Community news
St. Elias Christian Church
The first-year curriculum for the confirmation class was concluded, May 2012. The second year of confirmation class will start in September.
Twenty-six people from St. Elias participated in the Memorial church picnic, May 28, 2012, at Evanston Park near Lake Michigan.
Immanuel hosted vacation Bible school June 25-29, 2012, for children 4-12 years old.
During the summer, Saturday Bible class will continue to be held from 6-9 p.m. every week.
Sunday worship service is at 1:30 p.m.
Mother of the Savior
Mother of the Savior continues to offer a cultural experience for many non-Arab groups, Christians and non-Christians alike. Such experiences have included an immersion in the Middle Eastern culture and our unique interfaith community in the city of Dearborn. It has been a joy for members at Mother of the Savior to share their gifts in hosting, educating and equipping others to share the love of Christ in their own diverse community and culture. We continue to host groups from schools, colleges, churches, mosques and other institutions. Working with the youth especially has been adventurous and exciting to say the least.
We give thanks and glory to God for giving us this ministry of reconciliation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
ELCA Peace Not Walls Campaign
About 40 Peace Not Walls advocates from across the country gathered for an evening in Washington, D.C., before the Churches for Middle East Peace conference in June to strategize about how to work together more effectively to network, raise awareness, accompany and advocate for a just peace in Palestine and Israel. A steering team was named to help prioritize actions, leadership and accountability. Go to the Peace Not Walls website www.elca.org/peacenotwalls for more information. Don’t forget that we have a blog you can sign up for at that same site so you are alerted when new blog posts are added.
Experience the Wall at the ELCA Youth Gathering
The theme of the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering, “citizens with the saints,” is the last part of the Ephesians passage about breaking down the dividing wall and the hostilities between us, making us into one. The ELCA churchwide ministries and the ELCA Southeast Michigan Synod are hosting six young Palestinians and six young American youth who will be working at an exhibit called ”The Wall” that will be about life and faith in Palestine and Israel. Visitors will also be involved in an interactive game that divides people into groups of Palestinians, settlers and others as they seek to build homes. There will also be a storytelling room for the Palestinians to tell their stories. Make sure you plan to stop by, and pass it on!
Our Shared Witness: Voice for Justice and Reconciliation
The newly published book by Bishop Munib Younan: "Our Shared Witness: A Voice for Justice and Reconciliation," was published by Lutheran University Press, Minneapolis, Minn. Rev. Younan is bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and president of The Lutheran World Federation. For more information you can visit www.lutheranupress.org/Books/Our_Shared_Witness
Are you an "Accompanier," ready to serve in a West Bank community? Application is open though the U.S. committee of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel for accompaniers ready to serve for three months in 2013. The three key elements of accompaniment are: bringing a world of hope, sharing the basics of life and departing to carry on the work through advocacy.
ELCA members lead the list of U.S. Christians who have served as accompaniers. To see a story about Tammie Danielsen’s efforts in Hebron, check out her story in The Lutheran.
Accompaniers walk with local people and report human rights abuses, helping to protect communities and keeping international agencies up to date with the situation on the ground. The program operates out of seven locations in the West Bank. Accompaniers visit families affected by house demolitions, arbitrary arrests and violence by settlers and the Israeli army. They monitor checkpoints and agricultural gates, land confiscation and settlement activities, collecting important data for international agencies including the U.N. They attend demonstrations against specific injustices, many of these organized by Israeli and Palestinian peace groups. The program hosts hundreds of visitors every year providing unique opportunities to meet the people living under occupation.
Please explore the website http://www.eappi-us.org and contact them with your questions.