Tuesday, September 17, 2019, 6:30pm
Wesley United Methodist Church, 79 Clinton Street, Concord
Please set aside Tuesday evening the 17th of September to come to Wesley United Methodist Church located at 79 Clinton St in Concord at 6:30 PM and hear Michael and Carmen Zoughbi, Palestinian Christians from Bethlehem in the West Bank. Like other West Bank Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim, their lives and those of their six children are profoundly complicated by Israel’s occupation of this large territory. This husband and wife are living separately because Michael, a native of Bethlehem and Carmen, born in Jerusalem, are unable to travel between the two cities because it is so difficult to get permission from the government.
The Zoughbis are Melkite Catholics, an Eastern church in communion with Rome. They have come to the US several times to speak about the situation there and to promote the selling of olive wood carvings. These sales are a source of income for them and 46 other extended families. They will have a display of such items for sale at their visit to Wesley UMC.
With their photos and their testimony they will inform us on Palestinian and Middle Eastern Christianity and its long history, the movement restrictions as part of Israel’s occupation of the West bank, the economic impact of the occupation, loss of land and agricultural productivity to Israeli settlement building, the impact of Israeli military incursions into Bethlehem, attempts at non-violent conflict resolution, and answer questions from the attendees.
We are fortunate that the Zoughbis have made themselves available to us on this current tour. Don’t miss it!