ELCA NEWS SERVICE March 30, 2005 ELCA Board Plans For Engagement In Israel, Palestine 05-054-MRC CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Global Mission acknowledged an "urgent" request from Lutheran "companions" in the Holy Land, approved a strategy for engagement in Israel and Palestine, and attended to other business when it met here March 18-20. The board called on the ELCA Church Council to "use all available means" to make the church's 5 million members aware of the "immediate threat" to the future of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and hope for peace in the Middle East posed by the construction of an Israeli separation wall on Palestinian territories. According to the ELCJHL, the extension of the wall "threatens the very continuation of the church and its ministries." Scheduled to be completed this year, the wall separates many Palestinians from their usual sources of education, health, social, commercial and religious services and undermines the possibility of a secure Palestine, which is necessary for a lasting "two state solution" with a secure Israel. The global mission board also called on the council to be "a bold and urgent voice" to the U.S. government, encouraging the government to exercise its "substantial influence on the State of Israel" to end construction and remove all existing sections of the wall. The board asked that the ELCA Division for Church in Society intensify the church's advocacy efforts and urge the 65 synods of the ELCA, at their assemblies this year, to "take appropriate action" on advocacy that calls for an end to construction and removal of existing sections of the separation wall. The council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. It will meet here April 8-11. Churchwide assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 8-14, in Orlando, Fla. "There is a sense of urgency to move this resolution into action," said S. Christine Mummert, Harrisburg, Pa., board chair, in an interview. "Although President Bush has committed [funds] for Palestinians to rebuild their infrastructure, this [funding] got stopped at the appropriations committee. The urgency here is that if people don't see change, they may be disillusioned" and "the peace process would be undermined if that were to happen," she said. In a separate action, the board noted that the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would provide $200 million in supplemental assistance to Palestinians with "some restrictions." The board expressed hope that the U.S. Senate will pass similar legislation without restrictions, and it expressed appreciation for the advocacy efforts of the ELCA through its Division for Church in Society, which is working to support unrestricted aid to Palestinians. In another action, the board affirmed the "Churchwide Strategy for ELCA Engagement in Israel and Palestine" and recommended the council affirm and convey the plan to the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly with a resolution to call on "all expressions of the ELCA to participate in the emerging campaign for peace with justice in Israel and Palestine." The strategy provides a history and lists assets the ELCA brings to peace-building efforts in the Middle East, current ELCA policy and practice, sets of desired outcomes and action steps to achieve those outcomes. Last year the council asked the Division for Global Mission and Division for Church in Society to develop a strategy that would enable the ELCA, in relationship with its "ecumenical and interfaith partners," to contribute to the wider movement for peace with justice in the Middle East. The strategy highlights a campaign, "Peace not Walls: Stand for Justice in the Holy Land," designed to "energize" members of the church to build relationships with companions in the Middle East -- particularly with the ELCJHL -- and help the ELCA live out its commitment and call to be a "public church." In another resolution, the board conveyed to the council a concept that illustrates how Lutherans will "actively accompany" the Lutheran church in the Holy Land through worship, prayer and advocacy. The concept, still under development, is that each synod of the ELCA will receive communion ware formed from "clay of the Holy Land" and "fashioned" by the International Center of Bethlehem, a ministry related to Christmas Lutheran Church, Bethlehem. The communion ware will be used during worship at the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, and it will "journey" from synod to synod for use by congregations during worship. Prayers, education materials and suggestions for advocacy will accompany the communion ware. "The [concept] is designed to raise awareness among all synods of the ELCA that we are in communion with our brothers and sisters in Palestine," said Mummert. Global Mission Board Approves Strategic Plan, Receives Reports The global mission board approved a work plan for the division in 2005-2006. The work of the division will focus on leadership development, peacemaking, sustainable development and the church's companion synod program. This year the ELCA churchwide organization is restructuring its ministries to align itself with a "Plan for Mission" adopted by the 2003 Churchwide Assembly. The strategic plan outlines the reorganization of the church's governance and structure, which includes replacing divisions with program units and using program committees instead of boards. Proposed changes to the ELCA Constitution related to structure and governance will be considered at the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. "Our board has worked very well and has exercised good cooperation with staff of the division. We've made contributions to policy as well as policy monitoring. As board chair, I've worked to bring a willingness for experiential learning among board members by visiting some of our missions. In September, some members of the board went to Palestine," Mummert said. The board received a report from the division's executive director, the Rev. Rafael Malpica-Padilla. He said the strategic plan of the ELCA churchwide organization places the "Division for Global Mission, in collaboration with its global companions and strategic allies, in an opportune position to respond to the challenges for global mission today. Some of these challenges arise from the ever changing global context, as well as shifts in mission theory and practice." Malpica-Padilla said one key area of engagement for the division is the "companion synod" program. "What began as a program to provide opportunities for mutual support in prayer and visitation has become a means for ELCA synods and congregations to actively participate in the global mission endeavors of this church. This is a much-welcomed development, but one we have not been able to manage proactively. Synods and congregations are very involved in global mission efforts, from visits to funding specific projects, from advocacy to sending people to serve with their companions. All these activities reflect the vitality and interest global mission generates," he said. "The challenge for us is not only how to manage it" but "how we rethink our role as stewards of this church's global relationships and empower and enable synods, congregations, institutions and strategic allies for participation," Malpica- Padilla said. He cited some concerns "to keep in mind as we resource the ELCA for global mission. The companion-synod program is not a substitute for the global mission unit of this church, and the companion-synod program is not a reconfiguration of the missionary societies of old." "One key function of the ELCA Division for Global Mission is to redistribute the funds and human resources of this church," he said. "We cannot support global mission on interest alone. We need to build on sustainability," Malpica-Padilla told the board. In other business, the board received presentations by David Jones, an ELCA missionary who serves as administrator for Phebe Hospital, Liberia; Gustaf Odquist, policy advisor for the Middle East, International Department, Church of Sweden; and Rubi Esperazna Flores Alvarado, director for diaconia, Christian Lutheran Church in Honduras. _ _ _ Information about the ELCA Division for Global Mission is available at http://www.elca.org/globalmission on the Internet. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news