Witnessing the war in Gaza can make us feel hopeless and like there's nothing we can do. Dr. Peter Makari (he/him), a Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe, shares with us today a message of hope, justice, and peace. He offers important background information in relationships in the Middle East and lifts up voices of Palestinian partners who are on the ground doing important work. Peter reminds us to recall Jesus' message of "who is my neighbor" and how that neighbor is not just the person next door, but our global neighbor as well. This is an important conversation and we hope it encourages you to utilize the links below to continue learning and connecting, and turning hope into action.

About Peter
Dr. Peter E. Makari (he/him), PhD, serves as Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe with the Common Global Ministries Board of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a position he has held since July 1, 2000.

He serves on the National Council of Churches’ Interreligious Convening Table, of which he is a co-convener, and has been an active participant in national Jewish-Christian and Muslim-Christian dialogue initiatives. He represents the UCC and Disciples on the Faith Forum for Middle East Policy, of which he is a co-convener, and on the board of Churches for Middle East Peace. He also represents the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on the Steering and Executive Committees of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign.

An Egyptian-American, Peter has lived in the Middle East, where he worked with the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS) in Cairo, Egypt (1991-1994), and then with the Middle East Council of Churches, based in Limassol, Cyprus (1997-2000).

Peter earned an M.A. in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo (1993) and a Ph.D. in Politics and Middle East Studies from New York University (2003). He is the author of Conflict and Cooperation: Christian-Muslim Relations in Contemporary Egypt (Syracuse University Press, 2007).

Peter is a member of West Park United Church of Christ in Cleveland, OH.

Important Links to Learn More

Global Ministries' Middle East and Europe Homepage: https://www.globalministries.org/regions/mee/

Resources, including recommended reading (under “Bookshelf”): https://www.globalministries.org/resource/mee_resources_index/

Our UCC and Disciples response page to the current crisis in the Middle East: https://www.globalministries.org/the-disciples-and-ucc-address-the-crisis-in-the-middle-east/

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