Christ at the Checkpoint begins

On Monday evening we participated in the opening ceremonies at Christ at the Checkpoint. The evening was filled with introductions and short welcoming speeches. The most significant speech was by Dr. Salaam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. Dr. Fayyad described the steps that had been taken toward developing the infrastructure of the Territories. To me, a most significant statement he made was that the PA had accepted the idea of a two state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. While the conference is not about politics nor about government negotiations, Dr. Fayyad set the political context in which the Palestinian Christian church are ministering.

The keynote address was given by Dr. Bishara Awad, President of Bethlehem Bible College. President Awad described the aims and purposes of the conference: for evangelical churches in North America and Europe to meet with Christians from the Middle East, to encourage the Middle Eastern Christians who face isolation, for evangelical Christians to think through what it means to be like Christ in a situation of conflict, and to pray for and support one another in being faithful to Christ's mission. There is a live stream of the presentations at http://www.christatthecheckpoint.com/