About living stones
The Living Stones ministry is the Church of the Good Shepherd's attempt to:
stand with Christians in the holy land.
share our experiences in the region with others in the local community.
raise awareness about the Israeli/Palestine conflict and its effect on the Palestinian Christians and their neighbors by hosting speakers and groups working for peace.
directly support our sister parishes in Ramallah and Zebabdeh with scholarships, supplies, prayer, and moral support.
The name Living Stones was chosen for this ministry because "Living Stones " is the name of the Palestinian Christians in the HolyLand who have been present in Palestine since the first Pentecost.
Understanding the Kairos Document
We'll be studying the Kairos Palestine document, full title of which is "A moment of truth: A word of faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering", a call by a number of Palestinian Christians to Christians around the world to help fight the Israeli occupation. Here's an introduction to the document from Naim Ateek, a Christian Palestinian, and founder of Sabeel, Christian Ecumenical Liberation:
Major activities of Living Stones
These include:
Participating in witness trip to Israel/Palestine.
Developing daily bible study program for witness trip participants.
Running Jerusalem Marketplace at CGS on Sundays around Easter and Christmas selling Fair Trade goods (olive oil, coffee, Palestine handcrafts, bring and buy item, etc.) to raise money for our sister parishes.
Preparing presentation on Nazareth and Bethlehem for bible study groups at Christmas. We have adapted and expanded the Bethlehem presentation for use with other churches.
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)
Further information from our allies in mission on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement can be found here:
Episcopal Peace Fellowship/Palestine Israel Network (EPF/PIN)
Jewish Voice for Peace Boston
U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights