ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 13, 2008  

ELCA, ELCIC Bishops Prepare for Middle East Visit January 6-13
08-188-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Sixty of the 66 bishops of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the ELCA secretary, and five
of the six bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
(ELCIC), Winnipeg, plus spouses and staff will visit the Middle
East, Jan. 6-13, 2009. Participants will meet with Israeli,
Jordanian and Palestinian religious, community and political
leaders, visit congregations and schools, and sites of religious
significance.
     The visit is the 2009 Bishops' Academy, an annual event in
which leaders from both churches engage in theological reflection
and study. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy
Land (ELCJHL) and its bishop, the Rev. Munib A. Younan, plus
staff of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) are partners with
the ELCA and ELCIC in planning the visit.
     A small delegation, including the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA
presiding bishop, and the Rev. Susan C. Johnson, ELCIC national
bishop, will travel first to Jordan, Jan.
3-6.  They will meet Jordanian religious and political leaders,
plus ambassadors from Canada and the United States, before
traveling to Jerusalem to meet their colleagues.
     The Lutheran bishops' visit to Israel, Jordan and Palestine
is a part of the 2005 ELCA "Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in
Israel and Palestine,"  Bishops and spouses provided synod and
personal funds for the visit.
     The Rev. Allan C. Bjornberg, bishop, ELCA Rocky Mountain
Synod, Denver, and chair, ELCA Conference of Bishops, said the
bishops' visit is "unprecedented."
     "I am proud of the commitment of our bishops, and those of
the ELCIC, to visit this fascinating and troubled region of the
world to learn, to support Christian sisters and brothers, and to
advocate for peace and justice for all people," he said. "As we
prepare for this historic visit, members of the Conference of
Bishops are working diligently for a successful and meaningful
journey.  We thank members throughout the ELCA for their support
of this visit.  We pray that our journey will bring many
blessings to the ELCA."
     The bishops discussed holding their annual academy in Israel
and Palestine for years, said the Rev. Dean W. Nelson, bishop,
ELCA Southwest California Synod, Glendale, and chair of the
bishops' academy committee.  In 2005 the LWF Council met in
Bethlehem and Jerusalem, making such a visit seem possible, he
said.  Adoption of the ELCA Middle East strategy was an important
catalyst, Nelson said.
     "That action provided the framework for us to move forward
in planning this trip," he said. "We expect this trip will enable
us to grow in our awareness of the reality of life in Israel and
Palestine, accompany our brothers and sisters in the ELCJHL in
their witness and service, and become better advocates in our own
countries for an end to the ongoing hostilities in the Holy
Land."  Nelson added he hopes that the presence of such a
significant number of North American church leaders will have a
positive impact on those working for peace in the region.
     "The decision of the ELCA and ELCIC bishops to meet for
their annual time of theological study and discussion in Israel-
Palestine cannot be overestimated in its significance for the
people of the ELCJHL," said the Rev. Margaret G. Payne, bishop,
ELCA New England Synod, Worcester, Mass. The synod has a
companion synod relationship with the ELCJHL.
     Lutherans there are eager for the bishops' visit to see the
reality of their lives and communities, she said. "By this trip
we hope to accomplish first the keeping of a promise: we will
embody our commitment to accompany the ELCJHL," she said.  "But
also, we seek to be advocates for peace in the Middle East. I
believe that it is only by the power of God, through the
commitment and relationship of people from all the faith
traditions in this region, that the hope for peace can be
realized, and both Israel and Palestine can benefit from the
freedom and security that a shared life of peace would bring."
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     Information about the ELCA Conference of Bishops is at
http://www.ELCA.org/cob on the ELCA Web site.

     The "Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and
Palestine," is at
http://www.ELCA.org/peacenotwalls on the ELCA Web site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
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