A 2023 nativity scene shows baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh and placed in a pile of rubble in the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, the West Bank.
Time:
3:00pm Central Europe / Central Africa (4:00pm East Africa Time / Jerusalem, 2:00pm UK, 9:00am USA Eastern, 6:30pm India Time)
Meeting Theme:
Christians working for justice and peace often feel marginal, both in the face of divisions within the wider community and even in their limited reach and camaraderie within Christian communities. Although western Christians may come from contexts in which Christianity has been overt, widespread, and “dominant,” many Christians working for justice and peace both in the West and around the world feel a sense of isolation among Christians and discouragement about their limited impact in wider society.
Saleem Anfous, a Palestinian Christian tour guide and Project Manager for the peacebuilding organization Musalaha, joins this call to discuss how marginalized communities, either based on their identity or their motives to work for justice and peace, have much more power and influence than they often recognize or imagine. It is not about their numbers. Rather it is because of our faith to empower us to follow Jesus and live toward God’s vision of holistic and just peace. Small numbers of seemingly powerless Christian peacebuilders can speak and change their society and the world.
Discussion questions:
What are the challenges and obstacles we experience as peacebuilders working from the margins and how do we navigate them? Do you refrain from speaking out or taking action because of fear of further marginalization or is it because of the difficulty of developing impactful strategies and interventions?
How does marginalization provide a new wisdom and insight to offer something fresh, new, and effective? How can experiences of marginalization equip and empower us in our work?
Facilitators:
