Palestine/Israel Film Series hosted by Pasadena Churches - March

This film series will offer local Christians across denominations an opportunity to grow together in understanding, prayer, and action in response to the deep suffering and injustices experienced by people in the Holy Land. We especially want to understand the history of what led up to both the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7th, 2023 and the retaliation of Israel over the last year as we learn how we can respond as Christians. The series is hosted by different Pasadena churches and sponsored by the Clergy Community Coalition, the Center for Restorative Justice, and Brehm Film of Fuller Theological Seminary.

• February 21st, 7 PM: at Pasadena Foursquare Church
• March 28th, 7 PM: : at First Baptist Church of Pasadena
• April (date TBD): at Fuller Seminary
• May (date TBD): at La Fuente Ministries located at First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena; Bilingual Spanish/ English screening and discussion hosted by La Fuente Ministries and Pasadena Mennonite Church
• June (date and location TBD):

Based on the content of the films we recommend children be 12+. Younger children can attend with parental supervision.

• Join in education that leads to action: We value the kind of education that isn’t just for the sake of more knowledge, but that moves us toward hopeful action together – by the power of the Holy Spirit – to join in God’s reign of justice, peace and love.
• Offer safe/ brave space: We want to create spaces where members of our congregations will feel safe and brave enough to bring their honest and vulnerable questions, and where it is okay to come with very little background knowledge with a spirit of humility and mutual learning.
• Grow in prayer and community: We value the power of prayer in unity as the body of Christ. We desire to come together across denominations in Pasadena to pray after each film, and connect with a larger community of people who are seeking to wrestle with global political issues and their faith.
• Lament: We desire to “mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15) and to open our hearts to lament with those who are grieving in the Holy Land. This may also include confession of our own sins and the sins of our nation.
• Christian witness: We want to listen to the often-unheard voices of Palestinian Christians and listen for how the Spirit of God is calling us to respond to their testimonies. We recognize the image of God in Jews and Muslims living in the Holy Land as well, and value their voices through these films.
• Offer tangible support to those suffering: Participants in each film screening will be invited to donate* toward suggested humanitarian aid organizations in Gaza who are offering life-saving support in the midst of famine, starvation and the lack of medical care.
• Seek Jesus’ justice and peace: Jesus proclaimed freedom for the oppressed as part of his Luke 4 “mission statement” (v.18). In that spirit, we seek to respond to what we see and hear in these films with Jesus’ compassion for the oppressed and with the values of practicing Jesus’ justice and peace.

*Donations will be collected at each film screening and will go to one of the following humanitarian aid groups:

• Palestine Children's Relief Fund (https://pcrf.net)
• Middle East Children's Alliance (www.mecaforpeace.org)
• KINDER USA (www.kinderusa.org)
• UNICEF (www.unicefusa.org)
• UNRWA (unrawusa.org)
• Doctors Without Borders (https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

Looking forward to growing and partnering together!

Host or Publisher Pasadena Churches