CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "Witnessing to the gospel" among people of Arab and Middle Eastern heritage was a focus for the sixth biennial assembly of the Association for Lutherans of Arab and Middle East Heritage (ALAMEH) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) here July 20-22.
More than 125 participants received reports and updates from two pastors and a mission developer responsible for building congregational ministries in Arab and Middle Eastern communities throughout the United States. The reports featured "tools" some congregations use for ministry among people of Arab and Middle Eastern heritage.
The Rev. Khader El Yateem, Salam Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, N.Y., described the many ministries made available by Salam which include Bible study, youth group activities, immigration counseling and a pre- school. El Yateem emphasized that worship -- conducted in Arabic -- and Bible study are the core of the congregation's ministry. Salam initiated and participates in a multi-faith community task force in Brooklyn.
The Rev. Rimon Sai'd, St. Elias Church, Chicago, said St. Elias was "recently inaugurated" as a congregation of the ELCA at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Chicago.
Rani Abdulmasih, an ELCA mission developer, Dearborn, Mich., provided a progress report about an Arab and Middle Eastern mission congregation in Dearborn, one of "the country's largest concentrations of Arab and Middle Eastern [people] outside of Los Angeles." Abdulmasih is active in community multi-faith activities in Dearborn.
The Rev. Mark N. Swanson, associate professor of Islamic studies and director of the Islamic Studies Program, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., delivered a keynote presentation called "You Shall Be My Witnesses."
Swanson offered five distinctive gifts Arab and Middle Eastern Christians offer the church. The gifts are a long, deep and distinctive spirituality; the experience of cooperative living among Christians of different denominations; an unbroken continuity with the Apostolic church; an experience of Christian life and witness in a multi-religious environment; and the experience of being a distinctive Christian community.
"You have much to teach us, a heritage to share and a mission to accomplish," he told the assembly. "I am grateful for your witness and for the promise of the Lord that you will be my witness," Swanson said.
In response to Swanson's presentation, the assembly divided into five groups to develop ideas for witnessing among people of various ethnic groups in Arab and Middle Eastern Christian communities.
The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, Grace El Yateem, president of ALAMEH, and the Rev. Frederick E.N. Rajan, executive director, ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries, greeted the assembly. The assembly honored Susan Thompson, executive for newly organized congregations, ELCA Division for Outreach, for her "indispensable role" in the formation of ALAMEH and the development of ELCA Arabic-language congregations. Thompson will retire this fall.
ALAMEH relates to the ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries. Business sessions at the assembly were conducted in English and Arabic. Members of St. Elias hosted the assembly. -- -- --
*The Rev. Bassam J. Abdallah is consultant for Arab and Middle Eastern ministries, ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries.
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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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