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. Participants met with Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian religious, community and political leaders, visited congregations and schools, and sites of religious significance.

The visit was the 2009 Bishops’ Academy, an annual event in which leaders from both churches engage in theological reflection and study.