Church to host Nobel Peace Prize nominee

The First Presbyterian Church of Tecumseh hosts three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Elias Chacour on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Guests will hear a special presentation about his life and work as a Christian in Israel.Chacour is the retired Archbishop of the Melkite Catholic Church for Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and Galillee. Born into a Palestinian Christian family, Chacour experienced with his family and the rest of his village eviction from their homes and forced existence as refugees in their own country.After being ordained and appointed parish priest to St. George Melkite Catholic Church in Ibillin, Chacour made it his mission to bring together different faith traditions in an educational setting. He started the Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI), which serve 2,750 students from preschool to high school, as a way to make his dreams of peace closer to reality.The school’s faculty and students, kindergarten through 12th grade, are of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze faiths. The MEEI got its start in the small Arab village of Ibillin in the region of Galilee near Nazareth.Chacour’s goal with interfaith education over the past 30 years was to encourage lives of peace and harmony among all the groups living in Israel. This focus on peace has been recognized by international groups and organizations, and was the basis for Chacour’s receipt of the World Methodist Peace Prize, French Legion of Honor, Dante Alighieri Human Rights Award and the Buddhist honor of the Niwano Peace Prize.His books, “Blood Brothers,” and “We Belong to the Land,” have each been translated into more than 20 languages. Chacour’s story is told for middle school readers in the book, “Blessed are the Peacemakers” written by Patricia Griggs. Appointed as Archbishop in 2006, Chacour served for eight years before retiring at age 74 in 2014. In his retirement, Chacour continues his quest for peace in Israel.The evening at First Presbyterian Church in Tecumseh begins at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16. A catered Mediterranean dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.Chacour will sign books before and after the event. The ticket price is $40, with proceeds supporting Mar Elias Educational Institutions and the global mission initiatives of the First Presbyterian Church of Tecumseh. Tickets can be purchased at First Presbyterian Church. Call 423.3470 or email tecumsehfirstpres@gmail.com. More information can be found on the church’s Facebook page and website www.tecumsehfirstpres.org.