Middle East Network
News
May 22,
2009
In This
Issue:
Churches for
Middle East Peace (CMEP) conference: June 7-9 in Washington,
D.C.
ELCA presiding bishop, other
U.S. religious leaders meet King of Jordan
Christian leaders meet at Carter Center, seeking
peace with justice in the Holy Land
Lutheran magazine looks at Christian
Zionism
National Interreligious
Leadership Initiative writes President Obama
Holy Land Lutherans Celebrate
World Council of Churches World Week for Peace in
Palestine Israel, June 4-10
Religion and Ethics News Weekly reports on
interreligious activity in the Holy Land
Flyers from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL)
All recent MENET messages are now posted
on-line
Churches for Middle East Peace
(CMEP) conference: June 7-9 in Washington,
D.C.
Register NOW. Denominational dinners
take place Monday night, June 8 (included in registration
fee). Our ELCA dinner will feature a presentation by our
Ecumenical Accompanier the Rev. Pat Woods, who
has just returned from the West Bank. The Rev. Richard
Graham, bishop of the Washington Metropolitan, D.C. synod will
deliver the address at the congressional prayer breakfast on
June 9, and the Rev. Mark Brown, regional representative in
Jerusalem for The Lutheran World Federation is a workshop
leader. Please register today: www.cmep.org.
ELCA presiding bishop, other U.S.
religious leaders meet King of Jordan
Four U.S.
religious leaders -- two Christian and two Muslim -- met with
King Abdullah II of Jordan in Washington, DC on April 20 to
discuss specific topics about the Middle East. The topics
included the current conflict between Israelis and Palestinians
with a focus on concerns for Jerusalem, deepening
Muslim-Christian relationships and the future of Arab
Christianity in the Middle East. The Rev. Mark S.
Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, led the delegation in the meeting
which was a follow up to a visit by ELCA bishops, including
Bishop Hanson, with King Abdullah in Jordan in January of this
year. For more, click
here.
Christian leaders meet at Carter
Center, seeking peace with justice in the Holy
Land
A diverse group of Christian leaders,
including the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, and
the Rev. Bruce H. Burnside, bishop of the ELCA South-Central
Synod of Wisconsin, met at the Carter Center May 14-15 under the
banner, “Towards a New Christian Consensus: Peace with
Justice in the Holy Land." At the conclusion of the
conference, participants sent a short letter to President Obama
supporting his efforts for a two-state solution and calling for
the immediate opening of the Gaza borders. For more, click
here.
Lutheran magazine looks at
Christian Zionism
Christian Zionism is an
animating force for American attitudes regarding the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The June issue of The Lutheran
contains a set of articles and resources geared toward equipping
Lutherans with tools to understand and respond to the movement.
Read the articles online at The Lutheran magazine.
National Interreligious Leadership
Initiative writes President Obama
In a May 17
letter to the White House, Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders
of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace
in the Middle East (NILI) commended President Obama’s
decision “making Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace a high
priority from the start of his Presidency” and expressed
“strong support for his appointment of George Mitchell as
Special Middle East Envoy.” The religious leaders, from
more than 25 national religious organizations including the
ELCA, are requesting a meeting with the President, as well as
with Secretary of State Clinton and Special Envoy
Mitchell.
“Despite the challenges and discouraging
developments, there remains a window of hope to achieve both a
viable two-state solution, acceptable to majorities of Israelis
and Palestinians and a final comprehensive peace between Israel
and all her Arab neighbors,” the religious leaders
declared. “The visits to Washington of Prime
Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas provide opportunities for
Israeli and Palestinian leadership to reaffirm their commitment
to a two state solution and to steps both sides will need to
make to achieve peace.” Full text of letter,
signatories, and press release at the NILI Web
site.
Holy Land Lutherans
Celebrate
Recently the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) celebrated a trio of
anniversaries: its own 50th anniversary, the 30th anniversary of
the Arab bishopric, and 170 years of evangelical Lutheran
witness in Palestine. With the theme of "Living Witness -
Creative Diakonia," the anniversaries were marked with dancing,
exhibits, speeches and praise to God on May 16-17. Visit the ELCJHL Web site for photos, as
well as English and Spanish translations of Bishop Munib
Younan's sermon delivered during the celebratory worship service
at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem, on May
17.
Read Holy Land Easter messages from Bp. Munib Younan
and the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb in English and Spanish at Peace
Not Walls Web site.
World Council of Churches World Week
for Peace in Palestine Israel, June 4-10
Resource and ideas for participation can be found
at:
Oikoumene
Web site
Peace
for Life Web site
Prayer
Press
release
It’s
Time for Peace liturgy
Advocacy
Worldwide
Events
More information on the Peace
Not Walls worship Web page and the
advocacy
Web page of the Peace Not Walls Web site.
Religion and Ethics News Weekly
reports on interreligious activity in the Holy Land
There’s a little-known multi-faith initiative
based in the Holy Land also working for Middle East peace, with
support from the U.S. government and visiting delegations of
American Christians, Muslims and Jews. They are working to have
each of their communities better respect the other’s
religious sites and toward eliminating enemy images in textbooks
in Palestine and Israel.
Click
here for more.
Flyers from the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL)
The following will be available soon at Peace
Not Walls Web site:
Ministry in the Shadow of the Wall: A photo summary of how
the ELCJHL ministers in its context.
Ministries of the ELCJHL: A photo poster of the
ministries of the ELCJHL.
Bulletin inserts: Front – Picture and quote of an
ELCJHL graduate; Back – Websites, DVDs, links and other
resources about the ELCJHL and the situation in Palestine and
Israel
All recent MENET messages are now
posted on-line
To read previous issues of
Middle East Network News (MENET), click
here.
