Strategy Day
On Saturday 2
nd April, PIEN members gathered in Melbourne for a great day of reflection, discussion and planning. Thank you to all who participated and thanks also to those who were unable to attend the day but were with us in spirit.
More details about the outcome of the day will be shared in later bulletins, but the day focused on three strategic priorities for the year:
- Continue with our settlements campaign. We will link into wider initiatives (including APAN) as well as being more targeted on specific sectors which have the most to offer for us as a church-based network (more to follow).
- Support church-based initiatives. There are some significant developments taking place in different denominations (eg Uniting Church of Australia). As a network, we want to support, encourage and foster these developments. We know our Palestinian brothers and sisters are greatly encouraged when churches speak up in support of their rights.
- Build the movement. We recognise that we have the potential to grow beyond a network of 500+ people to a much bigger Christian movement, one which is active and powerful in support of Palestinians and speaking out for justice in Israel-Palestine.
A number of working groups have been set up in support of these strategic initiatives. If you would like any more information about these priorities, or if you would like to get more involved in any specific area, please contact the PIEN office. We would love to have you involved!
More details on these areas will be shared in the weeks and months to come.
PIEN Survey – what you said about the network
In March, PIEN conducted a brief survey to get feedback from network members about the organisation, its work and effectiveness and to seek your input on priority areas.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. The complete survey results (including text comments) are available as a report which is available via email request (
contact@pien.org.au), however,
here is a brief summary of the graphs produced by the survey.
The survey results suggest the organisation is doing a reasonable job in keeping people informed and that by and large, members have opportunities to get involved in the work of the network. These monthly bulletins seem to be an important medium of communication, although perhaps there is more that we can do to make the most of these bulletins (see side article).
In terms of organisational priorities, the survey suggests that the network should focus on mobilising churches (including church leaders), supporting Palestinians, and in working to influence politicians.
These survey results were discussed at the PIEN 2016 Strategy Day and were incorporated into priorities for the year.