wfn.org | ELCA Presiding Bishop Calls for Prayer Vigil for Middle East

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 21, 2000

ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP CALLS FOR PRAYER VIGIL FOR MIDDLE EAST
00-285-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) proposed that the church engage in a continuous
prayer vigil for all people suffering from the continuing violence in
the Middle East.  The Rev. H. George Anderson said the prayer vigil
would begin with the first Sunday of Advent, Dec. 3, and  "continue
until the violence ends and we can celebrate a just and lasting
negotiated resolution to the conflict."
     Anderson's proposal -- which included suggested dates for prayer -- 
was in a Nov. 14 letter to bishops of the ELCA's 65 synods. The ELCA
is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop.  The church
consists of 5.15-million members across the United States and Caribbean.
     Anderson's letter suggested many ways each synod could implement
the vigil.  For example, he said synod staffs could pray together on
designated dates; synods could invite pastors and congregations to join
in the vigil on designated dates; synods located in the same state could
pray together; synods could share ideas for implementation with other
bishops; and synods could promote ELCA participation in the vigil at
local ecumenical prayer services.
     "In addition, staff in Washington, D.C., tell me that a number of
other denominations such as The Episcopal Church, the United Church of
Christ, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are likely to join us in
this vigil and that participation will grow over the coming months," he
said.
     Anderson's request for the prayer vigil is a result of a letter to
him from the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Jordan (ELCJ).  Younan is the head of a 2,000-member Lutheran
church in Palestine, with congregations in Amman, Jordan;
 Beit Jala; Beir Sahour; Bethlehem; East Jerusalem; and Ramallah.  This
month, Younan was a keynote speaker at the ELCA's Multicultural Mission
Institute in Los Angeles and spoke to the ELCA Church Council meeting
here.
     Younan's letter explained the seriousness of the situation for
ELCJ congregations and the area as a whole, Anderson said.
     "Movement is restricted, certain foodstuffs are becoming difficult
to find, transport of industrial and agricultural products is not
allowed, farmers can't get in their fields to pick olives, most
Palestinian hotels are closed, hospitals lack supplies and equipment,
unemployment is high, and ELCJ schools are facing shortages of operating
funds," Anderson said. "Bishop Younan reports that the Israeli army has
attacked residential areas using tanks and helicopters, particularly in
the area around Bethlehem.  The attacks are having a traumatic impact on
Palestinian children and others who are under siege."
     Younan's letter called on the ELCA, and other churches of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF), "to intensively pray for the Christian
churches in Jerusalem and their prophetic role for a lasting,
comprehensive, just peace and reconciliation in our area."  The LWF is a
global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries, representing
59.5 million of the
world's 63 million Lutherans.
     In response, the ELCA Church Council, which met here Nov. 10-13,
adopted a resolution encouraging members of the ELCA to "support through
prayer and material assistance" the people in the Middle East affected
by the "civil strife."  It requested staff of the ELCA churchwide office
here to explore possibilities for increasing financial support in
coordination with the church's International Disaster Response, housed
in the ELCA Division for Global Mission (DGM); coordinate "days of
prayer and fasting for an end to the violence in Israel and Palestine";
and encourage all congregations of the ELCA to "better understand" the
issues in the Middle East.
     Middle East resources are available from DGM, including a
Palestine packet mailed to congregations in September, Anderson's letter
said.  Prayers for congregational use can be found on DGM's Web site, he
said.  In addition, information is available from the Lutheran Office
for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), the ELCA's federal public policy office
in Washington, D.C., Anderson added.
     Each month, congregations are asked to pray on a particular day
for Middle East peace. The schedule recommended by Anderson is: Alabama
and New York,  3rd day of the month;
Alaska and North Carolina, 4; Arizona and North Dakota, 5; Arkansas and
Ohio, 6; California and Oklahoma, 7; Colorado and Oregon, 8; Connecticut
and Pennsylvania, 9; Delaware and Rhode Island, 10; Florida and South
Carolina, 11; Georgia and South Dakota, 12; Hawaii and Tennessee, 13;
Idaho and Texas, 14; Illinois and Utah, 15; Indiana and Vermont, 16;
Iowa and Virginia, 17; Kansas and Washington, 18; Kentucky and West
Virginia, 19; Louisiana and Wisconsin, 20; Maine and Wyoming, 21;
Maryland and District of Columbia, 22; Massachusetts and Puerto Rico,
23; Michigan and U.S. Virgin Islands, 24; Minnesota, 25; Mississippi,
26; Missouri, 27; Montana, 28; Nebraska, 29; Nevada, 30; New Hampshire,
31; New Jersey, 1; New Mexico, 2.
---
     Details on the prayer vigil for Middle East peace and related
information is at http://www.loga.org on the LOGA Web site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html