I hope to continue to be a student of the realities of the Holy Land…until hopefully one day the reality on the ground in Palestine matches the reality of God’s vision of justice that leads to peace for the whole of the land.
Rachel, pilgrim from Duke Divinity School
ATLANTA – It was a difficult time to travel to Israel and Palestine, a year and seven months after the Gaza war had begun. Yet, for the purpose of understanding the tensions and dynamics of the Israeli and Palestinian struggle in the Middle East, it may have been a good time to go. So, despite the war and the warnings, difficulties in travel and arrangements, the Methodist Pilgrimage proceeded as planned.
A pilgrimage is more than a trip or vacation to see new sights in new lands. A pilgrimage is also undertaken in solidarity with others, accompanied often by the very people the pilgrims seek to understand. This pilgrimage offered participants a unique opportunity to engage deeply with the sacred heritage of the Holy Land while gaining insight into the challenges faced by its people, particularly the Palestinian Christian community.
The United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries sponsored this Come and See initiative. Hosting the group in Jerusalem was the World Council of Churches Jerusalem Liaison Office (JLO) with support from the Methodist Liaison Office (MLO), which is a collaboration of Global Ministries, the Methodist Church in Britain and the World Methodist Council.
More specific goals for this trip were to reflect theologically on justice, peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land, connecting Methodist faith with regional realities and equipping Methodist seminary participants with educational resources and sessions to advocate for peace and justice in the region. But they were also there to support and amplify Palestinian Christian voices in solidarity with local communities, learning about their challenges and hopes for the future, especially given the recent conflict in Gaza and repercussions in the West Bank.
Visits to new places reveal long-time partners for peace
Pilgrimage is a powerful spiritual experience of pain and hope. Traveling together we witness injustice, tragedy, suffering. We listen, watch, weep, embrace. We step for a brief series of days into the generational suffering of people we now know as friends. How grateful to God we are for living in community with those who persevere in the land we together call holy.
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward – pilgrim from the Council of Bishops
Since 1964, the Princess Basma Centre on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem has provided rehabilitation services for children with a range of congenital, neuromuscular and developmental disorders alongside social and emotional assistance. Children from East Jerusalem are treated on an outpatient basis; children from the West Bank and Gaza enroll in residential programs for periods of two to three weeks. Methodists have supported this ministry through Advance giving for decades.
The visiting team discovered that last year, in the height of Israeli military action against Gaza City, Princess Basma decided to open a satellite unit partnered with a hospital in Gaza City. Since the ceasefire, it has expanded its outreach. Resident families with disabled children and those with children injured during the war could not leave when advised to do so. Princess Basma staff provided much-needed professional health and counseling services with staff inside Gaza.
The pilgrimage team also learned that in many parts of the West Bank, Palestinian children are losing access to education. One in five will not make it past the fifth grade. At Hope School in Beit Jala in the West Bank, the team was introduced to some of the difficulties that Palestinian youth and children encounter. Their education has been interrupted many days because of road closures and Israeli roadblocks, harassment and threats, making it impossible for children to reach their schools. Switching to online classes has helped, but often the internet service or electricity goes down, causing more interruptions to education. Yet, determined teachers, parents and youth do everything they can to keep the school open and active.
The travelers also visited Wadi Foquin Narjes, a Palestinian village surrounded by Israeli settlements. Methodists have helped to support ongoing development work in the village, where residents face mounting obstacles to basic necessities, like food and water, education and health care. Other partner sites included the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches and a youth training program of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center.
Walking in Christ’s Way of Peace
The next moment of spirituality came in Wadi Foquin, at a tiny market that supports the local women. I had a long engagement of eye contact with zero common language with the Muslim shop owner as she held my hands and we silently blessed each other.
Sue, pilgrim from Iliff School of Theology
In response to the rise of global and regional conflicts, Global Ministries is committed to advancing peace and justice, grounded in the Gospel values of love, compassion and reconciliation. Working in collaboration with global, regional, national and local partners, Peace and Justice ministries foster advocacy, accompaniment and action networks. Ministries focus on strengthening interfaith collaboration and supporting humanitarian aid and development programs.
Through initiatives such as the peace pilgrimage, mediation, reconciliation training and the advocacy academy for human rights, leaders are equipped to meet conflict with negotiation and dialogue. Amid challenges such as recent reductions in international development funding, this ministry stands in solidarity with regions of greatest need, bearing witness to the Gospel by promoting justice, peace and reconciliation for vulnerable communities worldwide.
Global Ministries will continue to host pilgrimages, offering young people the opportunity to engage and deepen their commitment to peace and justice.
Help us provide further opportunities and experiences that continue a way of life that values and actively works for peace in this world.
