Musalaha News letter March, 2000

REPORT ON MUSALAHA'S FIFTH ANNUAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE
THEOLOGY OF THE LAND BOOK:
HARDSHIP TRIP (POST-ARMY, POST-INTIFADA FOLLOW-UP PROJECT)
FAMILY:
YOUTH LEADERS CONFERENCE
UPCOMING EVENTS

REPORT ON MUSALAHA'S FIFTH ANNUAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE

Musalaha's fifth annual women's conference returned this year to Tantur where the conferences began five years ago. Tantur is an ecumenical institute that straddles the line between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In many ways, it symbolizes the essence of what Musalaha attempts to do in bringing together Jewish and Arab believers in Jesus from Israel and the Palestinian territories.

This year, January 2000, some 125 women gathered Jewish and Arab women from all over Israel and the Palestinian territories. During the weekend conference they sang together in one another's languages, shared testimonies, prayed together and listened to inspirational Bible teaching.

The conference theme this year was "Ready and Waiting?" and the focus of the testimonies and Bible studies was our common hope and our expectations as we wait for the coming of the Lord. Warmth and a loving atmosphere were evident as the women sat together, sang one another's songs, shared their unique stories and had an opportunity to pray with each other.

After five years of annual conferences, certain traditions have developed. One of these is that time is always set aside in the schedule for meeting in small groups. In the smaller setting, women feel freer to share with their sisters. This was certainly the case this time and the small group sessions for sharing and prayer was very fruitful.

The Musalaha women's conferences encourage women from very different backgrounds and current life experiences to see one another as sisters and to begin to break through prejudices and attitudes that have been formed in ignorance. When a Jewish and an Arab woman speak on the subject of hope and the message that comes through both of them is the same and focused on the coming of our Lord, walls begin to crumble and a climate of trust is produces. The sessions that dealt with longings and expectations were the most encouraging. Clearly our longings are all the same and whether we are Jew or Arab, our heart's desire is to draw closer to the Lord and to see our people be touched by the gospel. Praying for one another is truly wonderful way to build bridges across the chasm that too easily divides the people here in the Middle East.

Lisa Loden, March 2000-Women's Committee Coordinator

THEOLOGY OF THE LAND BOOK:

During the past five years, a series of four consultations on the Theology of the Land has invited speakers from Palestinian Christian Arab, Western Christian, and Messianic Israeli Jewish backgrounds. The Bible and the Land: An Encounter, edited by Lisa Loden, Peter Walker, and Michael Wood, includes various papers presented by scholars at these consultations.

From the introduction: "There are varieties of ways in which people of faith respond to this conviction that this land has been associated with the activity of their God. . . . But for the Christians . . . the deeper issue that divides is: How are we to apply today the divine promise related to the Land? Lurking beneath all the political controversy in the current Middle East, there lies this essentially theological question. This is the tough, crucial question at the heart of this collection."

Musalaha is pleased to be able to publish this material which represents many different theological positions, and we pray especially that the book will contribute to a greater understanding among believers concerning this sensitive issue. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please contact us via email, fax or mail. The cost is $12.

HARDSHIP TRIP (POST-ARMY, POST-INTIFADA FOLLOW-UP PROJECT)

Participants from the September desert encounter chose, as part of their follow-up projects, to visit hardship places, or places where traumatic events have taken place on both Israeli and Palestinian sides. The group spent the morning in Bet Jala, next to Bethlehem, at the home of a family who had lost their father in the Intifada. They were very moved as Josef and his mother told the story of his father being shot just 50 meters outside their home, and closed their time together in prayer for the family.

From there, the group moved into West Jerusalem and this time heard a second, and equally difficult, story. Dania told of the afternoon that she returned to work in downtown Jerusalem, and only seconds after entering the building, loud explosions occurred just outside. Three terrorist bombs had gone off on the street she had just walked down. The group had some time for discussion and comments and again the group ended the visit in prayer. Their time together was a rare opportunity to face the painful situations that have been part of both Israeli's and Palestinians lives, and to pray for healing.

After the festivities of the Christmas season, we quickly entered the birthday season at the Munayer house. Daniel turned 8 in January, John became 6 and Sam turned 2 in February. The boys keep busy with Arabic and English lessons, basketball, judo, and even a little piano. Sam is old enough to go to a day care for two days a week, so that will give Kay more free time to do things outside the home. Salim successfully defended his dissertation in January, and after a few revisions will be awarded a PhD degree. Thank each of you who prayed for him during this long process. He continues to maintain a rigorous schedule, teaching at both the Bethlehem Bible College and the Israel College of the Bible.

The first of the Christian curriculum in Arabic for Palestinian schools has been printed, and the response has been quite favorable from the ministry of education. We are exploring ways and places to distribute the book, as well as continuing to work on the other books of the series, which includes a text on Christian ethics and another on the Bible.

YOUTH LEADERS CONFERENCE

As we write this newsletter, we have just finished the second weekend of our Musalaha/Youth for Christ training conference for youth leaders. This is our first time to work together and provide this kind of program, and we are very pleased with the results. Altogether we had about 25 youth workers, mostly Palestinian but with some Israeli and international people. It was an interesting mix of people, as we had representatives from King's Kids, CMA, Brethren, Messianic, Nazarene, Catholic, and interdenominational congregations.

For some, it was the first time they had met with such a diverse group of believers. One Palestinian from Ramallah had never met a Jew who believed in Jesus, and in fact had difficulty understanding the concept until this conference. A young Israeli very involved in several Messianic youth groups was beginning to learn the guitar, practicing morning and night. He was quite enthusiastic about adding Arabic worship songs to his repertoire, and joined the others in a spontaneous worship time one evening. Another musician, Yousef, was part of the group. He had previously participated in one Musalaha event, a Youth Desert Encounter, and was actually one of the more difficult participants of that group; so much that he had to be sent home. It was amazing to see the change and maturity that had come over him in the past 9 months, and it was a true joy to have him participating in this program.

Several young people were just beginning to start youth programs in their churches and were able to learn valuable tools that could help them in their endeavors. We discussed topics such as youth culture, leadership skills, roles and purposes, teamwork, discipline, planning, and church involvement. Many expressed appreciation for the program and felt that it filled a need.

Musalaha is glad to be able to serve the body of believers in this way, and we ask that you join us in praying that such efforts will further cooperation between different youth ministries and build up the youth programs in the land.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MUSIC CONFERENCE

Musalaha is introducing a new and requested event. In late March, a group of young people will meet to worship the Lord together in Arabic and Hebrew. So often, the language of the other group seems to be identified with the language of the enemy. For each group to learn words of the other language and especially to praise the Lord in this language, can give a different perspective on the language and the people speaking it.

The conference will help young people to learn some songs that can aid them in leading worship in their congregations and at joint student meetings or conferences. There will be two mixed groups who will be taught both Hebrew and Arabic songs. In the evening, we will have fun activities to get to know one another and Saturday the training will end in a worship session for the participants and others who would like to join.

EXPO TRAINING

The group that will be traveling to Hannover, Germany, for the Expo 2000 evangelism project, has met once in Bethlehem for training and will continue to meet monthly. Please pray that the team will continue to grow in unity and understanding. In August they will go to the Expo world's fair to have a joint outreach to Israelis and Muslims who will be visiting the Expo and related events.

DESERT ENCOUNTERS

April 20-24 is our first ever Student Desert Encounter, geared specifically towards university and college students in Israel and Palestinian areas.

April 24-27 is the fourth annual Youth Desert Encounter, for youth ages 13 to 18.

With each trip we face the challenges of dealing with political and cultural differences and of recruiting participants. While many are interested and enthusiastic, others express concerns about the necessity and impact of such activities. Although it can be difficult, we are glad to address such questions, and encourage people to experience the desert and learn the answers first hand. We do ask for your prayers for wisdom, and for the Lord to open the hearts and minds of each of us as we prepare for the trips.