ELCJHL News September-October 2009

UN Human Rights Council cites concerns in Palestinian Territories

Restricted access to holy sites is one of several concerns cited in a UN Human Rights Council draft resolution. The October 2009 document:
- offers deep concern about Israeli restriction of access to Christian and Muslim holy sites;
- demands that Israel cease digging and excavating beneath the Al Aqsa Mosque compound;
- condemns human rights violations such as land confiscation, house demolitions and settlement and separation wall building;
- and condemns the Israeli siege of Gaza, which constitutes collective punishment.

You can read the resolution here.

ELCJHL observes Reformation Day with ecumenical friends

With Swedish, English, Finnish, Norwegian, German, Arabic and Danish celebrants and participants of many faith traditions, the annual Oct. 31 Reformation Day celebration at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem's Old City maintained its traditional ecumenical and multilingual flavor. Here, Bishop Younan reads the Gospel in Arabic from the midst of the congregation.

Here is the bishop's sermon in: English  Arabic  German  Spanish

LWF elects new general secretary

The ELCJHL congratulates Chilean pastor Rev. Martin Junge on his election as the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation on Oct. 26, 2009. Please click here for the full story.

Al-Mahaba children help with olive harvest

Children from the ELCJHL Al-Mahaba Kindergarten olives recently joined in the olive harvest on the Mount of Olives. After picking them, they pounded them and placed them in salt water to make them edible.

German delegation visits ELCJHL, renews friendship

A delegation from the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland met with Bishop Munib Younan on Oct. 17, 2009 to discuss conditions in the Holy Land and renew their friendship with the ELCJHL.

You can read the delegation's response to the trip here.

U.S. Lutheran bishops urge for continued commitment to Middle East peace

Lutherans are asking the Obama Administration to "remain firm" in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. In an Oct. 13 letter, 58 of 65 synod bishops and the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) expressed concern over the stalemate and the "fading hopes" for a two-state solution. (Source: ELCA News Service)

For the entire news release, click here.

Click here to download their letter.

Click here for more information on the ELCA's engagement with Israel-Palestine.

ELCJHL and ELCA bishops deepen conversations among Christians and Muslims

ELCJHL Bishop Munib A. Younan and Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, were among 1,000 people who attended the fourth major Muslim-Christian dialogue conference Oct. 7-8 in Washington, D.C.

"To work for justice in the world, it cannot be only Muslims or Christians and cannot be only for our own interests, but it must really take into consideration what problems are facing us and need justice," Younan said.

"It has been both the challenge and the hope for this conference that common words would lead to common deeds," Hanson said. "We have heard stories of places where particular Muslims and Christians are deepening their understanding of one another in dialogue that leads to engagement in their communities." The discussion was an extension of a 2007 document, "A Common Word Between Us and You," from 138 Muslim scholars to Christian leaders, calling for Christians and Muslims to work together for peace. It declared that the world's future depends on peace between Muslims and Christians. (Source: ELCA News Services)

For the full release click here.

For audio of Bishop Younan's comments, click here.

For audio of Bishop Hanson's comments, click here.

The official website of A Common Word Between Us and You is found here.

EKvW delegation visits ELCJHL ministries

A delegation from the Evangelical Church of Westphalia has been making visits around the ELCJHL in recent days. On Oct. 11, the EKvW's bishop, Alfred Buss (second from left), preached at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, where he encouraged believers not to let the political realities of the occupation rob them of their hope. ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan (holding plate) spoke with the group the following day, recalling the church's German roots and the EKvW's long history of partnership to the Palestinian church. The two leaders expressed happiness that the churches are renewing the relationship.

Faith leaders meet in Bangladesh to affirm religious freedom, peaceful coexistence

ELCJHL Bishop Rev. Dr. Munib Younan was one of some 50 religious leaders to gather recently in Rajendrapur, Bangladesh, to discuss putting faith into action across religious boundaries. The Lutheran World Federation Department for Mission and Development organized the Sept. 8-10, 2009, event, which was hosted by RDRS Bangladesh in cooperation with the Bangladesh Lutheran Church and the Bangladesh Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The three-day consultation, “Interfaith Diapraxis: Building Communities of Solidarity and Mutual Interest across Faith Boundaries,” aimed to reflect on and affirm the importance of religious freedom in any process of peaceful coexistence.

You can read more about the consultation here.

LWF's article, "LWF Interfaith Consultation Challenges Religious Leaders to Promote Understanding," can be found here.

While in Bangladesh, Bishop Younan also met with 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus. Yunus (left), Younan, LWF Deputy General Secretary Chandran Martin and Kamaluddin Akbar, Executive Director of RDRS Bangladesh, met at the headquarters of Grameen ("Village") Bank in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on the topic of microfinance.