Resources for congregations

This preliminary list was created in Spring 2017 by Mennonite Central Committee Canada.  It will be updated periodically.  For more information, contact Mennonite Central Committee Canada, ottawa@mcccanada.ca

Download this list as a Word document. 

Upcoming Resources:

  1. Palestine Justice Exercise.  A one-hour experiential learning tool to help groups learn the history of Palestine and Israel so as to understand the present context.  Available from MCC offices in September, 2017.
  2. What is Palestine/Israel? Answers to Common Questions, by Sonia K. Weaver.  An updated version of this popular 64-page primer, originally produced by MCC in 2004.  Available in Canada in June 2017 from http://www.parasource.com

Resources with study guides: 

(suitable for use in adult SS classes or small group discussions)

  1. MCC and Palestine and Israel: Commonly asked Questions, MCC (2016).  A 15-page booklet outlining MCC’s work in Palestine and Israel and answering commonly asked questions.  Available in print through MCC offices in Canada and also online.
  2. Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth (Study Guide).  A seminal word of truth and cry for justice from Palestinian Christians, issued in 2009, along with an accompanying study guide prepared by the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network of Mennonite Church USA.  The study guide includes background information and outlines for four separate study sessions.  Available online.
  3. Under Vine and Fig Tree: Biblical Theologies of Land, edited by Alain Epp Weaver (2004). This MCC- commissioned work examines ways in which the Bible has been used to justify violence and dispossession and ways it can be received as a life-giving word for Palestinians and Israelis wishing to co-exist in peace and harmony.  Includes discussion questions, action suggestions, maps and a timeline.  Available through Cascadia Press or MennoMedia.

Books and other print material:

(suitable for individual or group learning)

  1. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: A question for the church.  MCC Peace Office Newsletter, July-September, 2012. 12-page newsletter with articles by assorted authors associated with MCC. Available by request from Ottawa@mcccanada.ca
  2. Christian Zionism and Peace in the Holy Land. MCC Peace Office Newsletter, July-September 2005. 12-page newsletter with articles by assorted authors closely associated with MCC.  Available by request from Ottawa@mcccanada.ca.
  3. Justice and only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation, by Naim Ateek (1990).  The foundational exploration of liberation theology from a Palestinian perspective, exploring biblical and theological issues in the context of present-day violence, oppression and dispossession. Available through Orbis Books and Amazon.
  4. Palestinian Memories: The Story of a Palestinian Mother and Her People, by Rev. Alex Awad.  The story of one Palestinian family’s experience of “The Nakba” (catastrophe), when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians became refugees in the wake of the Arab-Israeli war in 1948. Available from Bethlehem Bible College.
  5. Whose land? Whose promise? by Gary Burge.  An exploration of evangelical attitudes towards the politics and theology surrounding Israel and Palestine through personal anecdotes and biblical exegesis, written by Wheaton College professor Gary Burge.  Available through Amazon.

Videos and films:

  1. Children of the Nakba, produced by MCC (2004). For Palestinians, the events between 1947 and 1949 are remembered as a time when Israeli military forces destroyed over 500 Palestinian villages and expelled between 700,000 and 900,000 Palestinians from their lands--about 85 percent of the Palestinian population at that time. The film traces the story of one refugee family, still longing to return.  26 minutes. Available online.
  2. The Stones Cry Out. A documentary that tells the stories of Palestinian Christians, in their voices, from the Nakba of 1948 through the present. 56 minutes.  Available online.
  3. With God on Our Side examines the theology of Christian Zionism and demonstrates a biblical alternative that promotes peace and reconciliation for both Jews and Palestinians.  81 minutes. Study guide. Available for purchase. 

For more resources

  1. Visit CommonWord, the Bookstore and Resource Centre of Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian Mennonite University for its extensive collection on Palestine and Israel. 
  2. Follow MCC Palestine Update, an occasional blog of stories and information prepared by MCC staff in Palestine.
  3. Follow MCC’s Ottawa Office Notebook, a weekly blog of reflections on issues of peace, justice, faith and Canadian policy. Search for Palestine.

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