We are a church for the sake of the world. Sumud is the ELCA’s response to occupation and injustice in Palestine and Israel. Freed by the transformative life of Christ, the ELCA is committed to accompaniment, advocacy and awareness-raising with partners in the Holy Land and in the U.S. The growing Sumud network works with bishops and synods to empower ELCA communities in this call.

Sumud, Arabic for “steadfastness,” is used by Palestinian theologians to describe nonviolent resistance to occupation through advocacy, education, social work and faith-rooted presence. Our partners in this work include the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), the only Lutheran church in the Middle East, whose ministries in education, health care, justice and leadership are vital to Palestinian society. We practice accompaniment with this Arabic-speaking community of faithful Lutherans, whom we rely on as our primary lens for understanding the realities in Palestine and Israel.

We are all Sumud, accompanying our Palestinian partners and following their lead as we bear witness to the truth that only when justice prevails can there be lasting peace for all Palestinians and Israelis.