ELCA Organizes its Efforts for Middle East Peace

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Staff from several Christian churches and organizations came here April 25 to help the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) coordinate its efforts to promote peace in the Middle East. The ELCA's "Mini-Summit on Palestine" involved about 65 participants in planning ways to support nonviolent Israeli and Palestinian activities through travel, prayer, advocacy, education, media relations, leadership development and networking.
As an outcome of the meeting an ELCA coordinating committee is being formed, said the Rev. Mark B. Brown, associate director for public policy advocacy ministry, Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), Washington, D.C. That committee is to develop a six-month plan for a larger working group made mostly of ELCA staff who attended the summit, said Brown.
LOGA is the federal public policy advocacy office of the ELCA. Brown serves on the executive committee of Churches for Middle East Peace.
The purpose of the summit was for ELCA staff "to get concrete and to organize ourselves," said the Rev. Bonnie L. Jensen, executive director, ELCA Division for Global Mission. She added that the ELCA made a point of including about 20 "ecumenical guests" -- members of other U.S. church bodies dealing with Middle East concerns -- in the conversation.
"We have high hopes for this conference -- that our efforts here will help peace to flourish in the Middle East," said the Rev. Charles S. Miller, executive director, ELCA Division for Church in Society. The Division for Church in Society and Division for Global Mission co-sponsored the summit.
In a videotaped message to the summit, the Rev. H. George Anderson, ELCA presiding bishop, invited participants to explore ways to stop "a cycle of violence that seems unstoppable -- consuming lives."
Anderson said the ELCA is already involved in sending delegations to the Middle East, hosting guests from the Middle East, supporting institutions such as schools and hospitals in the Middle East, and conducting a national prayer vigil for the Middle East -- designating Lutherans in one or two specific states each day of the month to pray for peace. "Is there some more persuasive way of telling the story?" he asked.
"I am afraid of the massacre. I am asking our partners in the world to stop the massacre," said Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine), Jerusalem, in another videotaped message.
Younan said Israelis and Palestinians are becoming frustrated with the Middle East peace process because it "does not touch issues of justice." He said the longer the conflict drags on, the more bitter everyone involved becomes; and the prospects for peaceful coexistence are melting.
Religion is being used "to justify injustice," said Younan. He urged Christians, Jews and Muslims to put their common values together and "to end injustice and the killings."
Younan encouraged the participants to influence their church and their government to be "not pro-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian but 'pro-honest.'"
"Don't leave us alone. Be with us. Show your solidarity. Show your love," said Younan.
Participants organized themselves into groups to address five areas of concerns: + accompanying Palestinians and Israelis in a nonviolent movement to end the occupation; + mobilizing U.S. grassroots for prayer and advocacy; + developing and distributing educational and worship resources; + coordinating church-based communication departments and engaging the public media; and + promoting leadership development and networks.
One group suggested that ecumenical delegations visiting the Middle East be coordinated through a single office and that guests from the Middle East be invited to the United States to engage Christians in theological conversations. It said U.S. volunteers could be involved in rebuilding homes and other nonviolent activities in the Middle East.
Another group recommended expanding the ELCA's prayer vigil and developing other traditions, such as lighting a candle during worship services, calling for peace in the Middle East. It said a theological framework could be developed for worship resources outlining such traditions.
A third group said a common theme or slogan was needed for U.S. Christians promoting Middle East peace. Existing resources could be catalogued, and new resources could be developed using that common theme, it said.
Another group studied a media proposal for Churches for Middle East Peace, which would coordinate news reports "enabling Palestinians to speak and be heard" through the media and identifying credible Palestinian spokespeople for international reporters. It suggested U.S. church communicators visit the Middle East.
A fifth group recommended U.S. clergy study the theology and history of the Middle East before visiting Palestine to experience the issues confronting Christians, Jews and Muslims there. It said such experience would prompt projects and activities, as well as train and identify leaders.
A panel of three Palestinian-Americans addressed the summit luncheon: the Rev. Khader N. El-Yateem, Salam Arabic Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Ghassan "Gus" Khoury, member of the ELCA Church Council, Chicago; and Rimon Said, a member of Saint Elias Arabic Lutheran Church, Chicago.
Khoury urged the participants to "spread the truth" in search for "justice for both Israelis and Palestinians." He said Palestinians and Israelis must work together for the best possible outcome for both.
El-Yateem said people in the United States have an opportunity that is not available in Palestine -- conversation among Christians, Jews and Muslims. Israelis and Palestinians "count on us not to solve their problems but to help," he said.
Said said many Christians have emigrated from the Middle East to the United States. He encouraged other U.S. Christians to visit Arabic congregations and talk with the members about why they left their homelands.
At the close of the summit, Brown told participants about a "Middle East Forum" to be hosted May 29 by Church World Service and Witness. That meeting will be held at the Methodist Building in Washington, D.C., to develop "an ecumenical strategy for addressing the crisis in Palestine."
In addition to ELCA staff, the summit involved staff of the American Committee on Jerusalem, American Friends Service Committee, Catholic Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Churches for Middle East Peace, Episcopal Church, Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding, Holy Land Trust -- Palestine, Lutheran World Federation (LWF), National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC), Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), U.S. Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East, United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church. The ELCA is a member of the LWF and NCC. -- -- --
The ELCA lists "resources on the subject of peace and conflict in the Middle East" at http://www.elca.org/co/mideast.html on the Web. The Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs maintains http://www.loga.org/PrayerVigilHome.htm and several other pages about the Middle East. The home page for Churches for Middle East Peace is at http://www.cmep.org/ on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html