ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 24, 2012
ELCA working to meet needs of Syrian refugees in neighboring Jordan
12-55-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is
responding to the needs of Syrian refugees in Jordan, where an estimated
150,000 Syrians -- 39,600 of which are registered with the United Nations
as refugees -- have fled. As the conflict in Syria continues to worsen,
some Syrians have also fled to Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey.
The Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Jordan and the Holy Land and president of The Lutheran World
Federation, has been in conversation with Jordanian officials about how
Lutherans can best be involved in addressing the needs of Syrian refugees.
He is helping to identify ways in which his church, the ELCA and The
Lutheran World Federation can deepen their participation in relief efforts.
Both the ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the
Holy Land are member churches of The Lutheran World Federation, a global
communion of 143 member churches in 79 countries all over the world. The
ELCA is the federation's only member church from the United States.
"We have offered our services to respond in a way that addresses the
needs both of the Syrian refugees and of the host government of Jordan,"
said Younan. Receiving refugees is difficult work that can stretch
resources and affect political dynamics in host countries.
In particular, Lutherans are working to oversee refugee camp
management and access to proper shelter, as the desert climate in Jordan
leads to large fluctuations in temperature and frequent blowing dust.
ELCA Disaster Response has committed $250,000 to help support The
Lutheran World Federation efforts to provide the lodging for 300 families--
about 1,400 people -- with adequate housing within the refugee camp in
Jordan while providing expertise in camp management to ensure people
receive health care, food and water. Earlier this year, ELCA Disaster
Response allocated $200,000 to provide food, clothing and other materials
to support Syrian families and individuals displaced by the conflict.
"We are very pleased that we have been allowed by Jordanian officials
to move forward with these possibilities. It is our hope that the political
situation in Syria will soon stabilize, so that the people displaced by
conflict can return to their homes," said Younan, adding that the royal
family in Jordan has consistently demonstrated its concern for preserving
religious plurality in Jordan and throughout the region.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson said the ELCA's first response
to the conflict in Syria is prayer. "We lift our prayers for each
community in Syria, not for Christians alone. We understand that as
smaller communities in Syria, Christians can sometimes be more vulnerable
than others."
The ELCA is currently working with global ecumenical partners on
several disasters, said Hanson, "even as The Lutheran World Federation
helps operate refugee camps in other places. The disaster in Syria,
however, is the result of human failures to address political
disagreements. We are working with global partners and reaching out to
policymakers to address these political concerns from the perspective of
our faith," he said.
Earlier this year, Hanson wrote to Christian church leaders in Syria,
offering support of the churches' collective call for an end to violence
and to offer prayer for the people in the region.
The ELCA continues to work with global partners to shape U.S. policy
toward Syria that strengthens protection of vulnerable populations within
and beyond Syria's borders.
"I am grateful that, in addition to humanitarian aid organizations,
the ELCA was one of the first churches to respond to the needs of the
Syrian people, both inside the country and in refugee populations in
neighboring countries," said Younan. "I am grateful for the (ELCA's)
strong accompaniment of my own church, the ELCA's robust participation in
The Lutheran World Federation and for your church's response to this and
other disasters throughout the world."
---
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United
States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50
states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work.
Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in
Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's
roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.ELCA.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com
