‘The Holy Land – Promise & Conflict’ lectures at Faith Presbyterian Church
“The Holy Land – Promise & Conflict” lecture series at Faith Presbyterian Church, 4544 Coronado Parkway, Cape Coral, will begin at 6:20 p.m. in the sanctuary March 3 and continue every Tuesday until March 24. Guest speakers have been invited to share their perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This Tuesday, March 3, The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey DeYoe, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fort Myers, will be the speaker. A pastor for the past 34 years, Dr. DeYoe has an extensive background with regard to the Israel/Palestine conflict; later this year he will again travel to the area to participate in the Palestinian olive harvest. He has served as the advocacy chairperson for the Israel Palestine Mission Network of the PCUSA for 8 years and since October 2014 has been its moderator. He has authored divestment overtures for each of the last three PCUSA general assemblies and is serving on a two-year Middle East Monitoring Group that has produced denomination resources to provide the church with a better understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On March 10, Peter J. Bergerson, PhD., professor of public affairs at Florida Gulf Coast University, will speak. Dr. Bergerson has been a professor at FGCU since 2002; previously he was the chairperson of the Department of Political Science at Southeast Missouri State University (1984-2002). Each year he gives 30 or more newspaper, television and radio interviews on public policy issues. A former James J. Malone Fellow with the National Council on U.S. – Arab Relations, Dr. Bergerson’s presentation will provide an overview of the political landscape in the Middle East with an emphasis on the response of the United Nations and the U.S. to the Israel-Palestinian crisis.
On March 17, Rabbi A James Rudin, D.D., will address the group. Rabbi Rudin has written 11 books, has lectured throughout the world and is a frequent guest on radio and television programs and international new media. He has served as the chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations and participated in 11 meetings with Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Rabbi Rudin has also been part of the Camp David Presidential Retreat Interfaith Chapel Committee and the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission.
Alan Isaacs, executive director of The Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties, will close out the series on March 24. His professional life has been devoted to Jewish communal service in local and national Jewish organizations. The executive director of our local Jewish Federation since 2007, he has served as area director of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware for the American Israel Public affairs Committee (AIPAC) since 1992. Alan was born in South Africa and lived for several years in Israel.
The series is free and open to the public. If you have any questions, visit the church website at www.fpcfl.org or contact Kassandra Turpin at 239-542-2858.