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JERUSALEM, January 28, 2011 - Today Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) offered reflections on the present situation in the Middle East. We invite you to read the statement here below or download the statement in English or in Spanish.
We in Jerusalem are watching closely the events unfolding in the Arab world around us aware that, whether positively or negatively, we will all be affected.
We in the church are watching and praying. Our prayers are filled with encouragement for those who long for freedom. Our prayers are filled with hope that justice and endurance will prevail. Our prayers are filled with sympathy for the victims of violence.
But at the same time, our prayers are mingled with both awe and fear, as we watch people now ask for their basic human rights as a whole, rights, which until now they have been denied.
A decade ago, the horrific events of 9/11 seemed to shape a new worldview based on a “clash of civilizations.” In events of the last months, as we have seen Egyptian and Tunisian men and women, among others, risking their lives for their basic freedoms, this worldview is once again being reshaped. As Charles Kimball in his 17 February 2011 article, "The Fallacy of the 'Clash of Civilizations'" observed, the values the Egyptian people have stood in protest for “are values that most people in the U.S. hold dear. Rather than ‘us’ versus ‘them,’ it is now obvious how much ‘we all’ have in common.”
The rights that the people of the Middle East are protesting for are the very same rights that democracies around the world hold dear. They are the very same rights that we, as a church, have upheld and promoted in our congregations, our schools, our educational programs, and our ecumenical and interfaith relationships for years.
We stand against the use of violence, whoever the perpetrator, including violence done by governments. We stand against the weapons trade that continues to arm our region. We stand against those who would enter into the fray for the sake of their own international self-interests over and against basic human rights and the common good.
We stand in solidarity with the families of those who have been injured and killed. We stand in solidarity with all who continue along the path of peaceful change. And we welcome the solidarity of the international community as we work together for peace, justice, and reconciliation.
What we need most in the Middle East is education. As Nelson Mandela has said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” When you educate people, they are transformed. Education may not make for an immediate and captivating revolution. But education lays the groundwork for powerful and lasting change.
We pray that the emerging movements in the Middle East will create modern civil societies that promote freedom of expression, freedom of religion, rights of minorities and gender equality, which are the basis for any democracy.
We hope that this movement will put an end to needless poverty and vast disparity in the Arab world, for the Arab world contains enough resources for every citizen.
We ask that, in the midst of the emerging democracies, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not be forgotten, but that the parties involved will be reinvigorated in working for a just peace in a two-state solution with a shared Jerusalem so that, side by side, the fruits of this peace can be a blessing to their neighbors and to the world.
Some in this time are asking about the future of Christianity in the Middle East. The demonstrations that are taking place are political in nature, not religious. And, as we have seen in Egypt, demonstrators—Christian and Muslim—have been united, hand in hand, offering support and protection for the sake of the other. We must continue in interfaith dialogue with one another, building together, upon our common values, modern civil societies.
As long as Christians in the Middle East continue to play an integral role in the fabric of their society, I am confident that we will all find our political way forward. For it is together that we must offer true and reforming support that encourages governments in the Middle East to move toward fully participatory democracy, so that reactionary extremism will not fill the gap.
We are entering into a new era and a new Middle East. And we are hopeful for new and renewed partnership throughout the world. Let now the misconceptions and misrepresentations of the Middle East fall by the wayside. The new Middle East is emerging, calling for peace and justice, freedom and democracy, and for basic human rights and values to be upheld.
Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan
Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
Download the full statement in English or in Spanish.
The WCC exploratory delegation visited the congregations, schools and educational ministries of the ELCJHL, as well as ecumenical and interfaith partners during their January visit. In the photo to the left, the delegation is pictured with with Mr. Simon Awad, director of the Environmental Education Center in Beit Jala, one of the Educational Programs of the ELCJHL. Photo © ELCJHL/Rev. Rolf Pearson.
JERUSALEM/GENEVA, February 23, 2011 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) announced today that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) has been accepted as a member of its ecumenical body—the largest body of its kind in the world.
The strong diaconal, ecumenical, and interfaith work of the ELCJHL was the basis for its consideration. The WCC Central Committee, now meeting in Geneva, voiced their decision unanimously. The decision was a rare measure, as it made use of the constitutional clause in dispensing with the usual membership requirements relating to small size of the church based on “exceptional reasons” of profound social and ecumenical involvement.
The announcement of the acceptance into membership was met with joy by Bishop Munib Younan of the ELCJHL, who responded, saying:
“We are overjoyed at the unanimous acceptance of our church into the World Council of Churches. No church can be independent; all of us are interdependent. As a new member of the WCC, we are proud to be part of an Ecumenical Communion that demonstrates in its very being the interdependence and interconnectedness of our individual church bodies, working in conjunction both locally and throughout the world. Our church is excited to discuss with the WCC what witness we can continue to offer together for ecumenism, justice and reconciliation, and interfaith dialogue.”
The decision came following a WCC exploratory delegation visit to the ELCJHL January 26-30, 2011. During its visit, the delegation visited many of the ELCJHL congregations, schools and educational programs, as well as numerous ecumenical and interfaith partners.
Included in the program were visits to three of the four ELCJHL k-12 Schools, four of the six congregations, and five educational programs.
Visits with students, teachers, administrators, principals, and pastors offered the delegates a portrait of these vibrant ministries and a deeper understanding of the effects of the current situation on young people. The ELCJHL lives out a holistic philosophy and outreach to diverse Christian and Muslim families, and the impact of Lutheran education in Palestine is indeed profound.
The ELCJHL was also eager to introduce the WCC delegation to the many ecumenical and interfaith organizations and programs in which it takes an active leadership role.
During the three-day program, the delegation met with representatives of the Patriarchs and Heads of Local Churches in Jerusalem. In the delegation’s meeting with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus, they heard of the importance of the ELCJHL as one of the main pillars of the ecumenical fellowship. And, again, in their meeting with His Beatitude Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Twal spoke of the ELCJHL as being a “crucial witness of the Palestinian presence in the region.”
The delegation also had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land (CRIHL), an interreligious council with representatives from the three Abrahamic faiths in which Bishop Younan is an active member.
And, in addition, the delegation met with local programs in which the ELCJHL plays an instrumental role, including the Jerusalem Interchurch Center (JIC), and the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), both of which are programs of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
This strong diaconal, ecumenical and interfaith work of the ELCJHL was evident throughout the delegation’s visit, and was a strong recommendation for the small but vibrant church’s membership in the WCC.
The unanimous reception of the ELCJHL into membership in the World Council of Churches comes as one of many recent affirmations of the work and witness of the ELCJHL, including the election of Bishop Younan as President of the Lutheran World Federation this past July.
Click on the highlighted links for more information on the congregations, schools and educational programs of the ELCJHL, click here.
Click on the highlighted link to learn more about the World Council of Churches
To the left, this year’s top-ranked English-language students smile as they prepare to return home after a fun day of games, cheers, and speeches, armed for next year’s bowl with new English-English-Arabic dictionaries. Click the photo to see a slideshow from the day, or click here. Photos © ELCJHL/Rev. Elizabeth McHan.
BETHLEHEM, February 16, 2011 – The English Language Bowl began this past Saturday as the participants and cheerleaders from each school arrived at Dar al-Kalima Evangelical Lutheran School in Bethlehem for pre-bowl pizza and games. The only trick was, the students had to use their English language skills—and only their English language skills.
Together, all of the students had fun playing games, which required them to communicate in English to succeed, before the participants and cheer teams split off. The participants went to complete their registration and receive final instructions. The cheer teams left to prepare their English language cheers.
The English Language Bowl is an annual event organized by the office of the ELCJHL Director of Schools in close coordination and cooperation with the four ELCJHL schools.
The event, now in its fourth year, went through a name change and a significant restructuring in this year.
The coordinators of the event stated a wish to “emphasize for the students that it is rewarding and exciting to learn English together, and to build a spirit of community among all the participants, teachers, and volunteers.”
To help emphasize the communal and fun nature of the event, it was decided that ‘Bowl’ would replace ‘Competition’. “A ‘bowl’ in this case carries the meaning of fun and teamwork, with activities that are enjoyed by both the players and the fans who come to cheer for their school.”
The final rankings of the English Language Bowl were decided based on two speeches:
The first speech was a dramatic reading of a text each student had received one week in advance. The 8th grade students read from Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terebithia. The 9th grade students read from Louis Sachar’s Holes. The 10th grade students read an excerpt from Rick Riordan’s The Curse of the Titan, the third installment in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Students received marks based on pronunciation, eye contact and body language, as well as vocal expression.
Each of these books is on the ELCJHL School’s wish list for its newly unveiled ELCJHL Libraries Project: Opening a World of Possibilities. Peruse the online bookstore here to buy one of these, or another book for the School’s English-language libraries.
The second speech was a freestyle speech based on one of two topics. At the end of their first speech, each student picked two pieces of paper from a hat, which were sealed in an envelope until 10 minutes before they were expected back on stage. Once the envelope was opened, they each student was instructed to choose one of the topics and prepare a one-minute speech. Additional categories of marking were added for the second speech, including organization of ideas, content, and grammar.
At the end of the freestyle speech, the judges were allowed to ask one follow-up question, which would also be considered in the student’s final scoring.
This year’s judges included the Rev. Dr. Fred Strickert, Pastor of the English-speaking congregation at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, and a retired college professor; the Rev. Shadra Suzanne Schoffner, Assistant to the Young Adult in Global Mission (YAGM) Coordinator and Presbyterian minister; Dr. Gilbert Schultz, sent by Canadian Lutheran World Relief to work with the Lutheran World Federation's Augusta Victoria Hospital, and a Professor Emeritus from Univeristy of Calgary in Microbiology and Bio-Chemistry; and Anne Mayes, a career teacher from Great Britain, now connected to St. George’s College, Jerusalem.
Each of the 24 participants received a Certificate of Participation, and the top-ranked students from each grade received an English-English-Arabic dictionary.
In preparation for this annual event, English language teachers, coordinating with the ELCJCHL Director of Education Office help their students to prepare throughout the year, with amazing results.
Local English Language Bowls were held in each of the four ELCJHL Schools in December and January, with the top two English languages students from each of the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades moving on to the regional Bowl.
The ELCJHL Director of Education Office is responsible for education in the four ELCJHL Schools. To learn more about the ELCJHL Director of Education Office, the four ELCJHL Schools, or the ELCJHL Libraries Project: Opening a World of Possibilities, click on the red links, or visit our website at www.elcjhl.org.
Photo: Bishop Younan speaks at the Third International Conference on Muslim-International Relations. To see more photos from the day, click here, or click on the photo to the right. Photos © ELCJHL/Rev. Elizabeth McHan.
BETHLEHEM, February 12, 2011 - “For me, non-violent struggle is an integral part of spirituality that teaches us to see the image of God in the other. This non-violent way is the only way for justice, peace, reconciliation, forgiveness, and acceptance of the other.”
These were the words of Bishop Munib Younan this past Wednesday as he was invited to speak at the opening session of the Third International Conference on Christian-Muslim Relations, hosted by the Bethlehem University Religious Studies Department.
The subject of this year’s conference was “Violence, Non-Violence and Religion” and was held from the 9th-11th of February 2011.
Also invited to speak at the opening session were Br. Peter Bray, Vice-Chancellor of Bethlehem University; H.B. Msgr. Fuad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; H.E. Dr. Manmoud El-Habash, Minister of Religious Affairs, Palestinian Authority; and Fr. Jamal Khader, Chairperson of the Department of Religious Studies, Bethlehem Univeristy.
The three-day conference brought both local and international speakers together to discuss the topic on historical and present levels.
This Third International Conference on Christian-Muslim Relations is only one of the ways that Bethlehem University works in dialogue with both local and international Christian and Muslim communities. For more information about the Religious Studies Department of Bethlehem University, click here.
To the right, students from the Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah gather around the new cornerstone laid by Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL); Dr. Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority; and Mr. Christian Berger, Representative of the European Union Monday, February 7, 2011.
To view more pictures from the event, click here, or click on the photo to the right.
JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, February 7, 2011 - “This new building builds hope, not only for the Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope, and not only for the Lutheran community, but for all of Ramallah and the Palestinian people,” Bishop Younan said in his words at the cornerstone laying Monday morning for the new school building in Ramallah.
“We have always considered ourselves, as Palestinian Christians, to be an integral part of the fabric of our society, and that means we have a role to play in education and in societal issues in our country. It is part of the mission of our schools that we prepare young Palestinian women and men to seek how they might build their state. We teach our students to respect human rights—especially women’s rights—to respect freedom of religion and to dialogue with other religions. We emphasize peace education in our schools, and the right for each and every person to live in dignity.”
Younan praised this project as a wonderful example of the cooperation of Church and State for the well-being of the whole. This new building project is the joint venture of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), the European Union (EU), and the Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Education. Younan expressed his thanks to the European Union for its full financial support of this project, and spoke of how he looks forward more such partnerships for the welfare of building a modern civil society. It is the pleasure of the ELCJHL in partnering with both the European Union and the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education in the building of this school.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad was an honored guest at the ceremony. In Prime Minister Fayyad’s speech, he spoke of the role of Palestinian Christians in Palestinian society as being indispensible, and said that Palestinian society, as a whole, must encourage Palestinian Christians to continue in their role. Fayyad also added that the aim of the Palestinian Authority is to end the Occupation by peaceful means, with a viable two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State.
Mr. Christian Berger, the European Union Representative, was also on hand for the cornerstone laying ceremony, and said in his speech, "it is a great pleasure to be here, as education is essential in Palestine... The European Union has for many years now has been pursuing two objectives. One of those objectives has been access to education, and this project today is a testimony of that."
Also present for the cornerstone laying ceremony were Rev. Dr. Mitri Rahab, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and President of the Synod of the ELCJHL; Dr. Charlie Haddad, Director of Education for ELCJHL Schools; Mr. Salameh Bishara, Resource and Curriculum Development Officer and Programs, Projects and Activities Coordinator for ELCJHL Schools; Mr. Shawqi Hawash, Principal of the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour; and Rev. Saliba Rishmawi, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hope in Ramallah, among many other ELCJHL partners from Europe and North America.
Founded in response to the needs of Palestinian Lutheran refugees who had fled to the Ramallah area, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hope began serving Lutherans in Ramallah in 1954. The Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope began eight years later in 1966 as a kindergarten with ten students and two teachers. Hope School graduated its first Tawjihi class in 1979.
Since its inception, the Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope has been serving the greater Ramallah community regardless of “religion, gender, capabilities, or financial/social status,” and aims to serve “the whole Palestinian society… spreading… values, such as acceptance, love, civic spirit, forgiveness, and openness.”
The Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope, under the present direction of Principal Michael Abu Ghazaleh, continues to grow, and is currently serving 454 students—22% of whom are Christian, 78% of whom are Muslim—and employing 38 teachers and support staff (2010-2011 statistics).
The Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope has been outgrowing its present facilities in recent years, and this new building project will enable Hope to grow to serve more than triple the number of students in the Ramallah area. Besides a new facility, Hope is also looking to expand and grow its educational and extra-curricular offerings in future years.
The Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah is one of four ELCJHL Schools in the West Bank, with a co-educational history extending back to 1851. ELCJHL Schools currently serve in educating 2,027 students. 52.5% of students enrolled in ELCJHL Schools this 2010-2011 school year are Christian, 47.5% of students enrolled are Muslim. More than 200 educators are employed by the ELCJHL.
The Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope has also been a member of the Model Schools Network, a project of Amideast, and is a participant in the present ELCJHL Libraries Project: Opening a World of Possibilities, a project that is seeking to grow English-language libraries for the four ELCJHL Schools through the support of individuals and the partnership of the Global Mission Program Unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and Wartburg Theological Seminary (WTS) in Dubuque, Iowa.
For more information about the Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah, other ELCJHL Schools and Educational Programs, or the congregations of the ELCJHL, visit ELCJHL’s website at www.elcjhl.org.
JERUSALEM/GENEVA, 4 February 2011 (LWI) - Classroom and playing field activities at Talitha Kumi Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Jala, West Bank, are an opportunity for Christian and Muslim students to grow and learn together. This is one of the four schools run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and Holy Land (ELCJHL). In 2011 a total of 2,027 students are enrolled in the ELCJHL schools, representing around 52 percent Christian and 48 percent Muslim.
On the occasion of the first "World Interfaith Harmony Week” (1-7 February 2011) designated by the United Nations General Assembly last October, Rev. Elizabeth McHan spoke with ELCJHL Bishop Dr. Munib Younan, also president of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) about the significance of this week for the Holy Land faith communities and for the global Lutheran communion.
The proposal for the World Interfaith Harmony Week came out of Jordan. What is the significance of Jordan as the country of this initiative’s birth
Younan: It is very fitting that the proposal for the World Interfaith Harmony Week came out of Jordan, as Jordan is a country in which Muslims and Christians have been living in harmony for 1,400 years. I welcome the initiative of King Abdullah, and hope that this paradigm of Christian-Muslim coexistence should continue to be developed not only in Jordan and in the Holy Land, but also throughout the world.
It is my wish that we Arab-Christians may be of help to those countries in which Islamophobia is growing by sharing how we here in Jordan and the Holy Land live with other religions, working to overcome not only Islamophobia, but also anti-Semitism and anti-Christian sentiments and actions.
How does Lutheran theology speak to religious teachings about tolerance, respect for others and peace across the globe?
Younan: In a time of extremism, the core religious values of love of God and love of neighbor should be promoted. I find that our Lutheran theology of creation and our theology of redemption both speak to this. We are created equally. And we are redeemed equally. Together, these theologies provide a strong basis from which to dialogue with our sisters and brothers in humanity from all religions, while we also have a strong basis from which to deal with any kind of exclusivity, extremism, or superiority complex.
How does the observance of this week relate to the ELCJHL context?
Younan: Our church has a prophetic role in the Middle East. Its prophetic role is to serve our Lord and our neighbor. Our strength is not in our numbers, but in our witness for love, for justice, for hope, for forgiveness, and for reconciliation. This we do through our educational ministries and through interfaith dialogue with Muslims and with Jews, and through the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land (CRIHL), which is comprised of the two chief Rabbis, the Islamic court, the minister of religious affairs in Palestine, and the heads of churches. And for me, as long as the church is an integral part of the fabric of society, it carries in itself a living witness.
What is the significance for the LWF and its member churches?
Younan: The World Interfaith Harmony Week is significant for The Lutheran World Federation and all its member churches because there is no place in the world in which Lutheran churches live on their own. Lutheran churches, rather, live with other religions—sometimes in a minority position, sometimes in a majority position, but never alone.
As the ELCJHL observed this first week, I am convinced that it carries a strong message for our LWF member churches around the world to find the common values that promote justice, coexistence, peace, tolerance, and to work together for the eradication of poverty, the promotion of the role of women, and reconciliation in our world. I call on all LWF member churches to observe this, the first week of February as the World Interfaith Harmony Week in the next years.
To the global human community this week?
Younan: My appeal is this: that religion be the source of harmony, justice, and reconciliation in this world. Find from the holy writings that which builds this world in the love of God and love of neighbor, not what divides it. Find from the holy writings the common values of our shared humanity. Thus, we will live in harmony.
Click here to learn more about the World Interfaith Harmony Week and for ideas as to how you can get involved.