The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit reaffirmed churches’ commitment to justice and peace in the Middle East, while stressing the importance of a common vision for living together by Christians and Muslims in the Arab world.

From the World Council of Churches article – “Without this Christian presence, the conviviality among peoples from different faiths, cultures, and civilisations, which is a sign of God’s love for all humanity, will be endangered,” said Tveit.

He appreciated the participation of a range of Muslims in the consultation, who he says, have emphasized their commitment to strengthen the Christian presence in the Middle East. He said that it is through their action for the common good that people in the Arab world can accomplish peace, justice, freedom and harmony.

“We will certainly want to make clear to our wider constituency, the WCC’s extensive experience over many years of how Christians and Muslims continue to work together constructively for the common good,” he said.

Tveit also pointed out the challenges faced by the Christians in the Arab world, and the sense of insecurity they feel, due to political divides and persistent conflicts.  The WCC has addressed over a number of years the issue of emigration of Christians from the region resulting from the occupation and war in Iraq and the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

He said, “We know that the changes in the Arab world over the last year – and changes still to come – have also left many Christians, along with many Muslims, feeling uncertain and even afraid for their future.”

Highlighting the efforts of churches struggling for justice and peace in Israel and Palestine, Tveit said that the situation is of great concern for Christians in Jerusalem, as well as people of other faiths.

Tveit was speaking at the Christian-Muslim consultation on “Christian Presence and Witness in the Arab World” organized by the WCC programmes for Churches in the Middle East and Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation in collaboration with the Middle East Council of Churches.

• Full text of the WCC general secretary’s speech
• WCC programme for special focus on the Middle East

Father Bassilius Nassar, a Greek Orthodox priest who was helping a wounded man, was shot and killed in Hama on Wednesday.  Both the government and the opposition blamed the killing on the other.  This was the same day the Secretary General of the Syrian Red Cross, along with 23 others, were killed.  Reports of what really happened with both murders are contradictory.  We send our condolences to members of the Greek Orthodox Church and Christian community, as well as to the people of Syria who are experiencing such brutal violence and fear.  More than 5000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in mid-March of 2011. 

Our thoughts and prayers are also with the people of Egypt, as they celebrated one year since the January 25 uprising of last year.  We hope and pray that the outcomes of this Arab Spring bring peace, tolerance, justice and a better tomorrow for the people of Egypt.

On the Feast of Epiphany, 6 January, ELCJHL members and leaders gathered at the Baptismal Site at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan to celebrate the ground breaking for the new Evangelical Lutheran Pilgrimage and Retreat Center at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan.

Celebrations began with a service of Holy Communion by the Jordan River with Bishop Younan preaching and presiding, and Pastor Mitri Raheb, pastor in Bethlehem and President of the Synod; Pastor Sani Ibrahim Azar, pastor in Jerusalem; and Pastor Samer Azar, pastor in Amman assisting.

Read more at this link.
Click here to view more photos from the day.
Click here to view other galleries of photos from the Baptismal Site.
Click here to read Bishop Younan’s full sermon from the groundbreaking.

Stay tuned for ways you can support this important project!

The official announcement of Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb as recipient of the 2011 prestigious international award “Deutscher Medienpreis” was made in Germany on Friday, January 13, 2012. Launched in 1992, the award was mainly granted to Heads of States, including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2009), the Dali Lama (2008), King Juan Carlos of Spain (2006), Kofi Anan (2003), Queen Rania of Jordan (2002), , Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (2000), Bill Clinton (1999),

Nelson Mandela (1998), King Hussein of Jordan (1997), Boris Yeltsin (1996), President Arafat (1995), Yitshak Rabin (1995), Francois Mitterrand (1994), Chancellor Helmut Cole (1993), in addition to few and selected personalities such as Sir Richard Branson (2010), Steffi Graf (2007), Bono (2005) and Rudolph Giuliani (2002).

Aside from Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, the award is given to the Russian Stanislaw Petrow, who prevented a potential third world nuclear war in 1983; the Afghani Dr. Sakena Yacoobi who worked diligently on empowering women in Afghanistan; and to Dr. Denis Mukwege from Congo, who assisted thousands of rape victims in the Congo war.

The decision of the jury to give the award to Rev. Dr. Raheb was based on his tireless work in creating room for hope for his people, who are living under Israeli Occupation, through founding and building institutions of excellence in education, culture and health. He was also recognized due to his strong position and stance on the Culture of Life and Dialogue.

The official ceremony will be held in the city of Baden-Baden in Germany on February 24, 2012. The keynote speaker during the celebration will be the former German President Professor Roman Herzog.

Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb expressed his delight to receive this prestigious award, since it is indicative of the international appreciation and recognition of his efforts that are made on the local, regional and international levels.

For more information, go to: www.deutscher-medienpreis.de

These words are taken from the Christmas Eve sermon from Pastor Fred Strickert, the ELCA missionary who serves at the English-speaking Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jerusalem.  On Christmas Eve, the Arabic, German and English-speaking congregations join together at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem (below) for an international service.  Pastor Fred preached this year’s sermon: 

‘And so the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’  (John 1:14)  Among us in our world filled with refugees and immigrants.

The child of a refugee family finding hospitality and welcome in Bethlehem, just as the church today accepts the challenge of welcoming the stranger today.  Fred Otieno, from the Church in Nairobi, recently said reflecting on his 18 hour a day, seven day a week position as camp coordinator at the Dadaab Refugee Camp, ‘God has a purpose for us being here to make a difference in the lives of these people, so we must try and help them enjoy their stay, because at the end of the day we all need one another.’ 

This is the message that goes out from the Bethlehem manger, “At the end of the day we all need one another.”

• Christmas is not about how much we can accumulate and horde, but about how much we can give away, sharing ith those in need. 
• Christmas is not about walls that divide, security that ntimates, and policies that humiliate, but about an attitude toward life in a spirit which loves the other as our self.
• Christmas is not even about safe, romantic, idyllic tales of long ago, but it is about Christ coming into our midst, now, in the present moment.
• Christmas is about welcoming Jesus into our midst, as we welcome the least among us, as we show hospitality to the stranger, for then we may discover that we have been entertaining angels unawares, or even God’s own son. 

 

      

                

Read full sermon

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Lutheran Church and the Internationl Center of Bethlehem joined together with the Washington National Cathedral for the 5th annual Christmas service simulcast on Saturday, Dec. 17.  Watch video of the service.

 

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The Rt. Rev. Munib Younan, LWF President and Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, released his Christmas message for 2011, lifting up the waiting that Anna and Simeon had to do in their lifetime:

Imagine having to wait for all those years.

Yet Anna and Simeon were able to wait in hope in spite of their difficult circumstances, in spite of their challenging times. Their faith, their steadfastness, their edifying and uplifting spirituality, their community support, and their prophetic message equipped them and enabled them in their long years of waiting.

In the same way today, in our difficult circumstances and in our challenging times, we can learn from them as we wait in hope, not in resignation.

This Christmas, may we be blessed with the words of Simeon:

“Lord, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.”

Simeon and Anna must have thought that it could never happen in their lifetimes. They must have had doubts and second thoughts. They must have questioned the promises. Yet they continued to live in faith with a hope that was unshaken. They remained steadfast in Jerusalem, finding support in community. They did not hesitate to speak forth a prophetic word. And through their patient waiting their eyes saw the salvation prepared for them and the whole world. Christ was born in a manger—good news for all people.

I pray that this model of hopeful waiting of Anna and Simeon may now exhibit itself in the people of the Middle East.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year in 2012! 

 

Download full message here.

 

 

The ELCHL schools send Christmas greetings to all in a card illustrated by students. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the full Christmas card  |  See photos of the Ramallah Christmas program  |  See other ELCJHL photos for schools

The leaders of the three largest Orthodox communities in Syria have issued a statement regarding the current situation in their country. The two files attached here show the letter, translated from Arabic.

For the several years it has been in existence, the Peace Not Walls campaign of the ELCA has been focused primarily on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The events of this year have shown, more than ever before, that the conflict cannot be comprehended apart from its regional context.

Please keep the people of Syria in your prayers, the Christian communities among them. Additionally, pray that leaders around the world seeking to intervene in the conflict brewing there — including leaders in the United States — will receive the gift of discernment.

This is the season of hope. Amen, come Lord Jesus.

The blog of the Peace Not Walls campaign of the ELCA does not endorse the content of items posted or linked by authors. The document known as the “Bethlehem Call” contains several elements not in agreement with ELCA policy concerning Israel and Palestine. 

Kairos Palestine led a conference in Bethlehem called ‘Kairos for Global Justice Encounter” in December that gathered participants from 15 countries  to see current realities on the ground and what has changed since December, 2009, when the initial Kairos Palestine group issued their “Word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering.”  They issued what they are calling “The Bethlehem Call.”

Read the full statement here (PDF document).

A Message from Bethlehem: Voices of Hope

A Statement from an Ecumenical Delegation of Women Bishops

“We came to the land of Jesus to stand in solidarity with women working for peace.  We heard their voices, listened to their stories and came away disturbed yet hopeful,” said Bishop Deborah L. Kiesey, head of a delegation of 10 ecumenical women bishops who recently traveled to Israel and Palestine.

The pilgrimage of peace and solidarity on November 12-21, 2011 was sponsored by the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church and The United Methodist Church Council of Bishops. Episcopal leaders from four denominations participated in the pilgrimage: United Methodist, Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal and Christian Methodist Episcopal. We met with Christians, Jews and Muslims, listened to stories of despair and hope and witnessed the realities of life experienced by the people in the land.

Highlights of the pilgrimage were meeting with women throughout Israel and Palestine who are working to empower women, building bridges to new relationships and nurturing and caring for children.  In Galilee we met with Arab women and Jewish women working together to empower women and build a better future in a community called Sindyanna of Galilee which teaches women how to weave baskets, make soaps and create other Fair Trade products for sale, all the while building relationships and friendships with one another.

In Nazareth we met with a Jewish rabbi who seeks through her ministry and her life to nurture diverse relationships and provide a role model for her community and her children. In the Negev, we met with Bedouin women who are building libraries including a mobile library for children in the outlying villages. They are also providing educational opportunities for women and teaching women how to do embroidery, a skill that brings them income and builds on a traditional form of art. In Jericho, we met with women at the YWCA who are offering child care and parenting support in one of the refugee camps, as well as teaching women commercial cooking skills and hairdressing. They also offer English language classes and computer courses.

All of the women we met sought to empower other women within their communities by building on their strengths, enabling them to name and address the needs of their context and making a difference in the world. These women, by their stories, challenge and inspire us as women to find ways to work for a better future for women, children and men everywhere.

Ironically, in the land where the words for peace: peace, shalom and salaam are spoken as greetings and/or farewells, this land is certainly not at peace.  Bishop Sarah F. Davis, Episcopal leader in the African Methodist Episcopal denomination writes:

“If peace is to be realized anywhere, we, the people of God, can no longer be satisfied with listening to our own stories and believing only in our interpretation of the issues. Our passion for peace at home and abroad must be born out of our conviction to live as people, who, created in the image of God, understand the need to listen to the stories of others and admit there may be viewpoints on issues we have not yet seriously considered. We must pray for peace to become a universal priority of the church.”

“The beauty of the historic Holy Land remains as it must have been in biblical days – olive groves and fruit trees prolific amidst the rocky desert terrain.  The realities of this land are similar, a land of promise and hope for some, and a rough and oppressive place for others,” writes Bishop Teresa Snorton with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. 

“The Holy Land that is to embody the peace of faith and religion is also the place of almost constant war.  It is hard to describe the pain, despair and oppression that is apparent in this modern Israel, which in reality is an occupied land, its ownership still in dispute.”

“The tragedy is that everyone suffers in this environment. The Palestinian people face daily indignities, injustices and experience oppression familiar to the Jim Crow South of the United Statesand apartheid ofSouth Africa. The Jewish people, in their quest to assure their covenant promise of the land, live in a constant state of fear and with the impact of an economy driven by a prevailing military presence and readiness for combat.  The Church must speak to these injustices in more direct ways in the ensuing days if there is to be any possibility for an end to this conundrum that subverts rather than promotes peace for all the people for whom this is the ‘Holy’ land.”

 A Pledge for Action

In addition to listening to stories, we pledged to gather facts that would equip the delegation as educators and advocates for peace upon our return to theUnited States.  We recognize, as Episcopal leaders, we have the ability and responsibility to teach and preach about the critical issues of the day.  Therefore, we pledge to take the following actions in our respective Episcopal areas:

• Maintain a continual discipline of prayer for the peoples of Israel and Palestine by setting aside specific day or days for prayers by our churches (a suggested time: first Wednesday of each month). During Holy Week 2012, we will urge people in our Episcopal areas to pray for the people of Israel and Palestine.  Prayers will be written by our team for Holy Week and shared with the churches.
• Stand in solidarity with women in Israel and Palestine and in our communities who are working for peace.
• Identify ways our churches and country are complicit with oppression in the region.
• Organize a pilgrimage of young adults, ages 20-30, to the region in 2013 so they may anticipate similar experiences to our own. We will work with the young adults to develop a mission statement and projected outcomes.
• Implement a ministry of education by sharing our leadership and insight with our constituents.
• Speak truth to power through advocacy on justice issue related to Israel and Palestine by taking the following steps:

(A)  We will invite our Council of Bishops/House of Bishops to prepare letters to President Barack Obama and respective Members of Congress regarding our observations and findings such as:

• the need to encourage political leaders to listen to and involve more women in the peace process;
• a two-state solution is essential for peace and would benefit both Israelis and Palestinians; such a solution must include:

1. A sovereign, viable and contiguous Palestinian state along the 1967 borders
2. Universal recognition for the state ofIsraeland protection of her security
3. The sharing of the eternal city of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of two sovereign states, with universal access to the holy sites for people of all faiths;
4. An end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
5. A fair solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees.
6. Agreements for the equitable sharing of water resources; and
7. The protection of minority rights both within the state of Israel and a future Palestinian state.

(B)   Engage our respective church constituencies in dialogue and work so as to reach common ground on issues related to Israel and Palestine.

“We came to the Holy Landwhere one finds holy sites and we met living stones.  We heard their stories and now want to share their stories with others in hopes of seeing all people in Israel and Palestine experience abundant life.” (Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, United Methodist Church)

A Gift to the Church

We found ourselves in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Nazareth—all places where Jesus walked.  Because we were in the Holy Landjust prior to Advent, we offer the litany below as a gift to the Church for use in local congregations during this Advent season.  (Preferably this can be used on the Third Sunday in Advent, when Luke 1:46-55 is an appointed text—or any other time in Advent as desired)

The Gospel of Luke describes Mary as overshadowed by the power of God.  For God, nothing is impossible!  Mary responds to God, “I am your servant; let it be to me according to your word.”

It is Advent, and we wait and hope for peace and love.

WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO BETHLEHEM, WHERE JESUS WILL BE BORN.

Mary, overshadowed by God, says, “I am your servant; let it be to me according to your word.”

WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO BETHLEHEM, WHERE JESUS WILL BE BORN.

Mary and Joseph travel and arrive weary and unwelcomed.

WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO BETHLEHEM, WHERE JESUS WILL BE BORN

Bethlehem this Advent is weary and anxious in the shadow of the high dividing wall.

WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO BETHLEHEM, WHERE JESUS WILL BE BORN.

We in the world have lost our way.  We need a Savior and Shepherd and Healer.

OVERSHADOW THIS WORLD, O GOD, WITH YOUR POWER AND LOVE.

Come, Lord Jesus, and bring peace in Israel and Palestine, and in every broken place.

WE PRAY FOR YOUR BIRTHPLACE AS WE MAKE OUR WAY TO BETHLEHEM.

Shatter darkness with your light as you come to gather, heal and save us.

COME, LORD JESUS, PRINCE OF PEACE.

(Litany written by Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, The United Methodist Church)

Members of the Delegation:

Bishop Laura Ahrens (The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut)

Bishop Sarah Davis (African Methodist Episcopal Church)

Bishop Violet Fisher (United Methodist Church)

Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry (African Methodist Church)

Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey, Chair (United Methodist Church)

Bishop Vashti McKenzie (African Methodist Episcopal Church)

Bishop Jane Middleton (United Methodist Church)

Bishop Teresa E. Snorton (Christian Methodist Episcopal Church)

Bishop Mary Ann Swenson (United Methodist Church)

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward (United Methodist Church)