Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele was among more than 140 global Christian leaders signing a new letter, released during Holy Week ahead of Easter, calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy was one of the endorsing organizations for a prayer vigil calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, held Thursday afternoon, March 21, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as part of the Lenten Ceasefire Campaign organized by Christians for Ceasefire.
Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele was one of more than 20 Christian leaders signing a letter to President Biden saying, in part: “The time for a comprehensive ceasefire is now. Every day of continued violence not only increases the death toll in Gaza and the cost to civilians but also fosters further hatred toward Israel and the United States and irreparably damages the moral standing of the United States in the broader Middle East. There is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
The Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy is among the sponsors of a time of prayer for peace in Israel and Palestine to be held in-person in the nation’s capital this coming Monday.
The Church of the Brethren has joined more than 20 Christian churches and organizations in the United States in sending a letter to the United States Congress mourning the loss of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and calling for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. The denomination’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy signed an interfaith letter to the Biden administration and Congress, dated Oct. 16, also calling for a ceasefire.