Welcome to Wedgewood
Sunday, May 12th
at Wedgewood:
“The Courage of My Palestinian Christian Mother” with Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel
Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel is Founder and Executive Director of the Atlanta Ministry with International Students Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born in Kafr Yasif, in the Galilee, of Christian Palestinian parents. He was ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church USA in 1978 and has served on the mission staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Rev Fahed was instrumental for mission trips to Kenya, Haiti, Brazil, Egypt, Israel, and Palestine.
He has served the Presbyterian Church in numerous executive capacities including Moderator of its 214th General Assembly, General Assembly Commissioner, board member of the National Middle Eastern Ministries Committee, and member of the Outreach, Christian Education, and Peacemaking Committees of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. He is former vice chair of its Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns and a past board member of the Christian Council and Interfaith Coalition of Metropolitan Atlanta. Rev. Fahed has been honored for his life-long dedication to interfaith dialogue and international understanding by many organizations. The National Conference of Christians and Jews honored him with the Clergy of the Year Award, the Arab-American Community with its Georgia Award, and the Greater Atlanta Presbytery with the 1998 Peace Making Award. Kiwanis International named him Outstanding Kiwanian and the National Presbyterian Men’s Organization honored him as 2003 Man of Year.
He has a BA from Southeastern University, a Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Divinity from the McCormick Theological Seminary. Rev. Fahed has served as Adjunct Professor of World Religions at the Interdenominational Theological Center and currently serves a member of the HCEF Advisory Board.
We welcome Rev. Dr. Abu-Akel to Wedgewood!
Recently, our Words of Wisdom came from a 12-year-old Palestinian young person named MC Abdul. He is the oldest of five and his upbringing in Gaza was defined by looking after his siblings while navigating life under Israeli occupation. By his thirteenth birthday, he had lived through four major bombardments on his homeland and lost 81 family members. He and his family got separated in Gaza and just a few weeks ago, they were finally reunited in Cairo. His focus now is firmly set on his music. “This is what I was born to do,” he says. “I know my purpose. I am on a mission.”
Listen to his message in “Shouting at the Wall.”
"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Wedgewood Social Justice Book Club
The Wedgewood Social Justice Book Club will meet again on Thursday, May 23rd at 7:00pm. We will continue reading "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017" by Rashid Khalidi.
“This book presents the most dogent, comprehensive, and compelling account yet of the struggle from the Palestinian vantage point. No one who cares about the Middle East’s central conflict can afford to ignore this perspective and all policymakers need to grapple with its implications.” - Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs
Want to know more about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? Join us as we begin a study of this well researched and timely text. Read through page 185. Wedgewood members and nonmembers are welcome.
Statement on Israel and Palestine
Unanimously Approved by
Wedgewood Congregation
At the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Alliance of Baptists, of which Wedgewood Community Church is a member, a statement on Israel and Palestine was adopted. The statement has since been adopted by Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, Baptist Peace Fellowship, Creation Justice Ministries, Freedom Center for Social Justice, Greenfaith, and Hearts United for Good. Wedgewood partners with all of these organizations. Many individual churches have also voted to adopt this official statement.
The statement has 4 main points:
“The Alliance has voted to call Israel an apartheid state. In this statement, 1) we affirm our commitment to freedom, justice and equality for the Palestinian people and all people; 2) we oppose all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination and oppression, 3) we declare ourselves an apartheid-free community; and 4) we pledge to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism and military occupation.”
You may read the statement in its entirety here by clicking the button below:
If you would like more background on the Palestinian experience, the Alliance of Baptists made a video that you can watch by clicking the second button below:
Wedgewood is a liberal, culturally diverse, service-oriented, interfaith church in Charlotte, NC with members who are Progressive Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics, and many other faith journeys and perspectives. When we say everyone is welcome at Wedgewood, we mean EVERYONE!
Join us as we try to change the world.
Land Acknowledgement
As a community that considers social justice to be a cornerstone of who we are, we would like to acknowledge that the land that Wedgewood Community Church is on the unceded land of the Xuali, known today as the Cheraw, as well as the Esaw, now known as the Catawba, and the Sugaree people.
