Helping the church share God's joy
“Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:15) A striking mural marks the entrance way inside the Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine. It shows the shepherds in the fields with the angel announcing the birth of the baby Jesus. “Don’t be afraid,” the angel says in Luke 2, “For I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.” Dr. Alex Awad tells our group of leaders from Mennonite Church USA that the college was started 35 years ago because the Palestinian churches were sending young leaders outside the country for training and many of them never came back. Mennonite organizations, including Mennonite Central Committee, have been strong supporters of the college. Dr. Awad is urging church leaders to come and see what has happened in Palestine since 1948. “What we should have learned from the Holocaust,” he says, “Is not to inflict injustice on another group of