General Synod 2021 is now underway. UCC PIN encourages supporters to follow the progress of the resolution Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel as it makes it way through the deliberative process.
How and when to do that? Here are the opportunities:
Watch the educational intensive where Professor Shibley Telhami, interviewed by UCC News’ Hans Holznagel, provides background and context for the issues that the resolution addresses. Professor Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of several books, including The Stakes: America and the Middle East. You can find a longer bio about Professor Telhami here.
This pre-recorded interview is available here.
Watch the deliberations by Committee #6, as those General Synod delegates assigned the committee consider the resolution. Resolution committees are schedule to meet on three occasions:
Thursday, July 15, 5 – 7:30 pm ET
Friday, July 16, 2 – 3:30 pm ET
Saturday, July 17 1 – 2 pm ET
During the Thursday committee hearing, Allie Perry, representing Shalom UCC, New Haven, CT, the resolution’s lead congregation, will speak to the resolution and will be joined by UCC PIN steering committee member John Thomas. They will explain that the resolution comes as a response to the Cry for Hope (here)
that UCC’s Palestinian Christian partners issued a year ago and will include as part of their presentation an excerpt from Rifat Kassis’ endorsement video here
The chair for Committee #6 is Elliott Munn. The outcome of their deliberations can be to (1) recommend adoption of the resolution as originally submitted; (2) recommend adoption as amended by the committee; (3) recommend non-adoption. What they decide will then be reported out to the plenary
Attend and participate in the Implementation Conversation on Saturday, July 17, at 7 pm ET. A new feature at General Synod, Implementation Conversations provide an opportunity to brainstorm strategies and opportunities for implementing a particular resolution should it receive the support of two-thirds of the delegates. Facilitating the conversation for Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel will be UCC PIN steering committee members David Grishaw-Jones, Ariel Ackermann, and John Thomas.
Attend (if a Synod visitor) or participate in (if a delegate) the Plenary when Committee #6 issues their report and all General Synod delegates deliberate, and discern, and decide about it. The schedule for plenaries is:
Plenary 2 Friday, July 16, 4-6 pm ET
Plenary 3 Saturday, July 17, 4-6 pm ET
Plenary 4 Sunday, July 18, 1-4:30 pm ET
To access the text of the resolution go here.
To access the virtual General Synod if you are not a delegate, you must be registered as a visitor. You can do so here.
