occupation of our land is a sin against God and humanity.” Similarly, the 2007 Open Letter to Mennonite Church USA Congregations observed, “The continuing Israeli military occupation and the dispossession of Palestinians is sinful, responsible for unjust suffering and the major cause of the ongoing conflict.”
• To consider how our financial lives are enmeshed in the policies of occupation, through our investments, individual purchases and tax dollars. To this end, we direct representatives of the Executive Board of the Mennonite Church USA along with representatives from Everence, Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Palestine Israel Network, Mennonite Mission Network, and other related agencies involved in the region, in mutual consultation, to review, at least on an annual basis, the investments of Mennonite Church USA for the purpose of withdrawing investments from corporations known to be profiting from the occupation and/or destruction of life and property in Israel-Palestine. A report of this review and related activities should be submitted on an annual basis to members of the Executive Board.We further urge individuals and congregations to avoid the purchase of products that enable the military occupation to continue, including items produced in Israeli settlements.In keeping with our historic commitments as a peace church and consistent with our opposition to the militarized resolution of conflict, we condemn the use of violence by all sides. We call for an end to U.S. military assistance to all countries, including Israel. We urge nation-states, including our own, to seek security in the only way it may truly be found, through relationships of mutuality and trust and the guarantee of equal rights for all peoples.
• To pray earnestly for all Israelis and Palestinians. As commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we commit ourselves to pray ceaselessly for all in Israel-Palestine, particularly our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters, all those working courageously for peace including Israeli conscientious objectors, and all who have been impacted by violence.

In addition, we request that a report covering all activities related to this resolution be developed and delivered, under the leadership of the Director of Holistic Witness, at the next Mennonite Church USA convention.

Learn more

• Endorsements
• Anticipated reasons for supporting and objecting to this church statement
• Brief history of Mennonite involvement in Palestine-Israel
• Resources for further learning
• Suggested materials for your congregation

Greetings!

Mennonite Church USA resolution:
We have over fifteen congregations who have signed on to endorse this resolution! We will be submitting this to the resolutions committee soon. The next step is for the resolutions committee to send this on to the Constituency Leaders Council, for discussion at their meeting next month. If all goes well, it will then be approved for consideration by the Delegate Assembly in Kansas City this summer. Again thanks so much to all of you for working in your congregations.

MennoPIN sign-on: #SkipTheSpeech
At the request of MennoPIN members in Oregon, MennoPIN has been asked to sign on to a letter to Oregon congressional representatives asking them to not attend the upcoming speech by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The steering committee is in favor of signing on. We invite your feedback.

Use the hashtag #SkipTheSpeech and visit the U.S. Campaign’s website to learn more and get involved: http://endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=4292.

MCC partner Baladna photo essay: Bedouin in the Naqab (Negev)
MCC partner Baladna presents a photo exhibition highlighting several Bedouin villages in the Negev, with each village presenting a different issue faced by its residents. The complete photo exhibition for the four villages—Wadi al-Nam, Awajan, Aum Btin, and Siriya—is available from Baladna, which encourages interested people to present these photos to raise awareness about Bedouin communities in Israel. Check out more here: https://mccpalestine.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/baladna-photo-essay-bedouin-in-the-naqab-negev/.

Prayer requests:
A new item we will begin to share are regular prayer requests that you can use in your congregations. We will format them so you can include them as church bulletin inserts. Attached here and here are recent prayer requests. We also encourage you to continue to pray alongside Palestinians using prayers like those shared by Sabeel: http://www.sabeel.org/waveofprayer.php.

MennoPIN learning resources list:
We are happy to share a list of learning resources compiled by our Education Subcommittee. In the attached you will find helpful ideas for further learning. We welcome your feedback. Work continues as we develop a Kairos Palestine study guide for Mennonites. As always, check out the MennoPIN website for more information on Kairos Palestine, BDS, and more at https://mennopin.org/. Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MENNOPIN/504464379657343. And follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/MennoPIN.

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network Steering Committee:

• Jonathan Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
• Tom Harder (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, KS)
• Joy Lapp (Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt Pleasant, IA)
• George Muedeking (Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Albuquerque, NM)
• Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, DC)
• Timothy Seidel (Community Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA)

Dear Friends, in this update, we want to share a few items from our subcommittees.

Mennonite Church USA resolution: We have five congregations who have signed on to endorse this resolution! If your congregation is still considering endorsement, remember that our deadline is February 15. Please email George Muedeking, chair of the advocacy/action subcommittee, at gmuedeking@msn.com if your congregation wants to be added to the list. Thanks so much to all of you for working in your congregations. This is hard work, and we appreciate all of your efforts!

Kansas City 2015: We are happy to report that we had two workshop proposals accepted for this summer’s convention in Kansas City. And we are in the process of developing the MennoPIN booth. We have also learned that Alex Awad, Dean of Students at Bethlehem Bible College and pastor at East Jerusalem Baptist Church, will be a speaker at convention. There are several other convention events in the works and as the summer approaches, we want to compile a list of these events that will be of interest to MennoPIN folks. Are you going to be at convention? Are you aware of any events to be shared with MennoPIN? Please pass these along!

MennoPIN learning resources list: We are happy to share a list of learning resources compiled by our Education Subcommittee. In the attached you will find helpful ideas for further learning. And as a glimpse of some work in progress, work is being done to develop Kairos Palestine study guide for Mennonites. Stay tuned for more information. As always, check out the MennoPIN website for more information on Kairos Palestine, BDS, and more at https://mennopin.org/. Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MENNOPIN/504464379657343. And follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/MennoPIN. Continue reading “MennoPIN Update: January 2015” →

Advent greetings from the steering committee of the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network!

Mennonite Church USA resolution: We are sharing again the draft resolution that we are inviting congregations to endorse. Our goal is still to get as many congregations as we can to sign on to this resolution, but are extending the deadline to February 15, 2015. After Feb 15 we will submit this to the resolutions committee of Mennonite Church USA. If your congregation is interested in signing on as an official sponsor of this resolution, please email George Muedeking, chair of the advocacy/action subcommittee, at gmuedeking@msn.com.

For more information on Kairos Palestine and BDS, check out the MennoPIN website: https://mennopin.wordpress.com/. And look for MennoPIN on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MENNOPIN/504464379657343. Please check it out and like us. We welcome learning about the various approaches our many congregations are taking on this important issue!

#Palestine2Ferguson: MennoPIN is a member of the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation. Recently, MennoPIN was invited by the U.S. Campaign to endorse a statement of solidarity supporting the important linkages made between Palestine and the U.S. this past year. It is a statement acknowledging that the denial of justice for Mike Brown and Eric Garner are movement moments for us to unite against racism and fight for justice for all. You can read the statement here: http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=4239. We also include the text below.The steering committee invites your response to this call to add MennoPIN to the list of endorsers. Continue reading “MennoPIN Update: December 2014” →

Greetings from the steering committee of the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network! We are excited to share several items with you in this month’s update.

Mennonite Church USA resolution: As we described in the last MennoPIN update, the advocacy/action subcommittee has been hard at work in preparation for next summer’s MCUSA convention in Kansas City. The major focus has been developing a resolution to move the Mennonite Church forward in response to what many of see as one of the key calls from the Kairos Palestine initiative, the call to boycott, divestment, and sanctions. Attached we are sharing with you a final draft version that we are inviting congregations to submit to the resolutions committee.

In terms of process, our goal is to get as many congregations to sign on to this resolution as possible by January 15, 2015. At that point we will submit this to the resolutions committee of Mennonite Church USA. If your congregation is interested in signing on as an official sponsor of this resolution, please email George Muedeking, chair of the advocacy/action subcommittee, at gmuedeking@msn.com.

In addition to inviting congregations to sign on to this resolution, the other approach we discussed as a steering committee was to invite congregations who want to submit this to the resolutions committee on their own the freedom to do that as well. If your congregation is interested in this approach, please do let us know. We welcome learning about the various approaches our many congregations are taking on this important issue. Continue reading “MennoPIN Update: November 2014” →