Phone: 972-2-626-6800 FAX: 972-2-628-5764 ADDRESS: Muristan Road P.O. Box 14076 Jerusalem 91140 via Israel
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land (ELCJHL) is known for its friendliness as it welcomes visitors and pilgrims to the Holy Land from throughout the world. Though Palestinian Christians have been here since the first Pentecost, the roots of the ELCJHL
are in the mid-19th century when German and English missionaries came to teach and minister to the local people.
Today, we have five congregations in Jerusalem, Ramallah and the Bethlehem area and one in Amman, Jordan. The churches in Amman and Ramallah are made up largely of families of refugees who fled their homes at the time of the tragic wars that followed the formation of Israel. We also operate four schools and four education programs.
All are invited to attend an ecumenical service for the World Week
for Peace in Palestine-Israel. The service will be 4 p.m., Sunday, June 7, 2009,
at St. Stephen’s Basilica, 6 Nablus Road, Jerusalem.
Sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the World Week for Peace in Palestine-Israel is an opportunity for churches in different countries to send a clear signal about the urgent need for a peace settlement that secures the legitimate rights and future of both peoples. The local service is organized by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.
Settlements, like the one pictured here, are a special focus of this year’s campaign.
You can read more about the worldwide observance by clicking here.
It's
graduation season! Dozens of young women and men are celebrating the completion
of their ELCJHL school careers with festive graduation ceremonies this month.
Here, Dr. Charlie Haddad, ELCJHL director of education, addresses graduates at
the School of Hope, Ramallah, on May 21.
Watch this space for more photos and stories about 2009 graduations.
A delegation
of Christian leaders meet with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad (third from right) at his Ramallah office on May 18. He said it was a "matter of high
national interest" to help Palestinian Christians stay in their native country.
Diversity and peaceful coexistence are key to Palestine's survival, he said.
PA Minister Dr. Kholoud Dubeis-Abu Dayyah (far right) also participated in the meeting.
Click here for an article in the Arabic newspaper Al Quds about the visit (PDF).
This May, the region played host to Pope
Benedict XVI, adding a layer of complexity to an already busy ELCJHL
calendar. Shown is a May 11 interfaith papal audience at the Notre Dame Center of
Jerusalem, at which ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan and other Lutheran leaders were
in attendance. (M. Brown photo)
Click here for Bishop Younan's response to the papal visit.
Click here for Bishop Younan's statement at an April 30 symposium prior to the papal visit.
Click here for a Jerusalem Post article about the event.
Click here for a message from Jerusalem Christians to the pope delivered to him in Bethlehem
Click here for a New York Times article about the decline in Mideast Christian influence. Click here for a response from: Bishop Younan Churches for Middle East Peace
The ELCJHL celebrated a trio of anniversaries with dancing, exhibits, speeches and praise to God on May 16-17. Here the Talitha Kumi scout troupe leads a march from the Beit Sahour municipal building to the ELCJHL Beit Sahour church and school campus on May 16. Following are many of the church's local and international friends.
Click here for more photos and stories.
Partners
from around the world joined the ELCJHL in celebrating its anniversary at a
celebratory worship service at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem, on May
17. After the service, attendees viewed a photo exhibition on the ELCJHL and enjoyed
sweets.
Click here for Bishop Munib Younan's sermon in: English Spanish French
COCOP – the organization of the ELCJHL's international partners – recently finished a productive three days of meetings at the International Center of Bethlehem.
Bishop Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
joined other U.S. religious leaders in meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan
in Washington, D.C., on April 20, 2009. The meeting was a follow-up to Hanson’s January
meeting with the king in Jordan. At both events, the king and Christian leaders discussed
the importance of the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
You can read more about the meeting here.
A large crowd gathered in darkness and watched the sun rise over the hills of
eastern Palestine. In his message, Pastor Mark Holman encouraged the
congregation to reflect on the Easter story as told by the gospel of Mark.
The congregation partook in holy communion as a small music ensemble played many favorite
Easter hymns. Watch this space for more sunrise service photos.
Click here for Bishop Younan's Easter message in: English Spanish
Click here for Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb's Easter message in: English Spanish
Click here for Rev. Mark Holman's Easter message.
Photo galleries: Palm Sunday procession Maundy Thursday Via Dolorosa Easter sunrise service
After
three attempts in five weeks, three area bishops were finally allowed to enter
Gaza to visit churches and humanitarian projects. Anglican Bishop Rt. Rev.
Suheil Dawani, ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan and Greek Catholic Archbishop Elias
Chacour made their pastoral visit to Gaza on March 10. Earlier, bishops Dawani
and Younan were the only two of a delegation of five bishops denied entry at the
Erez Crossing between Israel and Gaza on Feb. 4. Later, the three bishops
applied for permission to enter Gaza on Feb. 24 but were denied for undisclosed
reasons.
The ELCJHL's press release on the visit is available here.
Katharina
Nazeeh Khoury was born on Friday, Feb. 20, 2009, at 8:25 am. She is the daughter
of Anna Younan Khoury and Nazeeh Khoury and granddaughter of Suad and Bishop
Munib Younan.
Archbishop Anders Wejryd of the Church of Sweden and ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan issued a joint statement calling on the Swedish government to take an active role in seeking peace in the Holy Land. They issued their statement after Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt presented that country's Parliament a declaration stating that peace between Israel and Palestine will be a top agenda item for his government this year. The declaration came after a representative of the Church of Sweden visited Gaza in the wake of Israel's recent bombing campaign there. You can read the statement here.
The World Council of Churches decried the loss of human life and called for greater church engagement in joint efforts for peace in its Feb. 20, 2009, statement on the Gaza war. You can read the statement in full here.
Despite
assurances from the Israeli government, ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan (pictured, at
right) and Anglican Bishop Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani (at left) were denied entry to
Gaza today. They were traveling with the heads of churches of Jerusalem to visit
Christians in the region. The two are the only Palestinians in the group and the
only ones to be denied entry. The group planned to visit churches, humanitarian
projects of the Middle East Council of Churches and the Al Ahli Hospital.
Click here for the ELCJHL press release on the incident.
With the bombardment of Gaza providing a solemn backdrop, some 50 North American Lutheran bishops visited their Palestinian partners in the Holy Land this month.
Their visit was “rich and fruitful in many ways,” said ELCJHL Bishop Munib A. Younan. The event allowed bishops to “meet, share our joys and sorrows, and know about our life, culture and difficulties facing the peoples of this troubled region,” Younan said.
The Bishops’ Academy is an annual event in which leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada engage in theological reflection and study. Under discussion for years, the trip was intended to allow bishops a deeper awareness of conditions in the Holy Land , demonstrate the North American church’s accompaniment of its Palestinian partner and strengthen efforts to advocate for just peace in the region.
Watch this space for further reports on the academy. You can also read news stories about the trip on the websites of our partner churches at:
http://blogs.elca.org/09cobacademy
You can read a statement from the North American bishops about their trip here.
Bishop Munib Younan displays his UN refugee card during
his sermon at the seventh International Sabeel Conference. He spoke about
the role memory plays in identity, calling for Israelis and Palestinians
alike to look realistically at the past in order to move toward a peaceful
future. His Nov. 19 sermon at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in
Jerusalem was a part of the worship service that concluded the Sabeel
conference, “The Nakba: Memory, Reality and Beyond.”
Rula and Imad Haddad welcomed their daughter, Daline Imad Haddad, at 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2008, at Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem. She weighed 2 kilos 120 g and measured 45 cm. Congratulations and God's blessings to the happy family!
May 18, 2009: Christian leaders appeal for peace with justice in the Holy Land
May 15, 2009: A Message from Jerusalem Christians to the Pope
April 27, 2009: Muslim calligrapher writes Luke's Gospel for pope
March 14, 2009: Has anyone in Israel asked why the Swedes hate us?
March 6, 2009: On Israel, Shifted Ground
Feb. 24, 2009: Official: U.S. aid to Gaza to top $900 million
Feb. 19, 2009: John Kerry visits Gaza Strip
Feb. 16, 2009: Israel takes control of more West Bank land
January 2009: Conflict has cost Middle East $12 trillion
March 2008: The Heart of Darkness: MJ Rosenberg, the Israeli Policy Forum
We are in the process of updating the website to navigate better, coordinate with more recent website protocols and provide more downloadable resources for understanding the reality of life for our church and our Palestinian sisters and brothers. For questions, contact .