Peacemaking Committee Connections with the Wider Church
Presbytery of Philadelphia
Members of the SPC Peacemaking Committee have been active over the years with the Presbytery of Philadelphia’s Peacemaking Committee.
Israel Palestine Mission Network
The 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2004 directed the formation of a Worldwide Ministries Division-related Palestine Mission “for the purpose of creating currents of wider and deeper Presbyterian involvement with Palestinian partners, aimed at demonstrating solidarity and changing the conditions that erode the humanity of Palestinians living in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.”
One of the members of the SPC committee was invited to attend the initial meeting of this network in April 2005 for several years served on its steering committee. The network’s mission is “to engage, consolidate, nourish, and channel the energy in the Presbyterian Church (USA) toward the goal of a just peace in Israel and Palestine by facilitating education, promoting partnerships, and coordinating advocacy.” For more information, go to http://www.israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org.
One of the projects of the network is to support the Palestinian economy. The SPC Peacemaking Committee participates in one of these efforts by selling West Bank fair trade olive oil occasionally during "coffee & fellowship" after worship.