On January 5, 2008 the impossible became temporarily possible when members of Gaza Baptist Church were issued special permits to cross into Israel in celebration of Christmas as guests of the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel. For many, it was their first visit into the country, having spent years only a matter of miles away. The day was sunny and full of hopeful promise, a point not taken for granted by the family of Rami Ayyad, who gave his life as a martyr to the Christian faith in Gaza only a few months ago. Some of his family members were among members of the Gaza Baptist Church visiting Israel that day.

Special For "Come and See", Jan 15, 2008

A Messianic Pastor from Israel writes a response to “Christian Leaders Invite Muslims to Love God, Neighbors”. We publish it here:

This Sunday some of us are going to Bethlehem to worship with Arab brothers and sisters in the joy of our God. Next weekend our congregation (actually the Lord Yeshua's congregation) will be host to over 40 teenagers from that same area. Today happens to be the shortest day of the year, when the light of day in the darkest of seasons is at its briefest in this part of the globe. A little light can dispel even more darkness; how much more the sun the blackness of night; how much more even does the Light which is the Word of God, and who is Himself the Lord Jesus Christ, dispel the darkness of lies!

Howard Bass, Special for Come and See. Written in Dec 21, 2007

The second meeting of the Evangelical Christian-Muslim Dialogue convened in Tripoli during January 3-6, 2008, to engage in conversation on the themes of “Human Nature and the Divine Presence.” The dialogue, which followed a November, 2006 gathering in Chicago, Illinois, began with a welcome keynote address by Dr. Muhammad Ahmed Sharif, Secretary General of the World Islamic Call Society, which hosted the interfaith event.

Stephen Sizer web site, Jan 14, 2008

A director who shares the ideas of Iran's hardline president has produced what he says is the first film giving an Islamic view of Jesus Christ, in a bid to show the "common ground" between Muslims and Christians.

Nader Talebzadeh sees his movie, "Jesus, the Spirit of God," as an Islamic answer to Western productions like Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," which he praised as admirable but quite simply "wrong".

Breitbart, Jan 13, 2008

A prominent evangelical pastor asks Evangelical American Pastors to learn more about Evangelical Palestinian Christians.

Dr. Bob Roberts Jr. is the founding pastor of NorthWood Church, a fast-growing church near Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX and is a leading practitioner and writer on glocal—local and global—transformation of individuals, churches, communities and nations. He tries to draw the attention of the Evangelical Church in the USA to the plight of Palestinian Christians.

Special For "Come and See", Jan 13, 2008

“I hope that we get to the murderers soon and bring them to just trial and that will be an additional step that our government brings to our people in the direction of imposing order and security”.

That was what Palestinian Prime Minister from Islamic fundamentalist Hamas movement Ismail Haniya wrote Arab Evangelical human rights lawyers Botrus Mansour and Shadi Khouri from Nazareth.

Special For "Come and See", December 24, 2007

Lebanon's political stalemate was supposed to be resolved weeks ago. Instead it drags on, with Tuesday's parliamentary session to elect a new head of state now postponed for the eighth time since September. And as the impasse continues, Lebanese Christians are becoming increasingly frustrated with what they see as an unprecedented threat to their political influence. "It is the first time in the history of Lebanon that Christians feel so demoralized," said Elie Haddad, Greek Catholic Archbishop of Saida and Deir el-Kamar. "I have never seen such despondency, even during the civil war."

Rana Fil, Newsweek Web, Dec 11, 2007

Christians broke ground Tuesday on Bethlehem’s first specialty hospital which organizers envision will be a center bringing together Christians, Jews, and Palestinians to heal the sick in a land rife with sectarian violence.

The $16.5 million surgical facility is a joint effort between Israelis, who will assist with training, and the Palestinians and Christians, who will staff the hospital. The center – located adjacent to the Shepherds’ Field where the shepherds first learned of the birth of Jesus - will serve Palestinian children in Bethlehem, West Bank.

Michelle Vu, Christian Post, Dec 18, 2007

Will the last Mideast church leader be sure to turn off the lights?

No one knows precisely how many of the Middle East's 293 million people are Christians, but nearly everyone acknowledges that Middle Eastern Christianity has been in steady decline for decades. In some local areas, officials record declines of 75 percent or more. Recent violence in the region is accelerating that decline. Some observers estimate that the region's population of 10 to 15 million Christians will continue to spiral downward during the next 50 years.

David Aikman, Christianity Today, Dec 17, 2007