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Jewish, Christian and Muslim Religious Leaders Welcome Ceasefire; Call Urgently for a Two-State Peace Agreement

Peace Not Walls ​Below is the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East statement welcoming the ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, with endorsements by thirty-three national Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders​. August 14, 2014                                                               ...

LWF and ELCA Respond to Violence in and around Gaza

Peace Not Walls ​In a 23 July joint statement by Lutheran World Federation President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan and General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge, the global Lutheran communion reiterated its call on all parties for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire...

“Peace Process” or not, Israeli Occupation Grinds On

During the past two weeks, two events have caught the attention of the international community: the shooting deaths of two teenage protesters in Beitunia and the destruction of thousands of fruit trees on a farm south of Bethlehem. The Nassar...

WCC General Secretary Calls for Reversal of Israeli Knesset law Categorizing Palestinian Christians

Julie Rowe ​ 19 March 2014 – Joining voices of the churches in Palestine and Israel, the World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed “grave concern” about a law recently passed by the...

Prayers for Dr. Tawfiq Nasser and Augusta Victoria Hospital

Julie Rowe Please join in prayer with your sisters and brothers in The Lutheran World Federation  for Dr. Tawfiq Nasser who is undergoing surgery today at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto. Dr. Nasser, CEO of Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in...

Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem Needs Urgent Financial Assistance

Karin Brown Call for critical financial support for Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem to avoid interruption of essential health care. Click here to contact your representative and senators. Augusta Victoria Hospital, operated by the Lutheran World Federation in East...

Dedication of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan

Julie Rowe Over 150 international companions from around the world and local Christians gathered for the dedication of the new Evangelical Lutheran Church at Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, built on the Jordan side of the river, said to be the site of where John...

ELCA urges US Senate hearing to increase aid to Syrian refugees and IDDPs

Julie Rowe ​The ELCA released a statement today urging increased financial support for Syrian refugees and internally-displaced persons as well as encouraging refugee resettlement in the US and other countries.  The ELCA presented the statement to the hearing on the...

Follow the ELCA Peace not Walls/Young Adult Leadership Trip to the Holy Land

Julie Rowe Sixteen ELCA young adults from all over the US are in the Holy Land right now visiting holy sites, experiencing everyday realities and meeting their Palestinian sisters and brothers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the...

Christmas Peace and Unity in Cairo

Julie Rowe ELCA missionary Kirsten Fryer serves St. Andrew’s International Congregation and the St. Andrew’s Refugee Services in Cairo.  In her blog, Cairos, Kirsten describes Christmas Day worship in Cairo where Sudanese refugees from various tribes who are fighting in South Sudan came...