John Darlington
A retired United Methodist pastor. He has been with fact-finding teams in the Palestinian territories on three separate occasions.
Will speak on the following topics:
- Right of Return (of Palestinian refugees)
- Christian Zionism
- “Jesus at the Check Point”
- Confronting the Myths of the Mideast
Mary Davies
There has never been a time when it was more important for American teachers, K-12 young people, and all of us to learn about and understand the young people of the Middle East and the Arab World.
Mary Davies, retired United Methodist missionary in Palestine/Israel, and International liaison for the travel office of the Middle East Council of Churches has lived, worked and traveled in the Middle East since 1988. In both capacities, Mary and her late husband, Peter, designed and implemented travel programs for Westerners to meet Christians, Muslims and Jews working for a just peace in the region including Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq as well as Israel and Palestine. Returning to the United States, she worked as Mission Interpreter for the General Board of Global Missions and was co-founder of PIJP in Minnesota.
From 2004 to the present Mary has been presenting her curriculum, “Getting to Know the Young People of the Middle East and the Arab World to K-12 students and teachers in schools and churches. She returned to the region in 2009 and 2013, to make videos interviewing young people who told in their own words what they wanted American Young People to know about them. In the Tunisian video the young people tell about their experiences in the Arab Spring.
If you know a teacher who would be interested in knowing more about this curriculum, please let us know by completing our contact form & a member of our group will contact you.
Mary is a life-long member of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, a graduate and Trustee Emerita of Macalester College, and earned a Master’s Degree in TESOL at St. Cloud State University in 2005.
Sylvia Schwartz
A Jewish-American and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. She has been volunteering with an organization called LifeSource, based in Ramallah, which does research and advocacy on water and wastewater issues. Will present on water rights issues and Israeli violations of them. Please provide a computer and projector for her to use.
Kathy Adam
Topic: Eyewitness Account of the Reality in Palestine
Gail Chalbi
Co-author of study guide curriculum. Will help you get started teaching the classes or come to your church to teach it. She lives in the north-metro area.