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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 8, 2000

ARAB AND MIDDLE EASTERN LUTHERANS GATHER IN BETHLEHEM
00-193-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Speaking in both Arabic and English, the Rev.
Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan
(ELCJ), said, "If there is no Christianity in the Holy Land, then it
will no longer be a holy land."  Younan spoke at "Witness and Mission,"
an international conference held July 4-9 in Bethlehem that brought
together Lutherans from the Middle East and United States.
     "The theme of this conference should be 'stand up and walk,'"
Younan told participants.  "As the people of Palestine face their worst
time without yet a just peace, the 2 percent who are Christians [there]
are impelled by the gospel to be ministers of reconciliation, brokers of
just peace, and apostles of love.  U.S. Palestinian Christians must be
our voice in the United States and vice versa.  Together, we can have a
joint ministry to the whole world," he said.
     About 75 members of the ELCJ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), the ELCA's Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle
Eastern Heritage (ALAMEH) and others gathered to establish ways in which
both churches can support each other in faith and ministry.
     "We wish this conference had occurred 12 years ago," Younan said.
"The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan wants to energize members of
its Arab and Middle Eastern churches and to mobilize ourselves to fully
support the witness we have to offer," he said.
     Participants developed goals for future ministry efforts between
the ELCA and the ELCJ.  They included strengthening the relationships
between the ELCA and ELCJ; developing education and worship materials
for use in both churches; planning and carrying out exchange programs;
and advocating for local leadership.
     We hope that this conference will be the first of a number of
international meetings, said the Rev. Bassam J. Abdallah, First United
Lutheran Church, Hammond, Ind.  Abdallah also serves as a consultant on
Arab and Middle Eastern ministries to the ELCA Commission for
Multicultural Ministries.
     Lutherans from the United States were informed about the social,
cultural, political and religious issues concerning Palestinians,
Abdallah said.  "Throughout the conference, participants noted the
general ignorance on Palestinian issues among Americans," he said.
     Sami Musallam, chief of staff for Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat, said a serious issue in Palestine is the number of refugees and
displaced persons, "as the Israelis do not count the descendants of
persons displaced since 1948.  Also problematic are borders and water
access.  Palestinians hope, within a few months, to declare a
democratic, pluralistic state with the return of refugees," he said.
Musallam is a member of the ELCJ.
     The Rev. Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church,
Bethlehem, led a keynote presentation called "Lutheran Witness in the
Middle East: A Reflection."  Raheb identified several "unique" elements
of the "Lutheran witness" in Palestine.
     "We preach the good news of Jesus Christ with the power to
transform the people here, who need to see themselves as actors, not
spectators.  The ELCJ has the special call of developing a contextual
theology from a cross-cultural perspective," Raheb said.
     "The Lutheran presence and witness in the Middle East is a
"witness for democracy in a region with many hierarchial systems," Raheb
said.  "It is also a witness for pluralism, a witness to a theology of
the relationship of divine rights and human rights -- a call for ...
women's rights, as the only church in the Middle East ready to ordain
women," he said.
     Lutheran education programs must emphasize critical thinking and
creativity, Raheb said, "as there are no models to copy, for instance,
in the peace process."   "Lutherans are calling for a cultural
renewal of this region and for seeing 'the other' as neighbor, in place
of the old ideologies that are no longer functioning such as socialism,
pan-Arabism and forms of religion that maintain walls around subgroups,"
he said.
     Raheb continued, "Lutherans have a social witness, a diakonia,
that can address the rich-poor polarization and the diminishing middle
class in all the Middle East.  Especially needed are trained counselors
to deal with the weakening of the extended family."
     He said, "Lutherans are called to an active role in interfaith
relations.  As the only Christians to use 'Allah' for God in worship,
worshiping in the language of the Qur'an, they share a culture with
Muslims.  And as the victims of Israeli state oppression, the opposite
experience for Lutherans in Europe, Palestinian Lutherans have a unique
perspective for dealing with the Jewish state."
     Finally, Raheb said, "Lutherans in the land of the Bible can call
for a new way to read the Bible and to find the good news in the good
news."
     "The creation of the state of Israel meant the dismantling of a
nation and the misery of six million Palestinians," Abdallah said.  For
more than 50 years, Palestinians have continued to reside in refugee
camps in areas of the Middle East -- Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, said
Abdallah.  "Never in history have we called attention to Palestinians
living in refugee camps; we continue to condone it.  We must work to
educate the ELCA and encourage the church to take this plight
seriously," he said.
     Some of the chief issues are how to develop new church leaders in
the Middle East and United States, and how to encourage young people to
stay in Palestine and remain active in the church, said Abdallah.
     Subjects presented by other speakers included the ELCJ's youth
programs; an analysis of the current Palestinian political situation;
the work of the Lutheran church among Palestinian women; issues in
Judaism; the relationship between Islam and Christianity and their
positive aspects in Palestine; and the Muslim-Christian relations in the
United States, said Abdallah.
     In addition to hearing speeches, participants engaged in worship
and traveled to Beit Jallah, Jerusalem and Ramallah.
     Participants visited Dihesheh, a Palestinian refugee camp.
Constructed more than 50 years ago by the United Nations, Dihesheh is
home to 10,000 people in one-square mile, said Abdallah.  We saw both
the original United Nations cement block housing and recent multi-floor
houses, he said.
     Participants also visited Augusta Victoria Hospital in East
Jerusalem.  The hospital has 164 beds, 50 surgical beds and an intensive
care unit.  About 80 percent of the patients there are Palestinian
refugees.
     "I believe that the sons and daughters of the Arab-speaking world
should have the right to live without racism.  I believe this will not
be possible without all of us working together," the Rev. Frederick E.N.
Rajan, executive director, ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries,
told participants.
     The conference received greetings from Grace El-Yateem, Brooklyn,
N.Y., president of ALAMEH; Dr. Ryan A. LaHurd, president of Lenoir-Rhyne
College, Hickory, N.C.; the Rev. Will L. Herzfeld, associate executive
director, ELCA Division for Global Mission, Chicago; and Hanna Nasser,
mayor of Bethlehem.  Lenoir-Rhyne is one of 28 colleges and universities
of the ELCA.
     In his greeting, LaHurd outlined the goals of ALAMEH.  They are to
provide "social, cultural and educational activities for its members;
advocacy on Arab and Middle Eastern issues; support for Middle Eastern
cultural values in the ELCA; support a 'ministry of reconciliation'
among all people, but especially the people of the Middle East; offer
expertise and consultation for ELCA units on matters related to the
Middle East and its people; and support efforts for peace and justice,"
LaHurd said.
     He said ALAMEH considers "a large part of its ministry to be
educating members of the ELCA on issues related to Arab and Middle
Eastern people."

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