ELCA Council Seeks Peace in the Middle East and Africa

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved a series of actions designed to commit the church to support peace efforts in the Middle East and West Africa. The council also affirmed "Stand with Africa," a campaign intended to raise awareness in the church about the HIV-AIDS crisis, projected increase of chronic hunger and peacemaking efforts in Africa.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide assemblies. The council met here Nov. 10-13. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 8-14, 2001, in Indianapolis.
"Our people [in the Middle East] are under siege," the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and Palestine (ELCJ), told the council Nov. 11. More than 140 have died and thousands of Palestinians have been injured since the current fighting in the Middle East began Sept. 28, he said.
Younan supports the concept of a "shared" Jerusalem involving Christians, Jews and Muslims. He represents the 2,000-member ELCJ that consists of Lutheran congregations in Amman, Jordan, as well as East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour and Ramalla.
"We believe that a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis may each live in their own states freely, equally, equitably and side-by-side is still possible, although now it does not seem so. Spiral violence must be stopped, and now is the time for a political agreement," Younan said.
Younan thanked council members, the ELCA Conference of Bishops, H. George Anderson, ELCA presiding bishop, and others for speaking against the violence in the Middle East. On behalf of the 65 synod bishops of the church, Anderson wrote a letter to President Clinton on Oct. 12 encouraging Clinton to continue his efforts to end the violence in the Middle East and "forge a just and comprehensive peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians."
We are thankful for those who are relentlessly working for the "Christian witness in the Holy Land to continue after 2,000 years," Younan said.
"The Christian church in the world would not have existed for 2,000 years had it not have had hope. Our hope is not for politicians. Our hope is in a living God who will intervene and change our situation to one of peace, justice and reconciliation," Younan said. "God will lead politicians to sit at the table, negotiate and find an honorable settlement to the crisis now, accept the legitimate rights of Palestinians and find a solution that will allow for Palestinians and Israelis to live side-by-side."
The ELCJ "cries out for accompaniment, solidarity, prayer and financial support. You are our ambassadors. Do not leave us alone. As a church, we must work to find means and ways to help our people carry the torch of the Resurrection in the land of the Resurrection. Pray for us and be interested in our mission," Younan told the council.
The council acted to encourage members of the ELCA to "support through prayer and material assistance" the people in the Middle East affected by the "civil strife." It requested staff of the churchwide office here to explore possibilities for increasing financial support in coordination with the church's International Disaster Response, located in the ELCA Division for Global Mission; coordinate "days of prayer and fasting for an end to the violence in Israel and Palestine"; and encourage all congregations of the ELCA to "better understand" the issues in the Middle East.
The council requested staff of the ELCA Division for Global Mission to provide a report on the "material and financial support" made available to the ELCJ at the council's next meeting in April 2001.
In a separate resolution, the council resolved to call upon members of the ELCA to pray for the people of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and "better familiarize themselves" with the ongoing conflict in West Africa.
For more than a decade, armed conflict has been underway in several West African countries. Problems there include an increased flow of refugees and "cross-border troop movements."
The council urged the church to continue to make available "financial and material assistance" designed to meet the humanitarian needs in West Africa through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Lutheran World Relief (LWR). Based in Geneva, Switzerland, LWF is a global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries representing 59.5 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. LWR is the overseas relief and development ministry of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).
In a separate resolution, the council affirmed the development of "Stand with Africa: A Campaign of Hope." The campaign, scheduled to begin February 2001, is designed to increase awareness about Africa. Developed by the ELCA World Hunger Program and Appeal, LCMS' World Relief and LWR, the campaign includes a strategy for increasing available financial resources by encouraging individual and congregational giving for Africa through the ELCA World Hunger Appeal for Africa; public media fund-raising efforts by LWR; and LCMS work with Bread for the World, which is planning a 2001 advocacy emphasis on Africa.
The council resolved to "express the ELCA's commitment to continue to accompany companion churches and partner agencies in Africa," especially as they address the HIV-AIDS crisis, the projected increase in chronic hunger and the need for reconciliation and peacemaking there. -- -- --
Documents from the Church Council meeting are available at http://www.elca.org/os/churchcouncil/actions.html on the ELCA Web site.

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