ELCJHL
 Phone:
 972-2-626-6800

 FAX:
 972-2-628-5764

 ADDRESS:
 Muristan Road
 P.O. Box 14076
 Jerusalem 91140
 via Israel


Mt. of Olives Housing Project

Working for Justice, Praying for Peace, Living in Hope

"Ahlan Wa-sahlan," Welcome!

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.


 

What's Happening in the ELCJHL and Palestine

June 7 ecumenical service is part of World Week for Peace in Palestine-Israel

settlement east of the Mount of OlivesAll 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.

 

ELCJHL congratulates its high school graduates

Graduation ceremony, School of HopeIt'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.

 

ELCJHL and friends meet with PA prime minister

Delegation with Salam FayyadA 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).

 

ELCJHL reacts to papal visit to the Holy Land

Papal audience at Notre Dame on May 11This 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

 

ELCJHL anniversary celebration attracts local and international friends

ELCJHL anniversary parade 

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.

 

 

 

Worship service at RedeemerPartners 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

ELCJHL partners come together in Bethlehem for annual meeting

COCOP members pose for photoCOCOP – the organization of the ELCJHL's international partners – recently finished a productive three days of meetings at the International Center of Bethlehem.

 

 

 

ELCJHL's U.S. partner church leader meets with Jordan's King Abdullah

Bishop Mark Hanson and King Abdullah IIBishop 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.

 

 

Easter morning on the Mount of Olives  

Easter on Mount of OlivesA 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

 

Bishops allowed to enter Gaza on third attempt

bishops in GazaAfter 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.

Bishop welcomes his first granddaughter

Katharina Nazeeh KhouryKatharina 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.


 

 

Church of Sweden and ELCJHL call for Sweden to help in pursuit of peace

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.

World Council of Churches issues statement on Gaza War

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.

Bishops denied entry to Gaza to visit Christians, projects

bishops at ErezDespite 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.

North American Bishops Visit ELCJHL

 

bishops at Holy SepulchreWith 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

http://www.elcic.ca

You can read a statement from the North American bishops about their trip here.

Bishop addresses international audience of Sabeel conference

bishop at redeemer churchBishop 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.”

ELCJHL congratulates Haddad family for new addition

Haddad family

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!

 

 

 

 

About This Website

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