Saturday Breakout Sessions

November 14

  • Led by : Andrew Bush, Pastor, Educational Program Coordinator BIPJ; and Ben Norquist, Director, Communications & Development BIPJ

    Location: Board Room

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  • Led by : Ruth Valerio, Programmes, Partnerships & Advocacy Director, Embrace the Middle East; and Ruth Cooke, Head of Fundraising & Supporter Engagement, Christian Aid Ireland

    Location: Room 7

    Change begins with listening. As part of advocating wisely and effectively, and standing in solidarity, we must be willing to learn from those whose experiences are different to our own. Using the model from the Time to Act campaign, we’ll start with listening and learning - exploring practical tools to deepen our understanding of the experience of Palestinian Christians and considering resources to use with our churches and community groups. Through these tools we want to equip you to engage those in your spheres of influence in meaningful conversation, leading to greater levels of compassion and ultimately action.

  • Led by : Hanna Massad, Author, Pastor from Gaza

    Location: Minor Hall

    This workshop will share the heartbreaking reality in Gaza—the pain, suffering, loss of life, and destruction that are beyond words—and how God has helped us respond through Gaza Baptist Church and Christian Mission to Gaza.

    By God’s grace, since the war began, we have provided more than 75,000 hot meals, along with clean drinking water, food baskets, tents, clothing, medicine, educational support, and other essential assistance to families in need.

    You will hear real, personal stories from Christians in Gaza, along with firsthand testimonies from people who have received this help. You will also learn how our ministry has reached beyond Gaza to support displaced Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan.

    In the midst of so much pain and darkness, God has opened doors for His church to share a simple message: “We see you, we care, and we are here for you.”

    Our desire is to reflect Christ’s love so that others may see His love through our actions and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

  • Led by : Charlotte Marshall, Director, Sabeel-Kairos UK

    Location: Conference Room

    What does it mean to live out our faith in pursuit of a just peace? Drawing on scripture and Palestinian Christian voices, this interactive workshop explores costly discipleship and the courage to turn solidarity into action. Through reflection, creative activities and conversation, discover practical ways you and your church can respond to the call for justice, peace and freedom for all who call the Holy Land home.

Back to Main Program

OUR Saturday Breakout speakers

  • Hanna Massad

    Author, Pastor from Gaza

    Dr. Hanna Massad, born in Gaza City, is a Palestinian Christian pastor, author, and founder and president of Christian Mission to Gaza (CMG). He was the first local pastor of Gaza Baptist Church and continues to serve and support the church and Christian community in Gaza. Through CMG, he ministers among vulnerable families in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon, providing humanitarian relief, refugee support, trauma care, and spiritual encouragement. Dr. Massad holds degrees from Bethlehem Bible College and Fuller Theological Seminary, including a Ph.D. in Theology. He is the author of Pastor from Gaza and lives in Connecticut with his family.

  • Charlotte Marshall

    Director, Sabeel-Kairos UK

    Charlotte has worked for Sabeel-Kairos since 2014, originally as advocacy officer and since 2021 as Director. Charlotte is responsible for the strategic direction of the organisation and the management of staff, the relationship with partners in Palestine, and overseeing the campaigning and advocacy work. Charlotte has 20 years’ experience in working on Palestinian human rights, 10 of those spent working at Christian Aid in various programme and communication roles before joining Sabeel-Kairos. She travels to Palestine frequently to visit partners and friends and considers solidarity with Palestinian Christians both a privilege and responsibility. She has a MSc in Conflict, Security and Development from the University of Birmingham and lives in Surrey, England, with her husband and two children.

  • Andrew Bush

    Pastor, Educational Program Coordinator BIPJ

    Rev. Andrew F. Bush, D.Min., is a pastor, professor, and author with nearly four decades of leadership in cross-cultural Christian service. He and his wife, Karen, have served in the Philippines since 1987 and in Palestine since 1998. Andrew currently coordinates educational programs for the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice and pastors Hebron Road International Church, an online congregation that brings together people from many nations to pray for the Middle East. He is professor emeritus of missiology at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, and an adjunct professor at Palmer Seminary. His books include Learning from the Least: Reflections on a Journey in Mission with Palestinian Christians and Millennials and the Mission of God: A Prophetic Dialogue. He is also co-editor of the forthcoming Gospel Witness in the Shadow of Gaza: A Resource for Faithful Engagement and has written numerous articles for professional journals and conferences. Andrew earned a postgraduate degree from the École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem, Israel, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.

  • Ben Norquist

    Director, Communications & Development BIPJ

    Dr. Ben Norquist is a writer, researcher, and educator whose work explores the sacredness of place at intersections of land, story, justice, and faith. He serves with the Bethlehem Institute for Peace & Justice as Director of Communications & Development. Ben’s doctoral research focused on higher education in active conflict zones, and produced a dissertation on Palestinian universities under settler colonial conditions.


    His writing often weaves together personal narrative, settler colonial critique, and theological reflection—most notably in his newly released book with InterVarsity Press, Every Somewhere Sacred: Rescuing a Theology of Place in the American Imagination (2026), which examines how American Christians imagine and inhabit the lands around them. A graduate of St. John’s College and Azusa Pacific University, Ben has held appointments and leadership roles at Wheaton College, Bryan College, Churches for Middle East Peace, and now at the Bethlehem Institute for Peace & Justice.

    His essays and commentary have appeared in Christianity Today, The Christian Century, Religion News Service, Sojourners, Christians for Social Action, and Baptist News Global.

  • Ruth Valerio

    Programmes, Partnerships & Advocacy Director, Embrace the Middle East

    Environmentalist, theologian, social activist and author, Canon Dr Ruth Valerio is Director of Programmes, Partnerships and Advocacy with Embrace the Middle East.

  • Ruth Cooke

    Head of Fundraising & Supporter Engagement, Christian Aid Ireland

    Ruth is passionate about engaging Christians around issues of injustice, helping to connect the biblical call to justice to real-world and everyday action. Having qualified as a lawyer, she then moved into the not-for-profit sector, focusing on fundraising, inspiring people to take action in response to the world’s challenges and building strategic partnerships. She now does that through her role at Christian Aid Ireland, leading a team of experienced and passionate fundraisers across Ireland, connecting people of faith here to the work of Christian Aid around the world.