Israel
Missionary Sunday comes to life at Pleasant Hope
Today was Missionary Sunday at Pleasant Hope. Missionary Sunday is usually the 5th Sunday of every month and highlights the service of the lovely ladies dressed in white who commit themselves to serving others in the name of the Lord. They sit on the second row and are called upon to read a scripture and provide a prayer to start the morning worship experience. This has traditionally been the Missionary Sunday experience.
Today however, we made a slight departure from that and began a new chapter by inviting an actual Missionary to be our morning speaker on Missionary Sunday. His name is David Hosey and he is a Mission Intern on the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. He has recently returned from a year and a half stay in Palestine/Israel and now works at an organization called U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
Missionary David spoke passionately about the need for all Believers to pray for, be educated about, and advocate for peace in the so-called Holy Land. He informed the congregation about the myriad of injustices being committed on the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli Government and with the support of the U.S. taxpayer. Checkpoints, an apartheid wall, and house demolitions describe a small fraction of the unjust conditions being thrust upon the Palestinian people.
However, Missionary David also spoke of the amazing faith and hope that can also be found among both the Israeli and Palestinian communities. While often described in american media as eternal enemies, Missionary David spoke about how Palestinians and Jews in Israel are working together to create a peaceful and just existence for all in the often troubled region.
Missionary Sunday will never be the same and prayerfully new missionaries will rise up right from the pews of Pleasant Hope to answer God’s call to spread peace, justice, and righteousness both locally and abroad in the name of Jesus.
