Phone: 972-2-626-6800 FAX: 972-2-628.5764 ADDRESS: Muristan Rd. P.O. Box 14076 Jerusalem 91140 via Israel
From March 15-23, 2004, a delegation of three people from the Church of Norway, Diocese of Borg, came to Jerusalem, Ramallah, the Bethlehem area and also Amman, Jordan, to learn more about the ELCJ churches, schools and community programs, and to enliven the partnership between the Diocese of Borg and the ELCJ.
Bishop Ole Christian Kvarme was the leader of the delegation and was accompanied by the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, the new Executive Director of the Church of Norway and Office of International Relations, and the Rev. Leiv Levinsen, a pastor in the Borg Diocese.
The delegation also visited Augusta Victoria Hospital and Norwegian ministries in Israel. The group met several of the Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem.
Representatives from the Lutheran, Baptist and Methodist churches in Denmark as well as representatives from DanChurch Aid and the Ecumenical Council in Denmark visited Palestine and Israel from March 13-20, 2004. The leaders of the delegation were the Rt. Rev. Kresten Drejergaard, Bishop of Fuenen (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, ELCD); the Rev. Ane Hjerrild, the General Secretary on International Relations for ELCD; and Mr. Uffe Gjerding, DanChurch Aids Coordinator. The Danish delegation worshipped with the Arabic-speaking congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Old City Jerusalem, on March 14 and visited with Bishop Younan and Pr. Sani Ibrahim Azar. The delegation also visited the International Center in Bethlehem, with the Christmas Lutheran Church and the ELCJ; Augusta Victoria Hospital; and the Middle East Council of Churches programs in Gaza. The delegation visited with church leaders at Notre Dame in Jerusalem where the delegation members were briefed about the current political and humanitarian situation.
On March 23, 2004, Bishop Younan was the first of four lecturers in a series of cultural and religious events in Milan, Italy. Speaking on the topic “Co-Existence in Jerusalem and the Middle East,” Bishop Younan stated: “Jerusalem does not need walls. Jerusalem needs more places for bringing people together for mutual understanding. Christians around the world must help us by insisting on inclusivism, rather than any exclusive visions for Jerusalem. This city, Jerusalem, needs to be inclusive for all five groupings of people: Jews, Christians, Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians.”
The four lectures in March, April and May are being sponsored by four cultural and religious groups in Milan: the Goethe Institut, the Casa della Cultura, the Communita di Sant Egidio, and the Chiesa Cristiana Protestante in Milano.
Bishop Emeritus Krister Stendahl, the former Dean of Divinity at Harvard University, USA, and his wife Brita visited Jerusalem and Bethlehem in February.
Two visitors from Germany recently consulted with Bishop Younan in Jerusalem: Dr. Cornelia Coenan Marx of Kaiserswerth in Germany and Rolf Peter Wiegard, the administrator of the Berlin Mission Work (BMW), Germany.
A delegation of four people from the Community Church of Joy, Glendale, Arizona, USA, included an appointment with Bishop Younan as part of their recent tour. The group also visited the International Center in Bethlehem and the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb.