Hesston College will host Rev. Alex Awad, a evangelical Christian Palestinian leader, on campus for chapel and lunch on Monday, September 5.

During an 11 a.m. chapel, Rev. Awad will speak on “A Christian Palestinian Pastor’s Experiences in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.” Chapel is held in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary on the Hesston College campus.

Following chapel, students, faculty, staff and community members are welcome to join Rev. Awad for lunch and further discussion in the Bontrager Student Center Dining Hall. Lunch can be purchased at the door.

Rev. Awad is being hosted in Kansas, September 2 to 6, by the Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA) in response to the Israel/Palestine resolution adopted at the MCUSA delegate assembly in Kansas City in July 2015. The resolution is “A statement of support for our Palestinian and Israeli Partners in Peacmaking,” which commits MCUSA to learning and discernment of the Palestinian-Israeli context and how to support peach and justice there.

Awad has a long-standing and close relationship with Mennonites. He served as a headmaster at Hope Mennonite School near Bethlehem, Palestine, in the 1980’s. When Bethlehem Bible College was founded with support from Mennonites, he became a professor and dean of students there.