Statement from Missions and Outreach Council Concerning Ongoing Violence in Gaza

Pullen’s Missions and Outreach Council has formally endorsed the Apartheid-Free Pledge https://apartheid-free.org/pledge/, which was set up by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) to allow organizations to respond to the situation in Palestine and Israel.

During our deliberations, several members of the Council stated that they supported the pledge but felt uneasy about potentially taking part in any form of antisemitism. To address that concern, simultaneously, M&O has chosen to formally endorse a longstanding statement issued by the Alliance of Baptists in 2003 that we feel clearly states our position on the Jewish–Christian relationship: 2003, Jewish-Christian Relations.pdf. In addition, we studied and appreciated the Jerusalem Declaration on Anti Semitism, which offers a thoughtful definition accompanied by guidelines https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/ and seeks to provide clarity on this subject.

Finally, we note that we support the moral sentiments outlined in a statement signed by the Alliance of Baptists as well as 26 other denominations in an October 2023 letter to Congress, Christian Faith Letter to Hill: Israel-Hamas Conflict, which clearly condemns the violence, including the violence perpetrated by Hamas, and pleas for the release of ALL hostages.

We hope that Pullenfolk will appreciate M&O’s desire to follow our hearts, as individuals and as a group, and to answer Nancy Petty’s recent suggestion to embody our feelings and choices around the painful history of this region. We invite the church to join us in pursuing more study, further dialogue and deeper understanding, out of which more action may flow.

- Missions & Outreach Council