ELCJHL News Sept. - Oct. 2008

Reformation celebrates 125th anniversary

The Lutheran Church of the Reformation turns 125 and Abraham’s House turns five this year. So last month the church held an interfaith worship service and peace march to the separation wall to commemorate the milestones. The large crowd of marchers gathered near the walled-in Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem, where prayers for the disintegration of the wall were offered by Muslim, Jewish and Christian spiritual leaders. One of the texts for the event was Psalm 18:30, “With my Lord I can jump over walls.”

You can read an article about the Oct. 30 worship service and march, written by Rev. Jadaleh Shihadeh, by clicking here.

 

Bishop meets Nobel Peace Prize winner

Bishop Munib Younan poses with former Finnish president and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari at the LWF executive committee meeting in Finland in October 2008. Noting his work as an international mediator, Younan invited Ahtisaari to come to Palestine to mediate a just peace with Israel.

 

 

Bishop visits Sweden, strengthens partnership

Bishop Munib Younan addressed representatives of the world's largest Lutheran church body and signed a partnership agreement this week in Sweden. Speaking before the church assembly of the more than 7 million member Church of Sweden, Younan told the 251 elected representatives he commended the church for its strong theology of accompaniment and hoped that it would inspire other churches. Citing a lack of charismatic leadership in the world, Younan called on the church to address the greed that contributed to the current global economic crisis.

Humanity must have "economics with ethics and politics with morals," he said. "It's not how much you can make but how much you are accountable in what you invest." 

His well received address came just days after the ELCJHL and the Diocese of Strängnäs signed a second five-year partnering agreement. The agreement calls for the Swedish diocese to stand in solidarity with the ELCJHL and remember the Palestinian church in its prayers.

Click here for more highlights of the bishop's trip.

 

Bishop participates in CRIHL meeting in Lisbon

In late October, representatives of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land and of the Alliance of Civilizations, met in Lisbon at the invitation of Jorge Sampaio, a former president of Portugal. The Alliance is an initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General and seeks to galvanize international action against extremism. ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan said the two organizations agreed to work together and, as a result, expects the UN to better appreciate the role of religious leaders in Palestine-Israel.

 

Bishop addresses international audience of Sabeel conference

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.”

 

 

 

 

ELCJHL congratulates Haddad family for new addition

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!

 

 

 

 

ELCJHL welcomes six Young Adults in Global Mission

For the first time, six Young Adults in Global Mission – a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America – have been assigned to Jerusalem and the West Bank. For the next year, they will serve in various ELCJHL school and other ministries. The YAGMs recently met with ELCJHL Bishop Younan, who welcomed them and told them of the important role they can play in "breaking the circle of anti-American sentiment in the Middle East."

The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program provides one-year mission service and learning opportunities in international settings. As the young adult volunteers offer themselves in service, they also learn more about themselves, their relationship with God and their place in God’s world. Young adults are transformed by their experiences, equipping them upon return to take on responsibilities within the church and to provide a global perspective on issues facing the church and society.

Bishop chairs meeting of the Lutheran Council in Asia

ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan chaired a meeting of the Lutheran Council in Asia in September. LUCAS, as it is called, is "an instrument of the Lutheran communion in Asia to promote the true meaning and the practical implications of being a Lutheran communion and to carry specific tasks on behalf of the region."