CHICAGO, IL (December 22, 2017) – The recent announcement by the US Administration to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem shines a spotlight on the complex and potentially volatile nature of matters in the Holy Land.
In 2017 the Covenant recognized the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as a new mission region. Although we are early in our development of resources and partnerships we nevertheless invite your prayerful engagement around recent developments related to Jerusalem. How we engage as individuals and church communities will be evidence of our faith in action.
- Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as the psalmist writes in Psalm 122:6. Its people have endured much, from the writing of that psalm through today.
- Pray for understanding. The history of modern day Jerusalem is complex, varied, and subject to conflicting – and passionate- claims. This includes Israelis and Palestinians; Jews, Christians, and Muslims; deep pain and longing hearts evident among all. Seek to better understand the cross-currents on this matter, and the moral cause and symbolic power it represents for those competing points of view.
- Pray for our partners on the ground. Even in these early days of MENA, God has lead us to credible and effective partners who are living faithfully as Christ-followers in the midst of the volatility and tension. This is especially true for our Palestinian Christian partners, who are now even more vulnerable and in need of our support. Give thanks for their perseverance and influence as peace-makers, praying for continued wisdom and safety.
- Pray for the witness of unity among Palestinian and Israeli Christians. Pray for an outpouring of the Spirit of God to be at work in the hearts of Jews and Muslims drawing them to a relationship with Jesus.
- Pray for our MENA ministry. May the Spirit of God ignite us as Christ followers to love more deeply and freely in the midst of such complexity. Pray for the continued unfolding of God’s pathways to engagement and partnership.
- Pray for our Covenant family, that we would be people who extend love and graciousness to one another despite potentially contentious matters as we learn and grow with respect to the region and its complicated and ingrained issues.
The MENA team is available to you as a resource to the ECC. We do not have all the answers but are ready and willing to journey with our family of churches as we together seek to live into the holistic peace that Jesus calls us to live. Feel free to contact us at menarc@eccmail.com
