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The past few months in the Middle East have been marked by intense violence, death and destruction. The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has resulted in close to over 23,000 people killed and over 59,000 wounded. We grieve and lament deeply for the innocent lives lost and the continued disregard for the sanctity of life.
At the onset of the war back in October, our General Secretary released a statement and a special prayer urging peace and an end to the violence. Since then, we have continued to offer special prayers about the war and calls to action for sustaining peace.
We invite you and your church community to use the various prayers below and join in heart and spirit as we continue to pray and advocate for lasting peace and rebuilding in the Middle East. If you are interested in learning more about ways you can engage and stand in the G.A.P, we recommend checking out Churches for Middle East Peace (of whom the CRCNA is a participating member) for additional resources and opportunities.
Special Prayers:
- Prayer for the loss of life and those grieving in Israel
- Prayer for justice for those harmed and oppressed
- Prayer for vulnerable children and the captives in Israel and Gaza
- Prayer for worsening conditions in Gaza and innocent civilians
- Prayer for the Christian Community in Gaza
- Prayer for our Muslim and Jewish neighbors
- Prayer for medical infrastructure and the captives
- Prayer for patients and medical staff in Gaza
Comments
I can't understand why the CRCNA is a "participating member" of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), which appears to be a political advocacy organization that is pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel. CMEP's most recently political advocacy campaign is "#CeasefireNOW" (https://cmep.org/takeaction/action-alerts/), which fairly characterized is a political effort that opposes the government of Israel and favors Hamas (the government of Gaza).
I'm not suggesting the CRCNA should take a different political side, but rather not take a side, nor encourage CRCNA congregations and members to take a side.
Personally, I believe advocating "#CeasefireNOW" ultimately does great injustice and harm to Gazan Palestinians who would greatly benefit -- in a justice kind of way -- from the elimination of Hamas, as well as to the people of the nation of Israel. But that's my political opinion and I would never suggest that the denomination adopt it. But, why should the denomination adopt/support/endorse a contrary political stand, which it does by its "participating membership" in CMEP?
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