ELCJHL Welcomes ELCA and ELCIC Solidarity Visit
Last week, Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar and the ELCJHL welcomed a solidarity visit from our siblings in Christ of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, including ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson. The two presiding bishops were joined in the visit by Bishop Carla Blakley, Bishop of the ELCIC Eastern Synod; Rev. Paul Gehrs, Assistant to the Bishop, Justice and Leadership for the ELCIC; Rev. Khader El-Yateem, ELCA Executive Director for Service and Justice; Rev. Gabi Aelabouni, ELCA MENA Desk...
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ELCJHL Congregations Celebrate Palm Sunday
This year the Western and Eastern church calendars are aligned for the celebrations of Holy Week and Easter. Today all six ELCJHL congregations and our Christian siblings throughout the Holy Land marked Palm Sunday. Though our people are enduring a time of great suffering, we still commemorate the triumphant entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into the Holy City of Jerusalem, and we prepare for his journey to the cross this week. We still proclaim: “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” And we continue to pray for peace and justice to come to our land, in Jesus...
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Statement on the Palm Sunday Bombing of Al Ahli Anglican Hospital
Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land join Archbishop Hosam Naoum and our Anglican siblings of the Diocese of Jerusalem in condemning the Israeli strike on the Anglican Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza this morning - the morning of Palm Sunday.We are very concerned by the continuing destruction and bloodshed in Gaza as well as the disastrous blocking of humanitarian aid, especially as we begin Holy Week. We join the calls and prayers for an immediate end to this war which has caused the suffering of millions of our brothers and sisters. ...
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Dar al Kalima Lutheran School Hosts Open Day
Under the patronage of Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar, Dar Al-Kalima Lutheran School held their Open Day and Educational Exhibition to honor creativity, academic excellence, national identity, and cultural heritage in the school. The event was led by Dar al Kalima principal Rev. Anton Nassar, Rev. Ashraf Tannous, Mr. Adel Khader, and ELCJHL Education Director Ms. Eva Azar. The day began with an opening ceremony featuring speeches by Rev. Anton Nassar and Ms. Eva Azar, national songs, dabke folk dancing, gymnastics performances, and poetry readings. In the opening prayer, Pastor ...
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ELCJHL Students Participate in International MUN
A delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Schools has just returned from their trip to Istanbul, where they attended the Model United Nations conference at one of the most prestigious American international schools in Turkey. The conference was held under the theme: "Enhancing Cooperation: Mending the Cracks in the Rules-Based International Order." Our delegates represented Germany in the following committees: the Disarmament Committee, Political Committee, Legal Committee, Human Rights Council, Economic and Financial Committee, and the Economic and Social Council. We are inc...
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ELCJHL Youth Join Bonhoeffer Commemoration in Germany
Rev. Sally Azar, Rev. Rodny Said, and five ELCJHL youth are in Bavaria this week with an international youth group commemorating the life and death of Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. As we honor Bonhoeffer’s legacy we remember that our faith calls us to not stay silent in the face of injustice, but rather to have the courage and strength to speak out wherever it is found....
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Gender Justice Women's Day Celebration
Under the patronage of Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar, the Gender Justice Ministry of the ELCJHL held a special event today for the women of the church in recognition of International Women's Day and Mother's Day. A concert by the Edward Said Conservatory Choir was held at the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, followed by games, activities, lunch, and gifts at Dar Annadwa. Women from all five Palestine congregations were in attendance. Special activities for children were offered as well. As Women's Month comes to an end, we recognize and celebrate the role of women in our...
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Reformation Day Research Awards
In March Reformation Day Research winners were awarded in the four Lutheran schools. Research projects focused on the importance of Reformation in Palestinian society today were completed by 8th grade students from each school as part of the annual Reformation Day Celebration in October....
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South African Delegation Visits Jerusalem Heads of Churches
Yesterday Bishop Dr. Ibrahim Azar met with the Jerusalem Heads of Churches at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem. The Heads of Churches welcomed a visiting delegation from two South African churches to discuss the situation of Christians in the Holy Land. They also discussed preparations for the upcoming Holy Week and Easter....
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Bishop Azar Visits Berlin
Last week Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar traveled to Germany for the retirement celebration of Berliner Missionswerk Director Rev. Dr. Christof Theilmann, who has been a partner of the ELCJHL for many years. While in Germany, Bishop Azar also traveled to Hamburg to meet with some of our other international partners....
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Spring Competition at the EEC
Today 75 students from nine local schools came together at the Environmental Education Center - Elcjhl for the Annual Spring Competition. These students split into groups to either draw, take photographs, or write about this year’s theme: Land of Beauty and Biodiversity. Winners from each of these categories will be chosen and announced at the end of the school year!...
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EEC Delegation Visits the USA
This week representatives of the Environmental Education Center - Elcjhl are on an advocacy trip to the USA focused on caring for creation, eco-justice, and climate justice. The trip is led by Executive Director Simon Awad, along with two ELCJHL young adults, Nardine Nassar and Sameer Musallam, and is supported and facilitated by ELCA Sumud. The delegation visited churches from the ELCA in New England, Washington DC, the Rocky Mountain Synod, and the Pacific Synod....
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Women's Month and Mother's Day Celebrations
This week, two of our congregations held special services for the third Sunday of Lent led by women. In Beit Jala and Amman, women of each congregation led the readings, prayers, liturgy, and gave the sermon. Last week, the service in Ramallah was led by women. Throughout Lent, our congregations have also been uplifting the role of women in the church in recognition of March as Women’s Month and this past Friday as Mother’s Day. We give thanks for their leadership and ministry in the ELCJHL and in the world. ...
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ELCJHL Student Leaders Visit Elderly Community
Students from the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour Leadership Group visited elderly community members at the Antonian Charitable Society Club Center in Bethlehem. The students joined them for games, served dinner, led songs and dances, and shared gifts. The activity was supported by our partners at FELM. ...
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Evangelical Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour holds combined Lenten Worship and Meal with the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour
Tonight the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour and the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour came together for evening Lenten prayer and a fasting meal. We are thankful for this opportunity to reaffirm the connection between our congregations and our educational community and to celebrate the close relationship between the church and school in Beit Sahour who share a campus....
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Agreement Signed with UNDP's Sawasya Programme Palestine
Yesterday Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar signed the partnership agreement officially beginning the project between the ELCJHL and Sawawsya designed to enhance the work of the ELCJHL’s Ecclesiastical Court through specialized training for judges and legal staff, and supporting the development of legal research and advocacy materials. We give thanks for the work and vision of our Gender Justice Office, the Ecclesiastical Court, and the UNDP team....
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Student Peace Mediators Graduate at School of Hope
This week a new class of students graduated from the Peace Mediation Program at the Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah. Every year, each of the Lutheran schools prepares a group of elementary students to be Peace Mediators through a year-long program that teaches productive conflict resolution skills and strategies. These students will be mediators among their peers at recess and during the school day. Congratulations to our new Peace Mediators!...
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Gender Justice Representatives Attend 69th Commission on the Status of Women
ELCJHL Pastor Rev. Sally Azar and Gender Justice Director Mrs. Ranan Issa are at the United Nations Headquarters in New York this week representing the ELCJHL at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women. Today, Mrs. Ranan spoke at the session “The Rise of ‘Family Values’ & Strategies for Rights-Based Family Law Reform,” about the ELCJHL’s advocacy initiatives toward improving Gender Justice in Family and Personal Status Laws in Palestine. Tomorrow she is co-moderating an event entitled “Transforming Taboos: How to Change a Social Norm,” ...
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Bishop Azar Visits Latin Patriarch Bishop of Jordan
Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar of the ELCJHL and Pastor Imad Haddad of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Amman met with Bishop Dr. Iyad Twal to offer congratulations on his installation as Auxiliary Bishop for Jordan for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem....
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Environmental Center Leads Amal Waste-Free Schools Initiative
This weekend, the ELCJHL Environmental Education Center, in coordination with the Beit Sahour Municipality, launched the “Amal” waste-free, sustainable and environmentally friendly schools project in four schools in Beit Sahour, including the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour. The program, based on the “Waste-Free Schools” initiative launched by Bishop Dr. Sani Ibrahim Azar in the fall of 2019, aims to help schools eliminate plastic use, promote healthy cafeterias, and produce organic fertilizers through compost. The agreement was ...
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