United Methodists are responding to Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth ,a statement of faith and urgent call to action from Christians in Palestine. UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis.
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A NewCo-Chair for UMKR
August 2019 – This month, longtime UMKR activist and chair of
our Boycott & Divestment Committee Lisa Bender joined
Rev. John Wagner as co-chair of UMKR. For several years,
Lisa has spearheaded UMKR’s engagement with our
denomination’s primary investing agency, Wespath. She has a
Palestinian daughter-in-law and has visited the Holy Land
multiple times. Until her retirement in 2018, Lisa served as
Connectional Ministries staff in the UMC's Susquehanna
Conference in Pennsylvania for 18 years. She has been a
delegate to the UMC’s top decision-making body, General Conference, in 2012, 2016, and 2019.
Throughout these years, Andy has delved into every aspect of UMKR’s work: helping to shape boycott campaigns, writing church legislation for divestment, preparing educational resources, planning national events, organizing ecumenical political action, and so much more!
UMKR would not be where we are today without Andy’s dedication and her broad experience in social activism. She has had a lasting impact in our movement and our denomination for the cause of Palestinian rights. Andrea assures us she is not leaving the movement, so we are not saying "good-bye;" we expect to be hearing from her in the months ahead. Thank you Andy!
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UMKR notes with deep gratitude the exemplary leadership of Andrea Whitmore, who has been our co-chair since 2016. 'Andy,' as most of us in UMKR call her, had been serving on the UMKR Steering Committee for several years before she stepped into the co-chair seat. Even before we drafted her for the SC, she was an invaluable support at the United Methodists Church General Conference of 2012 in Tampa, Florida and she hasn’t stopped working since then!
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