CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The leader of Lutherans in the Middle East called on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for continued support as his church works for peace between Israelis and Arabs, for the rights of Christians in Jerusalem and for the welfare of the Palestinian people in Israel.
"We at the moment are an endangered species," said Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan, which has 2,000 members in five congregations in Israel and one in Jordan. Following his address, the ELCA pledged to help Younan in his work.
Addressing the board of the ELCA's Division for Global Mission, Younan outlined the struggles of Palestinian Christians in Israel, a scant minority of only 1.5 percent of the population in a nation dominated by Jews and Muslims. Enduring financial hardships, bureaucratic obstacles from the Israeli government and immigration that weakens their ranks, Palestinian Christians struggle for recognition in the Christian Holy Land where they have lived since the time of Jesus.
"We have maintained our faith for the last 2,000 years and we want to do the same in the next 2,000 years," Younan told the board that oversees international relations in the 5.2-million-member church. Younan was an honored guest at a three-day meeting of the board in March.
Though tiny, the ELCJ provides an important voice for Lutherans worldwide in the Middle East, said Younan, who identified helping jump-start the stalled peace process as a major goal.
"We have started the work of reconciliation in dialogue with Muslims and Jews," he said. "We, the ELCJ, are bridge-builders between the two nations as well as catalysts of a just peace." The positive energy building with the approaching dawn of the third Christian millennium is cause for optimism. "I believe now is the kairos of reconciliation," said Younan.
The Bishop's visit underscored and deepened a friendship between American and Middle Eastern Lutherans. When Younan was installed as Bishop last year, the ELCA sent a delegation of 15, including the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA. Highlighting a close relationship, Younan later in the year installed two ELCA pastors, the Revs. Michael and Susan Thomas, at Jerusalem's Church of the Redeemer. The Thomases came to Jerusalem after serving for several years at the ELCA church in Vienna, Austria, but before then were long-time pastors in the ELCA's New England Synod, designated as a "companion synod" to the ELCJ.
Younan expressed gratitude for the kinship that has developed between the churches, a relationship he hopes will continue to grow as the ELCJ faces its challenges.
"As we the Palestinian Christians are carrying a heavy cross at the moment, we appeal to you as American sisters and brothers, as Christians, not to leave us alone," said Younan.
The American Lutherans made it clear they would do no such thing. The board approved a sweeping resolution reaffirming the work of Younan's church and pledging the ELCA to deepen its support and assistance wherever possible.
The resolution notes that the ELCA's concern about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has been longstanding and in conjunction with worldwide Lutherans and other Christians.
Earlier this year, Anderson signed letters opposing Israeli policies that led to confiscation of Jerusalem residency cards from Palestinians. "The impact this policy has on the Christian communities in Jerusalem is alarming," Anderson said.
In 1996, the ELCA's Church Council joined voices around the world in calling for a shared Jerusalem, the city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. That call was reaffirmed by the Lutheran World Federation in 1997 and the World Council of Churches in 1998.
During his visit to Chicago, Younan also met with members of the Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage, an association of the ELCA's Commission for Multicultural Ministries. Last year the denomination organized its first Arabic congregation, Salam Arabic Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, N.Y. Several other Arabic mission churches are thriving.
[*Robert Blezard is the Congregation section editor for the ELCA
magazine "The Lutheran."]
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities 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.
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