Mercy Aiken
PROGRAM DIRECTOR | MIDDLE EAST
Mercy Aiken is a cross cultural advocate, bridge-builder, storyteller, author, activist, and pilgrimage leader with years of experience living in the Middle East, particularly Palestine and Israel. She is passionate about the flourishing of eastern Christians, Muslims and Jews. Her peacebuildIng is centered in (but not limited to) the Holy Land. She organizes and leads unique pilgrimages to the Holy Land designed to build empathy, understanding, and a more embodied expression of our faith, especially as it comes to peacebuilding. Mercy is convinced that the more we can learn about each other, the more we will be led with curiosity and empathy rather than fear and suspicion.
Mercy volunteered with Bethlehem Bible College on and off between 2015-2020. During that time, she co-wrote "Yet in the Dark Streets Shining," with Bishara Awad, founder of the college. Bishara's memoir tells the little-known story of Palestinian Christians as experienced through the life of one man, his family, and his nation. How Bishara and his community continue to carry themselves through displacement and oppression with faith, grace and truth can inspire a new generation of Jesus-following peacebuilders while introducing them to a side of the "conflict" they probably were not aware of. Mercy also has several new writing projects in the works exploring the lives and histories of others in the Holy Land.
Telling such stories is part of the "slow work" of peacebuilding, as it gently allows us to behold the humanity of the "other." This does not change political systems, but it does create a more expansive environment in the human heart, allowing us the ability to envision a new future led by love-which never fails.
Mercy is the former Relationship Manager for the Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East (NEME) where, among other things, she narrated the curriculum, Ascent to Jerusalem: Pilgrimage, Politics and Peacemaking in the Holy Land.
In her capacity with Peace Catalyst International, Mercy will continue to engage with Christians and others to learn more about the challenges that Christians and others face in the Holy Land and across the Middle East, and encourage them to become active peacebuilders in their communities and with regard to Palestine/Israel.
She will be based in Amman, Jordan for an upcoming season, where she is helping to develop and lead Peace Catalyst’s engagement with Palestine and Israel, host conversations on peacebuilding in the Holy Land, and work with local ministries, while also continuing her writing ministry.
Mercy holds a B.A. in English from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Arts in Theology and Culture with an emphasis on Peacemaking from Saint Stephen’s University in New Brunswick, Canada.
For more about Mercy’s Peace Catalyst work with Israel/Palestine, see: