Thursday, August 28, 2008

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Each Thursday at noon in Jerusalem, Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to celebrate the Eucharist, to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, and to pray for the specific needs of this region. Following the 2006 Sabeel International Conference, the Friends of Sabeel coordinators met and discussed the idea of "Waves of Prayer." The premise is that in their respective time zones, individuals and groups around the world will pray together at 12:00 on Thursdays, in solidarity with Sabeel in Jerusalem and with "Friends of Sabeel" worldwide. Starting in Australia, passing through Palestine, and on around the world we will pray for Peace with Justice and focus on specific issues each week.

Wave of Prayer for Thursday, August 28, 2008

We pray for all of those who are suffering as a result of Tropical Storm Fay, which hit the Caribbean and Florida this past week. We pray for those whose homes have been destroyed, those who have lost family and loved ones, and for all of those who are working to respond to this natural disaster.

We thank God for the success of attempts to break the blockade of Gaza. Two boats, the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty, crewed by international, Israeli, and Palestinian human rights activists, landed in Gaza on Saturday evening. We are grateful for the courage exhibited by the participants in this nonviolent action against the siege of Gaza, and pray for ongoing efforts to end collective punishment and bring peace and justice to the people Gaza.

We pray for the launch of Sabeel board member Jean Zaru's new book, Occupied With Nonviolence, which will take place Friday, August 29 at the Friends International Center in Ramallah. We thank God for Jean's persistent determination to speak the truth to power, whether it means speaking out against human rights violations or patriarchal structures.

We pray for the planning of Sabeel's Seventh International Conference, which will take place from November 12-19 in Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. We pray for the ongoing preparations for the conference, entitled "The Nakba: Memory, Reality, and Beyond," that we may educate and motivate the local and international community to act for justice and peace.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Each Thursday at noon in Jerusalem, Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to celebrate the Eucharist, to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, and to pray for the specific needs of this region. Following the 2006 Sabeel International Conference, the Friends of Sabeel coordinators met and discussed the idea of "Waves of Prayer." The premise is that in their respective time zones, individuals and groups around the world will pray together at 12:00 on Thursdays, in solidarity with Sabeel in Jerusalem and with "Friends of Sabeel" worldwide. Starting in Australia, passing through Palestine, and on around the world we will pray for Peace with Justice and focus on specific issues each week.

Wave of Prayer for Thursday, August 21, 2008

We continue to pray for the people of Georgia and the governments of Georgia and Russia as Russian troops still have not pulled out. We pray that the situation can be brought to a swift and peaceful end. We pray for all those who have been injured or killed in the fighting and we pray for all illegal occupations to end.

We pray for prisoners. We celebrate the release by Israel of Palestinian prisoners this past week, but are concerned that this release was used as a political move by Israel to grant credibility to the Fatah government and undermine the Hamas government. We continue to pray for reconciliation among Palestinian factions and for the release of all prisoners.

We thank God for the ongoing success and distribution of our Sabeel newsletter in Arabic, which is circulated among our local program participants.

We pray for the continuing planning process for our Young Friends of Sabeel outreach. We hope that this network of young friends will be beneficial for education, advocacy, and outreach efforts around the globe on behalf of the Palestinian Christian community and to promote a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Each Thursday at noon in Jerusalem, Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to celebrate the Eucharist, to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, and to pray for the specific needs of this region. Following the 2006 Sabeel International Conference, the Friends of Sabeel coordinators met and discussed the idea of "Waves of Prayer." The premise is that in their respective time zones, individuals and groups around the world will pray together at 12:00 on Thursdays, in solidarity with Sabeel in Jerusalem and with "Friends of Sabeel" worldwide. Starting in Australia, passing through Palestine, and on around the world we will pray for Peace with Justice and focus on specific issues each week.

Wave of Prayer for Thursday, August 14, 2008

We pray for peace between Russia and Georgia. We mourn those who have died in this violence and pray for comfort for their families.

We pray for the small boy who died this week due to lack of permission to leave Gaza for medical treatment, moving this number to over one hundred who have died during this last year. We pray that efforts like the Free Gaza Boat will raise international consciousness about this deteriorating situation.

We give thanks for Sabeel's Open Forum this week that tackles the challenging subject of what a future Palestinian state would look like. We pray that participants will be inspired after the conversation to work for their vision of a just resolution to the conflict.

We give thanks for the work of Les Amis de Sabeel and their commitment to translating the work of Sabeel in French so that more people around the world are able to read, understand and act.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Each week at 12:00 in Jerusalem Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to celebrate the eucharist, to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, and to pray for the specific needs of this region. Our hope is that in our respective time zones, individuals and groups around the world will pray together at 12:00 on Thursdays, in solidarity with Sabeel in Jerusalem and with “Friends of Sabeel” worldwide. Starting in Australia, passing through Palestine, and continuing on around the world we pray for Peace with Justice and focus on specific issues each week.

Wave of Prayer for Thursday, August 07, 2008

We pray for Gaza. We mourn the recent infighting between Hamas and Fatah factions and pray for the families of those hurt and killed. We pray for residents of Gaza who are denied entry into Israel for medical treatment, many of whom are being pressured into becoming informants in exchange for necessary treatment. We pray for God’s help in bringing justice and peace to the people of Gaza.

We pray for all those affected by the severe drought in the region, especially rural villages in the West Bank who face these hot summer days without adequate water. We pray that the Israeli government treat all of the people in this land, citizens and occupied, with an equitable distribution of water .

We pray for the local and international participants in Sabeel’s young adult conference as they travel to their respective homes. We thank God for their enthusiastic participation, and pray for their courage to share the stories and to advocate for a just solution to the conflict.

We thank God for the hundreds of "peace" squares that have been sent to Sabeel through our Friends of Sabeel Netherlands chapter for our Peace Tapestry. We are in awe of the diversity of visions of peace offered by our friends, both locally and internationally.