Advocacy Materials
Girls and young women across the Middle East face systemic challenges that hinder the realization of their rights and opportunities for empowerment. In Palestine, sacred religious texts that often inform religious laws have been used to justify practices that promote gender-based violence and discrimination against women, leading to the exclusion of women from leadership positions. Nonetheless, faith organizations in Palestine have the potential to advocate for the reform of gender discriminatory laws which impact upon the ability of women to claim and enjoy their human rights. How...
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Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem Condemn Unjust Foreclosure Against Armenian Patriarchate, Urge Immediate Intervention
Click here for the statement in English. Click here for the statement in Arabic....
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A Humanitarian Plea from the Jerusalem Patriarchs and Heads of Churches: Defending the Dignity and Presence of the People of Gaza
Please click here for the full statement in English. Please click here for the full statement in Arabic....
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ELCJHL Students Visit Local Cancer Patients
Earlier this week leadership students from The Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour visited the pediatric oncology department of Al Hussein Hospital in Beit Jala. Student leaders led activities for the children there and donated supplies requested by the hospital. Many children undergoing cancer treatment are required to be in isolation for their safety. Leadership students played music and sang to those unable to leave their rooms. Patients in the later stages of treatment were able to participate in special games and activities as a group. This visit is pa...
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ELCA Staff Visit to the ELCJHL
This week Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land were honored to host our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America partners for a solidarity visit. Rev. Gabi Aelabouni, ELCA Global Mission Desk Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Shadin Nassar, MENA Regional Associate, and Maren Olson, Director of Lutheran Disaster Response, spent five days in the Jerusalem area. They met with Bishop Azar and ELCJHL pastors and ministry directors, heard about the incredible work of Augusta Victoria Hospital, visited the Lutheran s...
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ELCA Solidarity Visit 2025
Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land were honored to host our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America partners for a solidarity visit. Rev. Gabi Aelabouni, ELCA Global Mission Desk Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Shadin Nassar, MENA Regional Associate, and Maryn Olson, Director of Lutheran Disaster Response, spent five days in the Jerusalem area. They met with Bishop Azar and ELCJHL pastors and ministry directors, heard about the incredible work of Augusta Victoria Hospital, visited the Lutheran schools, saw the Dia...
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January Partner Visits
In January Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar and the ELCJHL were honored to receive several solidarity visits from our international partners. Bishop Azar and ELCJHL Education staff met with Revered Erik Schumacher, Head of the Middle East Desk of Christian World Communications for the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD) and gave Rev. Erik a tour of a few ELCJHL Schools. Bishop Azar also met with Bishop Marianne Christiansen, Bishop over Haderslev Stift in Denmark. Bishop Marianne participated in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, and ...
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Gender Justice Music Evening in Beit Jala
Tonight the Gender Justice Ministry hosted an evening of music with Palestinian musician Zaid Hilal for women from the Beit Jala congregation. The session was part of the Gender Justice Ministry’s series of psychosocial activities for each congregation, with the goal of providing opportunities for self-care and relief during the difficult situation caused by the war. This session focused on music as a form of self expression and gave participants space for stress relief while exploring themes of Palestinian identity and the roles of women in society through music. This session w...
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Church of the Redeemer Hosts Prayer for Christian Unity
This week is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Each evening this week a different church in Jerusalem will host a service for Christians of all denominations and confessions to worship in harmony. This year’s theme is “Do you believe this?” based on Jesus’s question to Martha in John 11:26. Tonight worship was hosted in the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem in Arabic, German, and English, and included prayers from our partners from Sweden, Finland, Scotland, Denmark, the U.S., and beyond. This year also commemorates the 1,700 annivers...
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ELCJHL Students Participate in PalMUN
24 students from the Evangelical Lutheran School of Beit Sahour, the Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope, and Dar al Kalima Lutheran School attended PalMUN in Ramallah this week.Zaid Mimi won Best Delegate and Nimer Dudin won the shout out.Model United Nations (MUN) is a powerful educational tool that teaches its participants essential skills for the future including public speaking, research, problem-solving, and debate skills. Each year, the ELCJHL education office organizes opportunities for our schools to participate in National and International MUN conferences in addition to hosting the ...
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Gender Justice Ministry Hosts Christmas Lunch
The Gender Justice Ministry hosted a Christmas gathering for women from the five Palestinian congregations today in Bethlehem. The afternoon included lunch, songs and prayers, games, and small gifts including candles made by members of the ELCJHL Deaf Ministry. Though the typical Christmas Bazaar was not held this year, the lunch also offered an opportunity for women from the congregations to showcase handicrafts and support their small businesses. The Gender Justice Ministry also sponsored a special evening for the congregation in Jordan earlier this month. Coming together for fellowship and ...
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The Ordination of Rev. Anton Nassar
Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land are proud to announce the ordination of Reverend Tony Nassar as a pastor in the ELCJHL....
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Christmas Greetings with the Latin Patriarch
Bishop Azar and Pastors Sally and Ashraf from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jerusalem visited the Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa on the occasion of Christmas to offer ecumenical greetings....
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Christmas Eve in Bethlehem 2024
Luke 2:15 “…the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ God has made known to all his birth in Bethlehem. May all people come and see what has taken place. We pray that God’s coming into our world will bring peace for his little town of Bethlehem, for his children in Gaza, and for all people. ...
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ELCJHL Schools Mark Christmas
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” This week before winter break began the Lutheran Schools each held special programs for Christmas. Though the Palestinian Christian community is once again not celebrating Christmas as usual, the birth of Christ still brings light into the broken world. Students came together to tell the Christmas story and share songs and prayers for peace in the Holy Land and the world. We continue to pray for an en...
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ELCA Solidarity Visit to the ELCJHL
This week Bishop Azar met with ELCA Global Mission MENA Desk Director Rev. Gabi Aelabouni and MENA Regional Associate Shadin Nassar as part of their solidarity visit to the ELCJHL. Rev. Gabi and Ms. Nassar also visited many of our pastors and ministries to discuss the ongoing work of the ELCJHL this year. We are thankful for our ELCA partners!...
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ELCJHL Welcomes Bishop of Hanover
The ELCJHL welcomed Bishop Ralf Meister, Landesbischof of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, to the Holy Land for the 4th Sunday of Advent. Bishop Meister met with Bishop Azar and several ELCJHL pastors and ministry directors to hear about the current reality of Palestinians and the Palestinian Christian community. He also shared greetings with the Arabic speaking congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer at worship this morning on the Mount of Olives. Thank you Bishop Meister for your visit and we hope you carry stories from the ELCJHL to your community at home....
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