wfn.org | California Congresswoman, Two ELCA Bishops Travel to Middle East

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

January 9, 2004

California Congresswoman, Two ELCA Bishops Travel to Middle East
04-004-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif. 23rd) will
travel to the Middle East with two synod bishops of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Jan. 9-16.  They
will meet with government and religious leaders, peace activists,
relief and development experts, human rights workers and others,
said the Rev. Mark B. Brown, assistant director for international
issues, Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), the
ELCA's federal public policy office in Washington, D.C.
     Capps is an ELCA member and a graduate of Pacific Lutheran
University, an ELCA higher education institution in Tacoma, Wash.
She is now serving her third full term since she was elected to
succeed her late husband, U.S. Rep. Walter Capps, in 1998.
     Bishops traveling with Capps are the Rev. Murray D. Finck,
ELCA Pacifica Synod, Yorba Linda, Calif., and the Rev. Dean W.
Nelson, ELCA Southwest California Synod, Glendale.  Brown and his
wife, Susanne, are also traveling with the group.
     The Middle East visit will include meetings with U.S.
government officials in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and international
participants in the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in
Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), Brown said.  The EAPPI is
administered by the World Council of Churches (WCC), Geneva,
Switzerland. Through that program church representatives from
throughout the world live in the Middle East for a short time,
observing and documenting how the Israeli occupation affects
Palestinians and Israelis.
      This visit, which includes meetings with both Israelis and
Palestinians, is part of an overall effort to give ELCA synod
bishops and other leaders a chance to hear directly from people
who live in the region, Brown said.  To date, about 10 bishops,
plus the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, and his
predecessors, have participated in these educational trips, Brown
estimated.  This is the first time a member of Congress, Capps,
has been part of such a trip, Brown said.
     "Her presence will help get the ELCA perspective heard on
Capitol Hill," Brown said.  "It also helps the Israelis and
Palestinians to understand the commitment of the ELCA to
supporting people who are working for peace."
     LOGA is working with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jordan (and Palestine), the Lutheran World Federation, the State
of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and other partners to
facilitate the trip.
     A key element of the itinerary is its balance with leaders
representing Israelis and Palestinians, Brown said. "What we're
doing as the ELCA is exhibiting by the level of balance the
commitment to hear the voices of the Israelis and Palestinians,"
he said.  "We think this will help the people of the ELCA hear
the concerns of both and it will give us an opportunity to raise
concern on both sides."
     The ELCA is a member of both the WCC and LWF.
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     Information about LOGA can be found at http://www.loga.org
on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news