(Seattle) From Pews to Policy: Churches for Middle East Peace, Christian Witness, and Costly Solidarity at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
What does it mean for the church to act on its convictions for justice in Palestine, Israel, and the broader Middle East? Since 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) has been a pillar of Christian witness working for more just U.S. policy across the region. Today representing 37 member communions, including The Episcopal Church, this session will introduce CMEP’s history, ministry, and current advocacy priorities– with particular attention to the way the organization has engaged The Episcopal Church in America and The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Participants will also learn how to become involved in CMEP’s educational and advocacy efforts. Join CMEP at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church following 10 AM liturgy for this conversation!
Speaker
Destiny Magnett is the Programs and Outreach Manager at Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) where she serves as the primary liaison for church partners, oversees CMEP’s online and in-person educational programming, and co-leads the grassroots regional coordinator network. Grounded in deep commitments to justice, she draws from her own ecumenical Christian identity to help diverse American Christian communities deepen their understandings of the Middle East through storytelling, theological and scriptural investigation, and dialogue. Destiny holds an MTS and Religion & Public Life Certificate from Harvard Divinity School, where her work focused on decoloniality, religious ethics, peacebuilding, and religion in the public sphere. She also holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Grinnell College. Prior to joining CMEP, Destiny has lived and worked at the intersection of religion and peacebuilding in several contexts, including the Office of International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State, Search for Common Ground– Jordan, Harvard’s Office of Religion and Public Life, and on the digital humanities project Mapping Islamophobia. Destiny is also a member of the inaugural cohort of the storytelling fellows with The Narrative Project of the Christian Century and has appeared in Baptist News Global, The Christian Century, ChristianZionism.org, and more. While born and raised in Kansas, she is now based in the Boston area.