2009 Conference of Bishops
More than half of the 66 bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the ELCA secretary, and five of the six bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), plus spouses and staff visited the Middle East, Jan. 6-13, 2009.
North American Lutheran Bishops Visit Israeli Officials
JERUSALEM (ELCA) — Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) met Jan. 8 with Israeli government and religious officials as part of a pilgrimage to the Middle East. The bishops also toured the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem and laid a wreath.
Forty-five bishops representing both churches are participating in a series of meetings Jan. 6-13 with religious, political and community leaders in Israel and the West Bank. The visit, focused on supporting the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, is the North American Lutheran bishops’ annual academy for theological reflection and study.
The Lutheran bishops met with the two chief rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Yona Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar, who spoke about the current fighting in Gaza.
For nearly eight years Israelis living near Gaza have been subject to periodic rocket attacks on their homes, launched by Hamas from Gaza, Metzger said. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, but it has the right to self-defense if Israeli lives are threatened, he said.
“When you return to your countries, please be ambassadors to our feelings,” Metzger said to the Lutheran bishops. “We don’t want war. We don’t want to kill innocent people. We want only to defend ourselves.”
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, told the rabbis that the bishops opposed the escalating violence. “I hope you hear — it didn’t sound like you have — our rejection of any violence perpetrated upon the people of Israel — the violence of suicide bombers, Hamas rockets, or rockets from the north today,” Hanson said.
The rabbis feel “deep distress” for the loss of innocent lives in the Gaza conflict, Amar said. To help explain the large number of civilian casualties, the rabbis said authorities showed them maps and photos of where they believe rockets have been fired from Gaza. Earlier in the day, a rocket launched from Lebanon into Israel was determined to be an isolated incident. < more >
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on January 9th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I would be interested to know just how much money this trip to Israel is costing the Synod. At a time when our country and the church at large are facing unsure economic times I think that the bishops, their staff and wives could have been better stewards of God’s money.
on January 9th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
According to the pre-trip news release, “bishops and spouses provided synod and personal funds for the visit.” Check with your synod office to see what (if any) funds were designated by your synod for the trip.
on January 10th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
I think it is a challenge to understand faith and discernment in the times that we face. It is also much more difficult to understand the discernment of others when we ourselves are feeling pressure from many concerns that we have not faced before. We will go astray when we begin to tie God’s call to us and His message to our worldly concerns. Now, possibly more than ever, we need to “walk” with one another in pray.
on January 10th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
There are several definitions most likely about what it is to be a good steward. The money spent for our theologians and their spouses to see firsthand and talk directly to those who are in the midst of yet again another Middle East crisis is worth every penny. Our news media does not begin to tell us the actual facts of life there – for both sides. Only some websites, e.g. Christian Peacemakers and the Israeli House Committee Against Demolition can bring us facts that we can trust.
on January 10th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I appreciate that Brother Domrath is concerned about how our Church is using its economic resources. I trust he is also concerned about how his country is spending its resources. The 3 million dollars a day we are giving Israel has made it possible for them to continue and extend their illegal occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza. It is unfortunate that Hamas has chosen to use rockets in response to the Israeli economic siege. but this on-going conflict will be resolved when the United States stops supporting Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and their policy of ethnic cleansing.