Kairos USA is working to unite Christians in the United States and around the world to stand in solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle for justice and self-determination, and to support Israelis committed to equality and peaceful coexistence.
In praying and working for peace in Israel and Palestine, we form a community — the Kairos Community. It is a community that places justice at the center of our witness and actions. It is a community that recognizes that the church is called to be part of a prophetic movement. It is a community embraces the principles of nonviolence embodied in the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.— all of which provide inspiration for Palestinian nonviolent resistance to injustice.
Our vision of community lifts up the example of those South African church leaders who, in solidarity with resistance movements at home and abroad, called on their society and on the church itself to rise up and name the evil of apartheid. We recall the central role of the church in the Civil Rights movement in our country, when the courage of African American pastors and church members transformed the political and social landscape of our nation.
Local U.S. groups
With the help of Kairos USA, a number of local Kairos groups have formed in the U.S. in the past several years. Church activists in Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Fort Wayne and other American cities are working to help their congregations and communities understand the harsh realities and injustices that afflict Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation. Read more.
Global Kairos groups
A global Kairos movement emerged in the 1985 when a group of ecumencal Christians in South Africa challenged the worldwide church to respond the horrific system of apartheid that had been institutionalized in their nation. Inspired by South Africa, new Kairos organizations have taken root in a number of countries where injustice and human rights violations prevail. Some Kairos groups, such as Kairos Palestine Brazil and Kairos Britain, have formed for the primary purpose of supporting the Kairos Palestine initiative. Read more.
Denominational groups
Over the past decade, many church denominational groups have stepped forward to work for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land. These groups, which include the Israel-Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Kairos Response, and Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network, are actively working to educate their members about the institutionalized oppression of Palestinians and promote non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation. They are leading the charge to affect to denominational investment policies, as well as U.S. government policies, in an effort to influence Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Read more.
Partner organizations
The Kairos community counts a number of U.S. national organizations as partners in the movement to stand with Palestinians in their struggle for justice and self-determination. The includes the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Jewish Voice for Peace, Friends of Sabeel North America, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions – USA, and the Faith Forum. Read more.