Meet Assyrian Christians with the Assyrian Aid Society

Learn about the Indigenous Assyrians and some of the earliest Christians from Mesopotamia from our friends at the Assyrian Aid Society. CMEP's Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Relations, Kyle Cristofalo, will be joined by Karmella Borashan, Outreach Director at the Assyrian Aid Society of America, and Younan Markhail, Head of the Assyrian Aid Society-Iraq. Hear about the Assyrians' struggle for survival and the people working to elevate the voices of the Christians still living in the region by joining us via Zoom on October 26th, at 1-2pm Eastern (10-11am Pacific) for this hour-long informative webinar.

Advent 2023: In Everlasting Light, Justice Shines

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is pleased to present this Advent devotional series entitled “In Everlasting Light, Justice Shines,” which is available for purchase for you or your church group. This devotional book contains devotions for each Sunday of Advent as well as the week leading up to Christmas, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Devotions will be posted on this page and through the Prayers for Peace (P4P) blog as they’re released. Click here to subscribe. If you would like to order a print-on-demand booklet of all of the devotions, this link will direct you to where you may purchase one copy or a copy for your entire Bible study group! There are price breaks when ordering in bulk, and any profit will go toward future publications and CMEP’s work toward Realizing God’s Perfect Peace.

Armenia at War: the Survival of the Church in the Oldest Christian State

This September, CMEP hosted a mini-course about Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This course addressed several issues. The first week focused on the sustainability of the church in the oldest Christian state, the history of the Armenian genocide, and the ongoing struggle to protect the Christian heritage and presence in Nagorno-Karabakh and Ancient Armenia. The second week discussed the political dynamics in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Then the final session was a prayer gathering. You can watch sessions one and two now on our Youtube channel, or they are both available on the event page.

Join CMEP in Washington, DC as we mark Four Decades of Pursuing Peace at our annual Advocacy Summit from April 9-11, 2024. Spend time looking back at CMEP's 40 year history while hearing how CMEP will continue its work to advocate for peace and justice for all in the Middle East.

CMEP is honored to announce a 2024 Summit in Jericho. This event, a part of our And Still We Rise (ASWR) initiative, is open to Christians from the Middle East, the United States, and the international community. Participants are invited to come together for this  summit elevating the voices of women committed to pursuing peace. 

Consider Giving Today!

CMEP is seeking a Development Intern

who can support the Development Portfolio of CMEP, including conducting funder research, contacting donors, administrative support for grants, maintaining our donor database, producing data reports, meeting project-based needs as they arise, and offering day-to-day administrative support.

September 29, 2023: CMEP Joins Christian Faith Leaders in Letter to President Biden about Protection of Holy Land Christians: On September 11, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) joined several Christian denominational leaders in a letter to President Biden highlighting “deep concern” for Holy Land Christians before his September 20 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. CMEP recognizes the deep roots and significance of Jerusalem and holy sites throughout Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories as sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Tragically, today in the region, all three Abrahamic faith traditions are not given equal access and protection. In light of recent escalating attacks on Palestinian Christian clergy and holy sites under the current Israeli government, CMEP is especially concerned about the sustainability and protection of the historic Christian community.
 

September 27, 2023: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Affirms the Statement by Senators Van Hollen, Schatz, Merkley, and Welch on the Designation of Israel to Visa Waiver Program: CMEP opposes Israel’s admittance into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program given Israel’s ongoing discriminatory treatment of Americans of Arab and/or Palestinian descent who try to enter ports of entry that Israel controls. We join members of Congress and civil society leaders who call for continued monitoring to verify that all United States travelers are being treated equally. Should discriminatory behaviors continue, we call on the Biden Administration to revisit Israel’s participation in the Visa Waiver Program.
 

August 31, 2023: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Affirms the International Call by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and others for the Reopening of the Lachin Corridor for Humanitarian Aid: CMEP supports international humanitarian efforts and calls on the United States government to support policies that will contribute toward the negotiated settlement of the disputed territories while ensuring the essential humanitarian needs of civilians living in the region are met. CMEP affirms the U.S. comments at the United Nations, voicing concern that “the closure of the Lachin Corridor” and “access to food, medicine, and baby formula should never be held hostage.”

CMEP in the News 

Middle East Books Review- In the Eye of the Storm: Middle Eastern Christians in the Twenty-First Century, Review by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October 4, 2023.

The Dangerous Exceptionalism of Christian Zionism, Al-Shabaka, October 3, 2023.

NGO Action News, United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, September 28, 2023.

NGO Action News, United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, September 14, 2023.
 

Violence Against Christians: Degradation of the Sacred and the Holy in Jerusalem, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, DoJustice, September 8, 2023.

Contact Us

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 505
Washington, District of Columbia 20002
(202) 543-1222  info@cmep.org