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JERUSALEM, October 25, 2010 - On Thursday, October 21, Bishop Younan was invited to address Pope Benedict XVI and the Synod of Bishops at the Special Assembly for the Middle East at the Vatican in Rome.
The Special Synod, which convened on October 10, brought together with Pope Benedict XVI "both cardinals and archbishops, who are heads of the various offices in the Roman Curia, presidents of episcopal conferences around the world, who are concerned with the issues of the Middle East, [and] representatives from the Orthodox Churches and ecclesial communities and Jewish and Muslim guests."
In Bishop Younan's address to the Special Assembly, he expressed gratitude for the initiative of the Synod in caring for Christians in the Middle East, and stressed the importance of strengthened ecumenical relations both in Israel-Palestine and in the whole Middle East.
In conclusion, Bishop Younan spoke of the challenges facing the church, saying "Our challenge is nothing less than loving our neighbors as ourselves. Many confess to loving God, but how can they love God whom they have not seen, when they do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen? (1 John 4.20)"
In the Concluding Statement from the Special Assembly of the Middle East, released Friday, October 22, the Synod of Bishops also reflected on challenges and aspirations of the church in the Middle East, and issued appeals to Catholic members throughout the world, ecumenical partners, Jewish and Muslim dialogue partners, and local as well as international political and social leaders.
In the Synod's appeal to the international community, they urged all "to work to find a peaceful, just and definitive solution in the region, through the application of the [UN] Security Council's resolutions and taking the necessary legal steps to put an end to the occupation of the different Arab territories" (VII.11).
The Synod also spoke out in condemnation of violence and terrorism, saying, "We condemn all forms of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Christianism and Islamophobia and we call upon the religions to assume their responsibility to promote dialogue between cultures and civilisations in our region and in the entire world."
Click here to read the full text of Bishop Younan's address to the Synod.
JERUSALEM, October 7, 2010 - Check out what's been happening in the ELCJHL and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Follow the links below to view or download the October-November 2010 Newsletter and the October and November Calendars.
JERUSALEM, October 1, 2010 - An OpEd piece written by Bishop Younan is now available online at the Washington Post "On Faith" Blog. The article examines the role of religion in the Middle East. In the article Bishop Younan calls on religion to be "prophetic, catalyst for reconciliation, and to offer peace education." We encourage you to follow the links below to read the article.
The OpEd piece is part of a special series about religious leadership and its role in the Israeli-Arab conflict and was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). Copyright permission for this 700-word OpEd is granted through Common Ground News. Please contact them if you are interested in having this published in your local newspaper.
Click here to read Bishop Younan's OpEd piece online at the Washington Post "On Faith" Blog
Click here to read Bishop Younan's OpEd piece online at Common Ground News
Download the article in English, Arabic, Hebrew or Finnish.
JERUSALEM, September 21, 2010 - The Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land (CRIHL) met in Jerusalem on Monday, September 20, and drafted the following statement which was copied to Senator Mitchell in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations:
September 21, 2010
The Honorable Senator George Mitchell
US Special Envoy to the Middle East
c/o David Hale, Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East
Dear Senator Mitchell,
The Council of the Religious Institutions of the holy Land (CRIHL) representing the high official Israeli and Palestinian religious authorities, welcomes and supports the resumption of peace negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian governments in the spirit of peace, justice and reconciliation.
The CRIHL wishes to thank the US administration for its ongoing efforts and reiterates the importance of respecting the religious attachments of the three religions - Jewish, Christian and Muslim - in the holy land and especially in Jerusalem. The members of the CRIHL accordingly encourage all parties to persist in this process and reaffirm the conviction that it is our shared responsibility to find the right way to live together in peace.
In accordance with the declaration of the religious leaders of the CRIHL when hosted in Washington DC, "we urge all those in positions of leadership involved in the negotiations, to seek the advice of religious
leadership of our respective communities, especially on issues regarding holy sites and the holy city of Jerusalem" and "to engage religious leadership in efforts to prevent religion from being used as a source of conflict, and instead serve the goals of
just and comprehensive peace and reconciliation."
Respectfully,
On behalf of the CRIHL,
Rev. Dr. Trond Bakkevig, CRIHL Convener
The CRIHL represents the high religious authorities of the Holy Land: the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs (Waqf), the Palestinian Sharia Courts and the assembly of the Heads of Churches of Jerusalem. For more information, please visit the CRIHL website.
Pictured here: Rev. Fred and Gloria Strickert, Laying on of Hands, Presentation of Gloria Strickert and Rev. Elizabeth McHan.
JERUSALEM, September 17, 2010 - On Sunday, September 12, 2010, Pastor Fred Strickert and Diaconal Minister Gloria Strickert were installed to the English-Speaking Congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City of Jerusalem. Bishop Younan preached and presided at the service. Propst Dr. Uwe Graebe, representing the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Rev. Mark Brown, chair of the congregational council and ELCA pastor serving as Regional Representative with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Jerusalem, and Rev. Sani Ibrahim Azar, Pastor of the Arabic-Speaking Congregation at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and President of the Synod of the ELCJHL assisted.
Present for the laying on of hands were clergy from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the Church of Sweden, the Church of Scotland, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the Church of Norway, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, the United Church of Canada, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) & the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Pastor Fred Strickert, PhD, graduated from Christ-Seminary Seminex (LSTC) and received a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from the University of Iowa. He was ordained in Papua New Guinea in 1975 and rostered in the AELC, ALC, and ELCA. He has taught on the seminary level in Papua New Guinea and India and taught at Wartburg College, in Waverly, Iowa, for 24 years. He has led student travel courses for several decades to the Middle East, Honduras, and Tanzania. He has also published on New Testament and Archaeology issues, as well as the Palestinian struggle including Rachel Weeping: Jews, Christians, and Muslims at a Fortress Tomb (Liturgical Press, 2008), co-authoring with Rev. Mitri Raheb, Bethlehem 2000: Past and Present (Interlink Publishing, 1998); and editing Alison Jones Nassar's Imm Mathilda: A Bethlehem Mother's Diary (Kirk House Publishers, 2003) and Bishop Munib Younan's Witnessing for Peace: In Jerusalem and the World (Fortress Press, 2003).
Diaconal Minister Gloria Strickert, is a graduate of Wartburg Seminary and was consecrated as a Diaconal Minister in 1996. She has served in Spiritual Care in hospitals in Waterloo, Iowa, for fifteen years and previously worked in education ministries in the LCMS and LCA. She also worked in Papua New Guinea for six years and spent a year as a Global Mission Volunteer at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.
The congregation also recognized the many members who were beginning service with an Affirmation of Vocation.
In his sermon, Bishop Younan spoke of the theology of accompaniment in connection to the English-Speaking Congregation of the ELCJHL, saying, "We are very proud that the ELCJHL and the ELCA have together developed a deep theology of accompaniment in which we walk together with love, in faith and hope that, through the witness of the other, God is revealing God's very self to us... For this reason, we step out in faith to accompany and encourage our expatriate brothers and sisters. So that people who come from various denominational backgrounds and cultures can find in this congregation a home, and here they may experience the love of God reaching out to the world."
In closing, Bishop Younan encouraged the congregation to remember the element of joy in the parables of Luke 15, saying, "I believe that each and every worship service must be a time of joy as we, together as sinners, experience the power of forgiveness and the strength of God's love for us. We come here lost like the sheep, and the coin; but we are found by God's love. We are sinners; yet forgiven. This joyful realization must envelop our lives and send us out from this service empowered by the grace of God. We must go out with joy, proclaiming this love that comes from God."
The ELCJHL rejoices in the new ministry of Pastor Fred and Gloria Strickert, together with the English-Speaking Congregation at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, ELCJHL.
Click here to learn more about the ministry of the English-Speaking Congregation at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.
JERUSALEM, 17 September, 2010 - On September 9th, the ACT Alliance - Palestine Forum met with Bishop Younan and formally congratulated him on his election as President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
Present in the delegation were (as pictured, left to right, beginning with the back row) Dr. George Malki, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC; George Stephan, Middle East Council of Churches-DSPR (MECC/DSPR); Dr. Tawfiq Nasser, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF); Rev. Rolf Pearson (ELCJHL), Samuel Martin, DanChurchAid (DCA); George Awad, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL); The Rev. Mark Brown (LWF); Tala Dawani (DSPR); Gregory Manzuk (IOCC); Dr. Bernard Sabella (DSPR); Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan (ELCJHL); Liv Steimoeggen, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA); and Mads Lindegaard (DCA).
The group discussed the cooperative work of ACT members in Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The delegation asked Bishop Younan, in his new role as President of the LWF, to speak out, in particular, on the importance of a shared Jerusalem. Bishop Younan urged the delegation to encourage their related agencies to cooperate with local churches in their witnessing and programming.
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a founding member of ACT (Action by Churches Together), and welcomed the creation of ACT Alliance, a merger of ACT International and ACT Development in March of 2010. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) is an active member of the ACT Alliance - Palestine Forum.
ACT Alliance is composed of more than 100 organizations working in long-term development and humanitarian assistance in more than 130 countries. Within Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories of Gaza and the West Bank, ACT describes its work as supporting many projects, including health care facilities and vocational training, as well as providing food supplements, medicines, cash for food and cash for work programs, and psychological assistance (ACT Alliance, Occupied Palestinian Territories). For more information about ACT Alliance, its members, and its work, please visit www.actalliance.org.
Bishop Younan released a statement today condemning the proposed burning of the Qur'an in Florida on September 11th, and calling the three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - to bind together in finding the common values that "promote acceptance of the other, justice, tolerance, forgiveness, peace and reconciliation."
Click hear to download the full statement.
On Saturday, September 4th, Rolf Lindemann was installed as the new Principal of Talitha Kumi School in Beit Jala. Many were gathered to welcome Rolf and his wife, Gundula, in worship and in fellowship, in songs and in words. Bishop Younan preached and presided at the service.
Pictured here top row: Rolf Lindemann and Dr. Charlie Haddad, Talitha Kumi Orchestra, Talitha Kumi Student. Middle row: Talitha Kumi Choir, the Laying on of Hands in Installation, Talitha Kumi Brass Choir. Bottom row: Rolf & Gundula Lindemann, Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan, & Guests. (Photos: © Elizabeth McHan, ELCJHL)