Seda P. Mansour

New Wine, New Wineskins is doing what the church should be leading in, but sadly isn’t. New Wine is reaching out to individuals and communities outside the church, as Jesus did, and is inviting them into a conversation. It’s earning the right to be heard by engaging those who have been for far too long on the periphery. As New Wine does this, it educates and challenges us–the church. It teaches us not to retreat in fear but to advance in love. As someone who grew up in the U.S. half Palestinian, half Costa Rican, and all American, I found myself easily crossing these three cultures and building bridges of respect and understanding–the tools that pave the way for deeper relating and the joy of shared living. As a professional in my field, I do basically the same thing. I cross multiple cultures for the purpose of greater communication. This is also what New Wine does. It crosses the great divisions facing humankind such as race, religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc., and proclaims–not approval, but acceptance–and a desire to engage. New Wine does it because it is what Jesus did and still wants to do through us–the church.