Today we’d like to introduce you to Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon.
Hi Rev. Dr. Mae Elise, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Living in Colorado Springs invited me to regularly experience God in the sunrise over the mountains and the sunset high among the clouds. I’ve always experienced the presence of God in nature, and it seems one cannot doubt the divine when one can always see the glory of the Garden of the Gods and the heights of Pikes Peak. My family moved to Colorado Springs for my husband’s work, but I found friendship and community playing tennis and meeting friends and neighbors in High Forrest Ranch, Flying Horse, and at the parks all over town, from John Venezia Park to the Colorado Springs Racquet Club. I often traveled in and out of Denver for work, and it was always wonderful to return home to a community surrounded by nature and horses, expansive open landscapes to the east, and mountains to the west. My work focuses on Middle East peace – and the rugged Colorado wilderness was a welcome juxtaposition to the geopolitics of foreign policy work centered in Washington, D.C. I lead a nonprofit called Churches for Middle East Peace (www.cmep.org), and while we partner with a number of churches and ministries based in Colorado Springs and Denver – the pace of life in Colorado – and the outdoor lifestyle – year around was something that I was always eager to come home to … except for the rare and occasional May snow storm!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I loved the small-town feel of Colorado Springs – how a “city” felt like a small town … how we could always be outside no matter what time of year. I always loved being able to focus on family, friends, and some of the more “simple things of life.” But – at times – Colorado, especially the more isolated and rural communities, can feel quite insular and isolated. Just the ways that the broader world can sometimes be “too expansive,” at times overwhelming and fragmented… sometimes our communities in Colorado can feel quite close-minded and not open to learning from those who might have different ideas and experiences. I always want to be someone who is open to learning and growing from thoughts and ideas outside of my own context and perspective. I hope that our communities in Colorado might also be open to hearing the perspectives of others who might be coming from alternative viewpoints politically, theologically, and ideologically. Even if, in the end, one doesn’t change their mind about how they view things – maybe they will be exposed to some perspective they might not have otherwise considered, allowing for empathy to be able to consider someone else’s viewpoints that are different than their own.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a pastor, author, and peacemaker. I’ve written books about peacebuilding and what it means to live out justice in the context of community. I’ve written several books about biblical justice and responding to the needs of those living in poverty and oppression. And today my work focuses on religious diplomacy and peacebuilding in the Middle East. I lead an ecumenical organization of 36 diverse Christian denominations and member communions, including Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, evangelical, and peace-building traditions, representing over 80 million Christians in the United States. Our denominations are committed to peacebuilding approaches in the Middle East that acknowledge multinarrative perspectives and promote nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution in support of human rights, equality, and international law for the benefit of all people in the Middle East. You can read about Churches for Middle East’s policy positions here: https://cmep.org/about-2/policypositions-guidelines/.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cmep.org and www.maecannon.org
- Instagram: @churchesformep @maeelisecannon
- Facebook: @churhcesformep @maeelisecannon
- LinkedIn: @maeelisecannon
- Twitter: @churchesformep @maeelisecannon
- Youtube: @churchesformep
