Have you sometimes felt confused, overwhelmed or mystified by all the reports of trouble in the “Holy Land?” Have you ever wondered if some personal contact with people having alternative viewpoints might offer clarity and understanding? Are you the kind of person who likes to hear both sides of any story?

Well, today I have good news for you because soon dozens of concerned and knowledgeable folks are coming to our neck of the woods to share experiences, insights and recommendations regarding the complex situation of the Holy Land.

First, a major regional conference will be held in nearby San Anselmo on March 5 and 6. Then on the evening of March 6, two Stanford professors will offer right here in Sonoma a discussion of the work of a pair of renowned poets, one Palestinian, the other Israeli.

The conference, “A Time for Truth, A Time for Action; Palestine, Israel and the U.S. at the Crossroads” has been convened by wonderful friends of mine – people from the Bay Area who were in Israel and Palestine with me a year ago, including an active Sonoma couple, JoAnn Consiglieri and Jim McFadden.

Our group of 20 travelers, under the guidance of our leader Styron, had met monthly for a full year in anticipation of our trip to Palestine and Israel. We read books, watched documentaries and listened to speakers, some of whom will again share their experiences at this conference.

What led Styron to put together this November 2008 tour? Well, her first experience with a separating wall and an underground had come in 1965 when she traveled as a college student to Germany to smuggle Bibles behind the Berlin Wall while attending a Lutheran evangelical conference.

Fascinated by Germany and the German people – the young woman vowed to learn more about the experience of the Jewish people during the holocaust. Visiting Dachau, a World War II concentration camp, had a big impact on Styron, prompting a decision to seriously study the Bible. At Princeton Seminary in New Jersey, she realized she wanted to be a minister and in 1972 became Rev. Monica Styron.

Her affinity for the Jewish community and the Judeo-Christian relationship was consistently reflected throughout her life of ministry. Therefore, in 1989, when a fellow clergyman offered a scholarship to travel to Israel with a Pax World Service Friendship Tour, she jumped at the opportunity.

A broad-based, balanced experience of the political, social, governmental and personal life came as Styron’s delegation met with Israel’s Foreign Minister, the PLO, educators, politicians, press, foreign relations people, poets and artists, Israeli and Palestinian.

However, when the group visited the refugee camp of Dheisheh, just south of Bethlehem, Styron began a slide into an emotional tailspin. As she saw tent-dwelling families whose homes had been destroyed, and witnessed a woman’s despair because her son had been shot in the night, the reverend just couldn’t imagine Israeli soldiers doing such things.

Confusion and disbelief flooded the minister’s brain as she pondered, “There is something really wrong here. I am witnessing something that’s not propaganda, not a made-up story. I have always listened from the Jewish side. But this kind of behavior is not my understanding of how to bring peace and freedom for the worldwide Jewish community.”

Several subsequent visits to the country, including six months of volunteer service in 2006, spurred this woman of faith to bring others to witness the good work of outstanding organizations, both Israeli and Palestinian, and to simply see for themselves the way things are in the land where Jesus walked.

Our year of study fades in comparison to what we saw with our own eyes and heard with our own ears during our two-week tour in November 2008. We came back committed to sharing what we had learned and so my fellow travelers have spent over a year putting together this opportunity for all of you.

Having accepted a pastorate in Binghamton, N.Y., Styron has left Sonoma. Upon seeing the conference brochure her protégés had created, she enthused for scattered colleagues: “An amazing cast of speakers and presenters will give up-to-date understanding of the situation in Palestine/Israel…and what can be helpful in the months and years ahead. Those of you who are in other parts of the U.S. – it’s worth the trip!”

Dear readers, you have only a short way to travel! In addition to interesting speakers, dozens of organizations will be selling their books, arts, crafts, and olive oil from artisans in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

The conference takes place at the First Presbyterian Church, 72 Kensington Road, San Anselmo on Friday, March 5, noon to 9 p.m. and Saturday, March 6 beginning at 8:30 a.m. through the closing liturgy at 5:30 p.m. You may attend either day or both.

I’ll happily send you a brochure on request or you can read it online and register at fosna.org. For answers to your questions, call JoAnn at 996.0240 or Carol at 415.383.2260.