A bridge of hope? The Baptist witness in Israel and Palestine

Mark Hirst, Lisa Kerry and Alan Kerry were part of a small delegation of British leaders to meet Baptists in Israel and the West Bank in January, in a visit planned long before the war.

Baptists are a unique bridge between different people groups and cultures in the region, with a commitment to peacemaking, Mark writes. He shares this and other reflections from the trip to help fuel our prayers

In January, three leaders from Central Baptist Association (CBA) and South Eastern Baptist Baptist Association (SEBA) went to Nazareth to meet with members of the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel, Nazareth Evangelical College, the wider Council of Evangelical Churches in Israel and to visit believers in the West Bank.

We went under the auspices of the charity Baptist Twinning in Israel, and we aimed to build on longstanding relationships between churches there and in the UK.

The visit was planned before the war started and in spite of the challenging circumstances (we were the first visitors many had received since the war began), it seemed to be God’s perfect timing; indeed, it was a privilege to be with our brothers and sisters in this time.

Alongside understanding the challenges facing our brothers and sisters in the current conflict, we also wanted to understand the opportunities for fruitful partnerships between our churches moving forward.

Many of our conversations led us to think and pray for all those in Gaza as we heard in particular about the trials believers are going through there.

We learnt a great deal during our short time and were richly blessed by the many conversations and meetings we were involved in.

Here are some snapshots of inspiration, wisdom and encouragement for the church here in UK; please use these to fuel your prayers…

 
A forgotten minority or a bridge of hope?

When people think about the many different groups living in the land, they sometimes forget about the small number of Arab Christians there, particularly evangelicals who number between three and five thousand people.

They are Israelis (some would prefer the term Palestinian) but not Jewish; they are Arab but not Muslim; even they are Christian but not Orthodox.

They shared how this can lead them to being misunderstood/misrepresented by others, the present conflict being particularly hard. They can also be forgotten by the rest of the world looking in.

However, those we were with shared how as Arab Israelis, they are a unique bridge between Israelis and Palestinians, Arab and Jew, Muslims and Christians and adherents of Judaism, and indeed, between other minority groups in the land too, such as the Druze community.

This is incredibly hard in the present moment but there is an important role for our brothers and sisters to play in the future of their nation, and this part of the world.

 
A college with a vision to transform a nation

Spending time with the faculty of Nazareth Evangelical College, we heard about the vision of the college to have a kingdom impact on the whole nation. They have an understanding of what leaders require to do this, encouraging their students to have a close relationship with God and understand the Bible well. They training them in core leadership competencies, but also equip them to understand Islam and Judaism, to be peacemakers, to relate well to other church families.

Programmes are written accordingly, and have attracted in students from orthodox and catholic backgrounds to study with them. The faculty has also received invitations to share about Jesus in synagogues. The college is now connecting with students online from a number of nations and reaching many thousands more through the publication of essays and other literature. 
 

“Blessed are the peacemakers”

This peacemaking theme runs like a golden thread through everything else we learned. Sitting with Rula Mansour, director of the Nazareth Peace Centre and well-recognised scholar in peace studies, we heard her personal story from studying law, to working in the justice department in Israel, to her study of Christian ethics in the area of reconciliation theology and peacemaking in dialogue with Miroslav Wolf.

She shared with us the importance of justice and forgiveness going hand in hand for true reconciliation, and the misunderstanding in many cultures that the two somehow work in opposition.

She sees the students they raise up through the college as key people, able to bring reconciliation and justice in their communities through Jesus. Although she sees this primarily as a grassroots Kingdom movement, the wisdom and experience with which God has gifted her make her voice one that is much needed on a national and global level. 

 
Young adults coming to faith in the midst of pressure

There is a strong work among young adults across the Association of Baptist Churches. We spent time with the Young Adult coordinator for the association, Luna Matar, who is based in Cana of Galilee. The church in Cana is 60 per cent young adults and youth, more recently with many young men coming to faith from the surrounding community.

This is all the more surprising given the challenges they face as Christian believers. Religious fanatics are fairly prevalent in the community, and hold a lot of social, economical and political power. There are also problems with organised crime and the violence that comes with it.

This has an impact on young people and those who attend the church are often discriminated against, and even face pressure from other traditional denominations in the town.

However, these believers are a light in the darkness and it is a light that keeps on growing. Luna shared with us, “suffering is part of the deal, when we suffer people see Christ… we receive strength in the battle… the power of his resurrection is more than enough.”


A church birthed in revival, looking to plant

We spent the evening with a vibrant growing, intergenerational church in Kfar Yasif. It was established through a revival in the town in 1940 and led by a local believer. Subsequently the church experienced further moves of the Holy Spirit in 1970 and 2000 with many coming to faith from the town.

Pastor Khaled who leads the church shared that he is not afraid to make big changes and think outside the box as they run out of space in their meetings. They have a desire to train their congregation how to reach the non-christian majority in their town, and in the next 10 years to plant new churches in the six surrounding villages where some of the congregation already live.

Pastor Khaled is passionate about seeing the whole of the Association of Baptist Churches encouraged and has recently taken his all his congregation to the Sunday morning service of another church in the association!
 

When one part of the body suffers…

We spent time with believers in the West Bank, many of whom have connections with Gaza, some originally from Gaza themselves. Ramallah Local Church are supporting some 1000 believers in Gaza in very difficult circumstances, even as they are in great need themselves at this time.

They have seen rising tension in their communities too but they continue to faithfully witness to Jesus, serving and praying for their neighbours.


About Baptist Twinning in Israel

Baptist Twinning in Israel is a charity that seeks to develop fruitful partnerships between UK Baptist churches and churches in the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel. Over the years there have been many key relationships between leaders, churches and associations (CBA and SEBA) with believers in this part of the world.

We are always keen to hear from any leaders or churches that are interested in supporting believers in Israel-Palestine with opportunities to connect with our brothers and sisters in nation.


You can email mark@willesboroughbaptist.church if you are interested in finding out more
 

Mark Hirst is the minister at Willesborough Baptist Church, Kent

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