May 9, 2006

No place on earth is as special as Bethlehem, the Palestinian city that was blessed and chosen by God to be the birthplace of the messenger of peace and love.
-Yasser Arafat

Welcome to Bethlehem! Welcome to the one place on our small planet that has the greatest reason for shining as a beacon of hope: the birthplace of the Prince of Peace. Stay a few moments and walk through her cobblestone streets lined with souvenir shops and bakeries. Admire the spires of churches and mosques dancing above the humble skyline.

Last week marked the end of an eight-day educational peacemaking conference with 97 delegates from 32 presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Near the end of the conference, personal testimonies of spiritual transformation included pastors, teenagers, General Assembly staff, and one Holocaust survivor. The majority of participants shared a renewed passion for justice and peace, and brainstormed a few practical tools to bring those lofty ideals to life within their local churches and presbyteries.

I participated in most of the conference and was delighted to meet peacemakers from the three dominant religions and both states. One of the speakers was the first woman to be ordained as a rabbi in Israel, Naamah Kelman, who has worked passionately for two decades to promote an interpretation of modern Judaism that allows for respect of Muslims and contiguity of the upcoming Palestinian state. She impressed me.

Lutheran and Anglican bishops in Jerusalem thanked our delegation on behalf of their respective churches for our denomination’s unwavering opposition to the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, brought to light by the 2004 General Assembly’s call for a study of phased, selective divestment from companies that profit from the occupation.

My supervisor and pastor, the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, challenges the staff of the International Center of Bethlehem (ICB), the place of my

employment, to envision a new Bethlehem and then work to create it. And that is exactly what they are doing.

I seem to have stumbled into some exciting work: helping create a contextual Palestinian music and liturgy at the Lutheran Christmas Church and creating from scratch a collegiate music program at the forthcoming Dar Al-Kalima College. We will offer a two-year associate’s degree of music in addition to degrees in art, media technology, communications, and tourism. Assuming it works, it will become the first college to offer a music degree in the Palestinian territories. You can view the ministries of the ICB anytime and check our progress on the college online at the International Center of Bethlehem's Web site.

lost their jobs last week due to decreased congregational support.

May the peace that passes understanding not pass us entirely.

Matthew Middleton