Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - Office of the General Assembly - Middle East study team to begin its task in April.

Middle East study team to begin its task in April

March 25, 2009

Middle East study team to begin its task in April

Nine members will meet April 1-3 in D.C.

Members of the newly appointed General Assembly Committee to Prepare a Comprehensive Study Focused on Israel Palestine have a challenging task ahead of them when they meet next week in Washington, D.C.

The 218th General Assembly (2008) has asked this Middle East study team, appointed by the current and previous past two moderators of the General Assembly, to “prepare a comprehensive study, with recommendations, that is focused on Israel Palestine within the complex context of the Middle East.”

The assembly action went on to include, “The study should include an evaluation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s mission and relationships, including an assessment of the future for the Christian presence and witness in the Middle East, an overview of the complex interactions among religions, cultures, and peoples that characterize the region, an analysis of U.S. policies that impact the area, and steps to be taken with our partners in the Middle East and the United States to foster justice, improve interfaith relations, and nurture the building of peace toward a secure and viable future for all.”

The committee’s first meeting will be April 1-3 (noon to noon) in Washington, D.C. The location was selected because of the resources available to the group in the nation’s capital.

The proposed agenda includes time for getting organized and oriented to the task, as well as hearing from different constituencies regarding Presbyterian policy and U. S. policy in the Middle East.

The group plans to travel to the Middle East in August.
The nine members of the committee, who represent a broad spectrum of viewpoints on this issue, are the Reverends Susan R. Andrews (Hudson River Presbytery), John Huffman (Los Ranchos Presbytery), Rebecca Reyes (New Hope Presbytery), Marthame Sanders (Greater Atlanta Presbytery), Ronald L. Shive (Salem Presbytery), and John W. Wimberly, Jr. (National Capital Presbytery), and elders Frederic W. Bush (Los Ranchos Presbytery), Nahida H. Gordon (Muskingum Valley Presbytery), and Lucy Janjigian (Palisades Presbytery).