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Date: June 10, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com) 
 

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN NEWSLINE
June 10, 2005
 
Church of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office director joins in meeting  
with Palestinian president
 
June 10, 2005 (Elgin, IL) -- Phil Jones, director of the Brethren  
Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board, joined
 other 
church leaders in meeting with the president of the Palestinian Authority  
Mahmoud Abbas on May 26 in Washington, D.C. The meeting with Abbas followed  
meetings that been held with a variety of Jewish and Muslim leaders earlier
in  the 
day, and meetings with President Bush that afternoon.

Opening  remarks at the meeting were given by a variety of Christian leaders 
including  Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, 
and Corinne  Whitlatch, executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace.

Whitlatch  facilitated the meeting. Other church leaders represented
Anglican, 
Episcopal,  Catholic, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Orthodox, and 
Presbyterian  denominations and faith groups. 
 
As a follow up to his meeting with President Bush, a written document was  
presented to President Abbas by the group, to underscore the following
position: 
 "We stand with you as you encourage President Bush to advocate for both  
Palestinians and Israelis and to take actions that support his expressed  
commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state that is viable, 
contiguous, 
sovereign, independent, and at peace with its neighbor	Israel."
 
"With this in mind," the letter continued, "we support Palestinian  
leadership in calling for an end to suicide bombings against Israeli
citizens,  and we 
applaud Israeli disengagement from Gaza, as first steps toward such a  
resolution."
 
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to  
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its
faith  in 
community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith  
traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its
 300th 
anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United	
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil, the  
Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.
 
# # #
 
For more information contact:
 
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News Services
Church of the  Brethren General Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
847-742-5100  ext. 260
_cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org_ 
(mailto:cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org) 
 
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The Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl  Brumbaugh-Cayford,

director of news services for the Church of the Brethren  General Board. 
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