Palestine - Israel Network (PIN)
The Mennonite Church BC Palestine and Israel Network (MCBC PIN) is a network of individuals who seek to promote a just peace in the Holy Land.
Our mandate is aligned with the resolution on Palestine and Israel that was passed at the Mennonite Church Canada 2016 Assembly, in response to the call of Palestinian Christians.
In keeping with the activities of the resolution, the MCBC PIN seeks to:
- stimulate prayer, education, and advocacy action in our congregations,
- collaborate with Canadian Jews, Palestinians, and church-related bodies advocating for justice and dignity for all in Palestine and Israel,
- promote support for international law and human rights in Israel and Palestine by engaging our government representatives, and
- discourage economic practices and policies that help perpetuate the oppression of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
PRAY
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New Prayer Request ( March 27 2025 ) Last week, the ceasefire broke in the middle of the night, with Israeli attacks killing over 700 Palestinians in the span of 3 days. In the renewed attacks, Israel bombed a hospital as well as blocked movement from the North to the South. This push comes after 20 days of an aid blockade on Gaza, with displaced Palestinians running out of water and flour.
Holy God, there are no words left to describe the pain. We can only echo the words of the Psalmist: “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.” (Psalm 31:9) Lord continue to be near to the grieving, the terrified, the displaced. Hold them in their suffering and do not let this evil stand. We pray for an immediate cessation of violence and for justice to come to Gaza and all the people of the land.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
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New Prayer Request ( March 28 2025 ) Last week, Israel approved the recognition of over a dozen new settlements in the occupied West Bank, upgrading existing outposts. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the move, saying, “We raise the flag, we build and we settle,” calling it a step toward “de facto sovereignty” over the territory. The decision, seen as a violation of international law, deepens Palestinian displacement and further entrenches Israeli control over the West Bank.
God of the oppressed, we lift our voices in sorrow as we witness the deepening wounds of injustice in the land. The powerful seize what is not theirs, displacing families and uprooting communities. Strengthen those who resist injustice through nonviolence, restore what has been broken, and let truth shatter the lies of conquest. May the land be a place of home, not exile; of hope, not despair. Until that day, keep us steadfast in love and faithful in the work of liberation.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
LEARN
Webinar: "Martyrdom and Christian discipleship in today's Palestine."
In this 500th anniversary year, Anabaptists celebrate a robust discipleship that means putting one's very life on the line - sometimes literally. Today, emerging Palestinian theologian Sam Munayer is reflecting on what it means to follow Christ in the context of violence, religious extremism, and political turmoil in the land we often call "Holy." Join him and Mennonite Church Canada Palestine-Israel Network for a Zoom conversation on the subject, 12 noon to 1:15 Central Time, (10 am - 11.15 PT) on Saturday, April 12th. For the zoom link, or for more information, write to mc.canada.pin@gmail.com
