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AEI-Open Windows Activities
World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, 4-10
June 2009
Joint actions for a just peace convened by the
World Council of Churches
INVITATION
TO
ACTION
As we are active partner in the international
working group, the Arab Educational Institute
would like to raise attention to the following
call for a World Week for Peace in Palestine
Israel, June
2009.
Gaza?
It is hard to imagine a more abject
demonstration of anti-peace policies than what
has just happened in Gaza. Who can accept the
use of sustained, disproportionate and often
indiscriminate force among civilians trapped in
one of the most densely populated places on
earth? Who can accept endless assertions that
the stronger party in a fight has all the rights
and the weaker party bears all the blame?
4-10 June 2009.
You are
receiving this invitation because you support or
practice ecumenical advocacy for a just and
sustainable peace in Palestine and Israel. For
the fourth year the World Council of Churches is
convening a week in June dedicated to
international church action for peace. The week
began as a way to demonstrate to governments
that churches worldwide are watching the
occupation, deeply concerned at its consequences
and acting together for peace. Sadly, that
premise is more valid now than ever. The week
is anchored in the Palestinian Christian
community and built by participants around the
world. You are earnestly invited to take
part.
Each
year the week has become stronger because more
and more groups contribute their strength and
commitment. Unique actions are linked by a
common message and purpose. With each passing
year, it becomes clearer that churches committed
to Israel-Palestine peace must do more of their
advocacy work together. The Amman Call attests
to that imperative; the Palestine Israel
Ecumenical Forum is enabling joint advocacy
initiatives to grow. This newly renamed ‘World
Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, 4-10 June
2009’ is one example.
Please
respond to this invitation in two ways:
-
Take a
minute to read how the World Week works and
see where you fit in. Then let us know that
you are going to be part of the action. (See
#1 below.)
-
Find out
more about the World Week and begin planning
what your church or related organization
will do for 2009. (#2 below)
1)
How the
World Week works & where you fit in.
There are three levels of participation:
a)
Working Group
– 12-18 people who make the week happen
i)
take responsibility in
their own context
ii)
bring that experience
to a monthly conference call, Nov – June
iii)
establish the
framework for the week which guides all
participants.
b)
Participants Circle
– 30-60 people who make the week stronger
i)
take responsibility
for actions in their own context
ii)
stay informed about
the message, prayer and common resources by
receiving and reading the monthly notes from the
Working Group
iii)
make connections and
seek information as needed
iv)
send in reports, post
information, visit the World Week site.
c)
Worldweek Friends
– 100-500
people who support the week and help it grow
i)
publicize the World
Week in churches and church-related networks
ii)
participate in events
iii)
sooner or later, move
into the Participants Circle.
2)
Find out
more & begin planning:
a)
See
what happened last year. Get ideas for your
church or specialized ministry in 2009.
b)
In just a few days
information about World Week 2009 will be ‘live’
on the WCC site at
www.worldweekforpeace.org. We’ll send you a
message.
c)
Make contact with
other participants. We will soon share the
lists we have for each of the three groups.
(With your understanding, all the people on our
general Middle East advocacy list are treated as
‘Worldweek Friends’.)
d)
Invite and help new
church-related groups to take part.
World
Week for Peace in Palestine Israel 2009 is built
on three types of action:
PRAYER
from the Churches in Jerusalem; EDUCATION
and awareness-raising using the message ‘It’s
Time for Palestine’ (with a focus on settlements
and links to existing church resource
materials); and
ADVOCACY
in political, economic, church and media
contexts.
Some
groups pray, educate and advocate. Others take
action in one or two categories. All feel the
call to act on the shared hope that justice will
be done for people at the center of this
conflict in Israel, the West Bank, East
Jerusalem and Gaza.
Please join us.
‘What’ and ‘How’ questions?
Beatrice.Merahi@wcc-coe.org +++ Other
questions?
Jonathan.Frerichs@wcc-coe.org
World Week for
Peace in Palestine Israel, 4-10 June 2009
Joint actions for a just peace convened by the
World Council of Churches
Formerly, ‘International Church Action for Peace
in Palestine and Israel’. |
