Advent and Empire:

Responding to Palestine Today

Even if this is your first time exploring how Palestine connects with your Christian faith, we welcome you to join us for this weekend conference. Come listen to the voices of Palestinian Christians, learn from panels and workshops, ask your burning questions, and hear stories from local Christians about what motivated them to get involved, and ways to join them.

Who is it for?
Speakers
Workshop Topics
To Register
Organizers

Come and See

Advent is a season of watching and waiting for the coming of Christ, the Prince of Peace. This year, we invite you to wait and watch alongside the church in Bethlehem and across historic Palestine, and to discover what the King born under an empire is calling his people to do today.

This conference might be for you if any of these statements apply to you…

  • You’re disturbed by what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank, but you have lingering questions about whether you can advocate for Palestine without compromising your theology or interpretation of scripture.

  • You want safety and freedom for Palestinians, but you don’t know how to talk to Christian family and friends who hold Zionist views.

  • You want to support Palestinians, but you feel overwhelmed, and don’t know how to make a difference from here.

  • You’re tired of hearing Christians reference concepts of “justice” and “peace” without putting them into practice, and you want to meet people who are taking action.

  • You’re looking for meaningful and tangible ways to engage with Advent this year.

Keynote Speakers

Shadia Qubti

Friday Evening Session

Shadia (she/her) is a Palestinian born and raised in Nazareth. She worked in faith-based peacebuilding and advocacy initiatives through local and international organizations in Israel and Palestine for 15 years.  Shadia recently completed a second MA degree in Interreligious and Indigenous Studies at Vancouver School of Theology, where her thesis presented - "A Theological Conversation between Palestinian and North American Indigenous Understandings of Land." Shadia is currently working as the Community Engagement Animator at Trinity Grace United Church in Vancouver, Canada. 

Aleks Dughman Manzur

Saturday Morning Session

Aleks (they/them) is a transgender Palestinian who grew up in Santiago, Chile. Their commitment to service and social justice began early: Aleks became active in ministry, community service, and church life at the age of 15 and later spent three years studying to become a pastor before pursuing a path in law and becoming a human rights lawyer. Aleks holds an LL.M. from the University of Toronto, specializing in human rights, reproductive and sexual health law, and LGBTQI+ rights. They currently serve as Executive Director of Rainbow Refugee Society and as Co-Chair of From Borders to Belonging, advocating for the rights, safety, and dignity of LGBTQI+ refugees and people seeking asylum.

Workshop Topics

How Did It Come to This?

Filling in contextual gaps for how Christians are implicated in the history leading to genocide in Gaza.

Christian Zionism

Understanding, deconstructing and challenging some key talking points in this theological system.

Palestinian & Indigenous Connections

Drawing links between settler colonialism here and in Palestine.

Israel & Land in Scripture

Unpacking Old Testament promises and passages about land, and what they mean today.

Creative Resistance

Participating in an art project while listening to conversation between local artists & artists in Palestine.

Taking Action in Solidarity

Listening to different ways Christians have gotten involved, both through travel to Palestine, and here at home.

Conference Fees

Individual ticket………..…$25/person
With a friend……………..…..$20/person

*All registration fees are collected at event (preferably cash)

Once you submit the form, we will send you an email with the confirmation. We’ll follow up in November with more information about the program.

Register

We are a grassroots ecumenical group that formed in November 2023 in the Lower Mainland, BC. You can read about our Key Points of Unity here and find our landing page with information about events here. Follow us on Instagram!