2009 Conference of Bishops

By Daniel J. Lehmann

Bishops from North America joined members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Amman at the banks of the Jordan River to celebrate with a eucharist the blessing of a parcel overlooking the river given the church for a retreat center and worship facility.

The significance of the day was not lost on those gathered at one of the sites believed to be the spot where Jesus was baptized. It was Epiphany, which marks both the visit of the wise men to Jesus as a child as well as his baptism.

The crowd worshipped at a recently constructed covered grand stand at the very foot of the river. The Jordan River is reported to be remnant of river Jesus would have seen, having been greatly reduced in recent years by the siphoning of its water for irrigation and other uses. The shallow, narrow river is brownish green in color and exceedingly murky.

That didn’t stop those gathered from celebrating the recent gift of Jordan’s King Abdullah II of a sizable nearby plot of land for the buildings. A number of churches and centers of various faith traditions are under construction or planned in the area, once a military security zone between Jordan and Israel.

The moon-like surface of the site is the result of sediments deposited there eons ago when the adjacent Dead Sea covered a much larger area. It overlooks the river, the Israel-Jordan border and the city of Jericho.

Later in the day the small group of bishops from the ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada were joined by a majority of their fellow bishops in Jerusalem for a seven-day visit of the city and the West Bank through January 13.

The trip is to stress accompaniment with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, raise awareness of regional issues and boost advocacy for peace.

Presiding Bishops Mark S. Hanson of the ELCA and Susan C. Johnson of the ELCIC joined Bishop Munib A. Younan of ELCJHL in a private session with the king Tuesday morning. Details of their conversation were not released.

Leaders of the ELCA and ELCIC plan to meet with Israeli officials later this week to discuss the current fighting in the Gaza Strip, efforts to stop it and what can be done to reach a long-term peace accord between the Israelis and Palestinians.

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By Daniel J. Lehmann

Monday was a day of official meetings, historic and breathtaking scenery and the end of an epic journey for ELCA bishops visiting the Middle East.

A delegation from the ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada met with the speaker of the Jordanian legislative body as well as leaders of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center.

The bishops are an advance party of a larger gathering of American and Canadian bishops Jan. 6-13 in Israel and the West Bank. They are on a mission of accompaniment, awareness and advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians.

Tuesday promises an even more significant talk. Jordanian King Abdullah II is scheduled to meet with Presiding Bishops Mark S. Hanson and Susan C. Johnson of the ELCA and ELCIC, respectively, and Bishop Munib A. Younan of ELCJHL in a private session.

In talks with the religious leaders, Hanson, Johnson and the other bishops signed on to a 2008 document between Christians and Muslims in Jordan that urges respect for each other’s beliefs, prophets and holy books, as well as free access to all holy sites.

At a news conference in the evening, Hanson called for a more active role by the U.S. to end the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day a small group of bishops went to Mount Nebo, from where the Bible says Moses viewed the promised land — today’s Israel, Jordan and the West Bank — just before his death.

And at day’s end, Bishops Harold L. Usgaard of Southern Minnesota Synod and Duane C. Pederson of Northwest Synod of Wisconsin Synod arrived in Amman after two full days of travel. Their plane was delayed three hours leaving Minneapolis. They missed their connecting flight in New York to Jordan, so they spent the night in the airport. Once finally in Istanbul, they missed another connecting flight, delaying their eventual landing in Jordan by several hours. They showered, changed clothes, joined an evening reception and made the best of their adventure.

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Day two from the Bishops’ Academy in the Holy Land.

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By Daniel J. Lehmann

With fighting in the Gaza Strip hovering ominously in the background, a
small group of bishops from the ELCA turned to the more pleasant church
business Sunday evening of witnessing the confirmation of five youths at
a Lutheran church in Amman, Jordan.

The six bishops and spouses helped fill Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on
the edge of city’s downtown, easily spotted with its lighted cross
atop the church belltower.

The reception that followed in the church basement was as celebratory as
they come: dance music and a lighted, spinning disco ball greeted the
youth as they entered in line and were followed by a sheet cake
featuring two lit roman candles. The smoke released for added atmosphere
probably wasn’t needed since nearly every parishioner smoked cigarettes.

During the worship service, Bishop Munib A. Younan of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land thanked the bishops for
coming to the Middle East “not only in times of joy” but also during
periods of sorrow, and in the current situation, fighting between
Israelis and Palestinians.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson pledged the denomination’s support
for the ELCJHL and said he hoped the change of presidential
administrations in the United States would help bring “the conflicting
sides to a lasting, two-state solution” of peace.

Hanson and the other bishops were to be joined by Presiding Bishop Susan
C. Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada for a two-plus
day visit to Jordan before hooking up with a majority of the bishops
from both nations in Jerusalem and the West Bank Jan. 6-13. The bishops
hope the trip will stress accompaniment with the ELCJHL, raise awareness
of regional issues and boost advocacy for peace.

The day wasn’t all serious. Using a sunny day to overcome jet lag
following Saturday’s flight, the bishops took in Petra, the ancient
Roman ruin in southern Jordan. The sight of the delegation atop trotting
donkeys lugging them up and out of the valley for more than a mile
wasn’t captured on film as the media traveling with the bishops
struggled to stay upright on their own beasts of burden.

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The Bishops’ trip to the Holy Land begins in Amman, Jordan.

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By Daniel J. Lehmann

What happened to Saturday? A small group of ELCA bishops, spouses and
churchwide organization staffers boarded a jet in Chicago in the dark
evening hours of Friday only to deplane some 12 hours later in the
gathering black of Saturday night in Amman, Jordan.

The group was to link up later with a few other bishops as well as
Presiding Bishops Mark S. Hanson of the ELCA and Susan C. Johnson of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada for a two-plus day visit to Jordan
before hooking up with a majority of the bishops from both nations in
Jerusalem.

The trip is part of a long-planned journey to Jordan, Israel and the
West Bank as part of the 2005 ELCA “Churchwide Strategy for Engagement
in Israel and Palestine.” Its goal is to build relationships with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, foster
awareness of the issues there and increase advocacy for a just peace in
the region.

The group that flew direct from Chicago was greeted at the entrance of
Hotel Jerusalem in downtown Amman by ELCJHL Bishop Munib A. Younan, his
wife, daughter and a welcome cold glass of sweet and unusually thick
orange juice.

Fighting at the Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean Sea cast an air of
uncertainty over the visit. Bishops decided earlier this week to
proceed, as the trip had been delayed in the past. With reports of
Israeli ground troops entering the Gaza Strip late Saturday, it is
unknown what other security measures may be put in place that could
change the agenda of the visit later in the week to Jerusalem, Bethlehem
and Ramallah, the largest city on the West Bank.

But first, sleep. At 6 a.m. Sunday, suffering from jet lag or
not, the bishops and others get on the bus for a quick visit to the
spectacular Roman ruins of Petra before worship and a reception in Amman
later in the day.

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