CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a July 17 pastoral letter to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) regarding the
Middle East conflict and escalating military action that has now
expanded into Lebanon, the ELCA presiding bishop said he will
continue to call on the international community and the U.S.
administration "to do everything possible both to negotiate an
immediate stop to the violence that has caused the killing and
suffering of innocent people and urge all parties to resolve the
conflict through dialogue."
In addition, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, who also serves as
president of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, said the ELCA
is providing immediate humanitarian relief through the work of
the Middle East Council of Churches.
"I write to you out of my deep sadness and concern regarding
the escalating conflict in the Middle East," Hanson wrote. He
noted that the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah
militants "caused a severe reaction from Israeli forces."
"The escalation of the conflict moves the Middle East
further away from a just and lasting peace for which we have been
praying and working," Hanson said.
Hanson said he spoke by phone July 15 with the Rev. Munib
A.Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and
the Holy Land, Jerusalem.
"In our conversation ... I heard both his deep concern that,
as the war spreads, the future of Christianity among Arab people
is at risk, and his call for our renewed commitment to praying
and working for peace," Hanson wrote.
Hanson asked the ELCA's 4.9 million members to continue to
pray for "a just and lasting peace in the Middle East that will
bring an end to the pain and misery experienced by all people in
the region."
The presiding bishop also suggested Lutherans visit the ELCA
Web site for resources on how congregations can respond to
humanitarian needs in Lebanon, for updates from people in the
region and for advocacy information. He also referred
congregations to the ELCA social statement "For Peace in God's
World," adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 1995, as a
resource for discussion of global peace issues.
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The text of the ELCA presiding bishop's pastoral letter is
at http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/m_060717.html on the ELCA Web site.
Information about the current situation in the Middle East,
including information about how to respond, updates from people
in the region and advocacy information is at
http://www.ELCA.org/middleeast/lebanon.html on the ELCA Web site.
The social statement "For Peace in God's World" is at
http://www.ELCA.org/socialstatements/peace/ on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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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.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
