June 23, 2002

Marthame and Pastor Davis in sermon dialogue.

The congregation of Lubbock’s Covenant Presbyterian.

We worshiped this morning at Covenant Presbyterian Church. We had been there right before we left two years ago and shared our story as it was just beginning. In the intervening years, we also developed a pen-pal link between Marthame's religion class and their youth group. We attended their early morning family communion service, sharing some sung Arabic liturgy with them. At the larger worship service, Marthame and the pastor, Davis Price, preached a dialogue sermon using the two texts to reflect on different understandings of "family" - both from a West Texas and a West Bank perspective. We then spoke with a group of folks (the largest group they've ever had!), sharing stories and pictures and a short video from Zababdeh. The reaction was welcoming - especially since this is our first stab at trying to communicate the last year of our experiences with an American audience. It's nice to be welcomed with grace!