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October 6, 2008

Running where Jesus walked

GAC leaders visit Middle East partners, hear of unease and despair

by Janet Tuck
Communications Associate

SNOWBIRD, UT — “We ran where Jesus walked,” said a delegation of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders who reported Oct. 2 to the General Assembly Council (GAC) on their travels to the Middle East in late August.

Designed to introduce new GAC leadership to PC(USA) partners in the area, the group included Deputy Executive Director for Mission Tom Taylor, Director of Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministries Sara Lisherness, Director of World Mission Hunter Farrell, and GAC Chairperson Carol Adcock.

The delegation traveled to Beirut for five days, Amman for two days and Israel and Palestine for five days. 

In each place they met with church leaders and ecumenical partners, as well as Muslim and Jewish religious leaders.

From the sense of warm welcome they received to the realization that they “ran where Jesus walked,” delegation members said the journey was life changing.  

“It was striking how close the Christian community is in the Middle East,” said Taylor, noting that at 30 percent Christian, Lebanon has one of the larger Christian communities in the region. Because it so small and increasingly feels threatened by extremist groups, Taylor said, the Christian community is tight-knit and mutually supportive across faith communities throughout the region.

A primary example is the widespread influence of  the Near Eastern School of Theology (NEST) in Beirut. NEST President Mary Mikael told the delegation during its visit with her: “The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) continues its strong partnership with NEST, which trains nearly 95% of the Protestant Evangelical Church leaders in Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories, as well as many leaders in Kenya, Sudan and other African countries.”

From Lebanon the delegation traveled to Jordan, where they were struck by the vibrancy of the Christian community, Farrell said. 

The Rev. Samer Azar, pastor of Evangelical Lutheran Good Shepherd Church in Amman, told the delegation that his congregation had removed a wall that surrounded the church building — a visible attempt to be more transparent in a predominantly Muslim culture that is curious about the Christian community. 

Finally, the delegation drove from Amman to Israel, where they visited both Palestinian and Israeli leaders.

Adcock said they found a sense of despair in Palestine — a feeling of helpless resignation because Palestinian Christians and Muslims alike have no power and, since the construction of the separation wall between Israel and the West Bank, very little freedom of movement.

“While one can understand the terror of living with the constant threat of suicide attacks, Israel has taken the path of security at all costs,” Taylor said.  “The Palestinian people have fallen more and more into deep personal despair,”