A wife of one and mother of many, theologian, missiologist, educator, and story-teller, Ruth has been involved in theological formation for integral mission in her native Latin America and beyond for several decades. She serves with the Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI) and the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation. She is part of the faculty of Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Along with her husband, James, she lives in Costa Rica as a member of Casa Adobe, an intentional Christian Community with deep concern for right living in relation to the whole of creation. Her studies include a Bachelors in Education (Argentina), an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Wheaton College), and a PhD in Theology (Boston University).

René is a South African women who grew up during Apartheid. She has spent her life finding ways to live out her discipleship in obedience to Jesus, which led her to ordination in the Anglican Church. Now, she works for Tearfund as their Global Peacebuilding Specialist. She enjoys engaging in conversations about Scripture, especially helping people of faith rethink security narratives to respond to the crazyness of the world that requires evidence-based funding for peacebuilding work and continues to increase military spending without any evidence to prove that war creates peace in the world. She helps people measure their understandings of peace and security against the sacred texts and how we see Jesus live out his own story. She also enjoys great food and a chance to connect with her dear friends in the UK!

Jocabed R Solano Miselis is Panamanian, daughter of the Gunadule nation. She was born in the time of Bardudnii which in the Gunadule calendar is the time of medicinal plants. She is currently the director of Memoria Indígena and a PhD student at NAIITS, and she is working on research at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies as part of a team of researchers from Memoria Indígena. She is a global theological leader of Scholar Leader International and a Langham scholar. She is a member of the indigenous peoples reference group of the World Council of Churches and part of the technical team of researchers of the General Congress of Gunadule Culture.

Rev. Frank Chikane is the emeritus pastor of the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) of South Africa (SA); a visiting adjunct professor at the Wits (University) School of Governance; Chair of the South African Chapter of the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) against Israel’s settler-colonial and apartheid regime from the river (Jordan) to the (Mediterranean) sea; a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC (African National Congress) Veterans League (ANCVL); Chair of the Integrity Commission of the ANC; and serves in a number of Boards of companies. He is a former Moderator of the Churches Commission on International Affairs (CCIA) of the WCC (World Council of Churches); former General Secretary of the South Africa Council of Churches (SACC); former Director-General in the Presidency of the Government of SA and Secretary of Cabinet. He has served in a number of Boards and Councils of universities in SA.

Shireen Awwad Hilal is the Director of Community Outreach and Development of Bethlehem Bible College. She holds a BA in English Literature from Bethlehem University, an MA in Educational Administration from Texas A & M University and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.
As part of her work, she manages the work of the Shepherd Society, which is the social outreach arm of Bethlehem Bible College. She has a passion for humanitarian and development work, and the work with the Shepherd Society enables this to be put into action – offering both emergency assistance in the form of food, medical assistance and so on, and also durable solutions through job creation and micro-finance projects. In addition, the emergency assistance has more recently extended to Gaza.
Shireen’s passion is also for peace with justice, and she has been a peace activist for many years. Shireen is married with 4 children, and lives in Bethlehem, Palestine.

Ross Wagner is Associate Professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School. Specializing in Paul’s letters and in Septuagint studies, Ross seeks to contribute to the recovery of theological exegesis through careful investigation of the ways scriptural interpretation shaped early Jewish and Christian communities. His publications include Heralds of the Good News: Paul and Isaiah in Concert in the Letter to the Romans, Between Gospel and Election: Explorations in the Interpretation of Romans 9–11 (co-edited with Florian Wilk) and Reading the Sealed Book: Old Greek Isaiah and the Problem of Septuagint Hermeneutics. His current research aims to show that theological reflection on the meaning of Jesus’ life has, from the very beginning, required Christian interpreters to wrestle with the textual and linguistic plurality of the scriptures in their witness to God’s actions in Jesus the Messiah.

An Anglican priest, Ross serves as volunteer clergy in a local parish and takes an active part in the Anglican-Episcopal House of Studies

Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and is the director of the highly acclaimed and influential Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. During the genocide in Gaza, Munther gained global attention for his sermon, Christ under the Rubble which was heard by tens of millions of people and subsequently quoted in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. He is commonly interviewed on major news channels. Munther is the author of numerous Christian books and articles focusing on the Palestinian context. He holds a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

Munther is married to Rudaina – an architect, and together they have two boys: Karam (12) and Zaid (10).

Thandi Gamedze is a South African poet, researcher, theologian, cultural worker, and educator based at the University of the Western Cape’s Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice as a Senior Researcher. Her doctoral research was transdisciplinary, bringing together the worlds of education and theology to better understand the role churches play in both upholding and challenging dominant power relations relating to race, gender, and class. Thandi’s interests include black theology, liberation theology, social justice, critical education, and the arts – particularly poetry. She has broad experience working across multiple sites, including churches, universities, high schools, and community organisations.

Sara grew up in the heart of South America, Bolivia. She studied theology across the Atlantic in the UK and worked and taught in the Middle East, Palestine. Sara’s research blends her Latin American roots, Middle Eastern experiences, and Western education. Her work employs Critical Race Theory and postcolonial theory to critically analyse and deconstruct Christian Zionist discourse.

She holds a BA in Social Communication from Universidad Mayor de San Simón, along with a Diploma in Higher Education in Theology and a master’s in biblical studies from the London School of Theology. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in Theology at the University of Aberdeen, where she continues to explore the intersections of culture, faith, and identity.

Sara currently resides in Bolivia with her husband Anton, a Palestinian, and their seven-year-old daughter, Nour Sofia. They embrace a diverse family life while actively engaging with their local community and fostering intercultural dialogue.

Andrea Smith is the coordinator of Evangelicals 4 Justice and on the board of Network for Evangelicals and the Middle East. She is also coordinator of the Voices School for Theology and Liberation and faculty of NAIITS.

A liberation theologian by training, Peniel Rajkumar serves as Theologian and Director for Global Mission with the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel, formerly known as SPG). He is also on the faculty of Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford. Affirming life and fostering liberation in a spirit deep solidarity are at the heart of Peniel’s research and ministry. Peniel previously served as Programme Executive for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation with the World Council of Churches, Geneva and taught Theology and Ethics at the United Theological College (Bengaluru, India). He was one of the respondents to the Kairos Palestine document when it was launched in Bethlehem in 2009. His publications include among others Dalit Theology and Dalit Liberation: Problems, Paradigms, Possibilities (2010), Mission At and From the Margins: Patterns, Protagonists and Perspectives (2014), Faith(s) Seeking Justice: Dialogue and Liberation (2021) and Lived Mission in 21st Century Britain: Ecumenical and Postcolonial Perspectives (2024).

Shadia Qubti is a Palestinian Christian from Nazareth, currently an arrivant on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She worked in faith-based peacebuilding in Palestine/Israel for 15 years, focusing on amplifying women’s voices through initiatives like the Women Behind the Wall podcast. Her MA studies at Vancouver School of Theology explored Palestinian and North American Indigenous understandings of land, informing her approach to contextual theology. Shadia currently serves as Community Engagement Animator at Trinity Grace United Church in Vancouver and as a Commissioner to the General Council of the United Church of Canada.

Dr Sandiswa Lerato Kobe is one of the foremost emerging scholars in the field of Black theology and ubuntu with interests on Truth Reconciliation Commissions (TRC), gender, transformation, Africanisation, peace and conflict studies. Dr Kobe holds a PhD from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She is the NRF Doctoral Scholarship Recipient: Desmond Tutu & Vrije Universiteit PhD. Her PhD title is as follows: Forgiveness and Ubuntu: A Study of the Theological Contribution of Desmond Tutu. The thesis offers a critical analysis of Desmond Tutu’s notions of forgiveness and ubuntu in changing contexts in South Africa before and after 1994. In 2023, she was awarded the Emerging Researcher Award for Excellence in Research by the University of South Africa (UNISA). The award recognises UNISA staff members’ advancement of their careers by acquiring a doctoral qualification and generating research outputs in the last five years. On the 6th of January 2024, because of her work she was featured in the TROUW, a Dutch newspaper in the Netherlands, to reflect on the TRC of South Africa, Desmond Tutu, reconciliation, forgiveness and ubuntu.

Daniel is a Palestinian theologian and religion scholar. He (has just) received his PhD degree in qur’anic studies at the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on the redaction of the Qur’an, Syriac in Late Antiquity, Christian-Muslim relations, and Palestinian theology. Daniel is the advocacy officer of the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice, and is also a co-host of “Across the Divide”, a podcast that provides a space for thoughtful conversations about Palestine-Israel through the lens of faith and peace-making.

Lisa Loden (MTh) was born and raised in the United States. Together with her husband David, she immigrated to Israel in 1974. She was one of the co-co-founders of the Beit Asaph Messianic congregation in Netanya where she served for 35 years. Currently, she serves on the International Advisory Board of the Bethlehem Institute of Peace and Justice. She teaches, writes, and mentors young leaders. Together with Salim Munayer, she co-authored, Through My Enemies Eyes: Envisioning Reconciliation in Israel and Palestine. She is a participant in several international theological dialogues. Her articles have appeared in many international journals. Lisa is a lecturer, conference speaker, mentor, and teacher. She is a peacemaker, a poet, and a theologian. Her passions are for reconciliation within the Body of Christ and to see believers grow in their faith walk. She has one daughter and two granddaughters who live in Israel.

Ntandoyenkosi Mlambo has a PhD in Church History and is a lecturer in the Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology at the University of South Africa. Ntandoyenkosi has a history of land reform challenges in her family, which inspired her journey of studying theology and spatial justice. Her research focus is historical church case studies and land and space justice.

Jessica Vega Ortega, an Indigenous Mixtec woman originally from San Miguel Ahuehuetitlán, Oaxaca, studied Political Science and Public Administration at UNAM. A resident of Valle de Chalco, State of Mexico, her career brings together Indigenous activism, international advocacy work, and peacebuilding.
She was a consultant for the UN organizations: FAO and UNFPA-FILAC, and she collaborates with the Valle de Chalco City Council, promoting policies for Indigenous peoples with an emphasis on children and youth. She is the coordinator of the Yani Tundavii Dikuintii collective and co-founder of the Network of Indigenous Youth of Latin America, and her activism confronts systemic discrimination by reclaiming culture.
Co-chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC) (2019-2022), she promoted decolonial agendas. She served on key committees:
• Generation Equality (UN Women),
• #Super30 Working Group for Climate Action,
• UNESCO Community Radio Team.
As a recognized Food Systems Champion by the UN Food Summit, she successfully institutionalized the Indigenous Youth Forum at the FAO. Her cross-cutting approach to the 2030 Agenda centers indigenous worldviews.

Rifat Kassis has long been active in human rights working in Middle East, Northern Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe. He founded the Palestinian section of Defense for Children International and was elected International President for two terms in Geneva. Furthermore, he was selected to be the State of Palestine candidate for the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
He co-founded the Alternative Tourism Group (ATG) and The National Coalition of Christian Organizations (NCCOP). He served as Executive Director of EJYMCA and founded the YMCA/YWCA Olive Tree Campaign. He also ran the WCC /EAPPI program in Geneva and worked as the country director of the Lutheran World federation in Jordan.
He is one of the co-authors of Kairos Palestine document and its General Coordinator as well as its global coalition.
He published two books and contributed to 16 different books in different languages.