Peace Not Walls
A special ELCA campaign calling for efforts toward a viable, contiguous Palestinian state; a secure Israeli state at peace with its Arab neighbors; and a shared Jerusalem with equal access and rights for Jews, Christians, and Muslims
The ELCJHL Libraries Project seeks to build up the English-language sections of the ELCJHL school libraries. Meet students and teachers talk about their hopes and dreams as they educate themselves for a better future. Read more about the project.
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The Peace Not Walls campaign seeks to connect ELCA members to their Lutheran sisters and brothers in Jordan and the Holy Land. Focused on the three "A"s of Accompaniment, Awareness-building, and Advocacy, the campaign seeks to implement the
ELCA’s Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine .
Contemporary realities in Israel and Palestine are often very difficult to understand. This land we call holy is today filled with different historical narratives, inter-communal tensions, systematic injustices, and political possibilities. But a good relationship with people on the ground in the region puts these complexities in their proper context. That is what accompaniment is all about: listening to our companions there so we can know what we can do together.
Our church’s primary companion within the geographic area of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). This Arabic-speaking community of faithful Lutherans in the Holy Land is the primary relationship through which the ELCA sees the situation in Israel and Palestine. Together, our churches are members of the
Lutheran World Federation, a global communion which, in cooperation with the ELCJHL, has a strong presence in the
Jerusalem area. The relationship between the ELCA and the ELCJHL—and, more importantly, the relationship between the members of these churches—does not exclude concern for other human communities in Israel and Palestine. We are not called to seek the good for Christians alone, but to participate in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 2:5) as part of God’s mission of restoring community among all people. Our companions in the ELCJHL wouldn’t have it any other way: their educational, cultural, and health ministries are open to all who will participate; their commitment to seeking peace and reconciliation fosters hope for a future shared by all in the region.
It is the intention of the Peace Not Walls campaign that the relationships lived out in
accompanimentwill lead to greater awareness among ELCA members so they are motivated to engage in informed and meaningful
advocacy. We are mindful that, as fellow members of the body of Christ, we are called to “have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Corinthians 12:25–6). But our Christian response to the situation, informed by our special relationship with the ELCJHL, leads us to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’” (Psalm 122).
Contact the Peace Not Walls Team at peacenotwallsinfo@elca.org
or call 773 380 2720.
Our Companions
The ELCJHL, the world's only Arabic-speaking Lutheran Church, ministers through 6 churches, 5 schools and 3 additional educational programs.
Christmas in the ELCJHL schools. Click on picture for slideshow.
The ELCA and the ELCJHL are members of the Lutheran World Federation, which operates Augusta Victoria Hospital and its village clinics and two vocational training centers. We, plus other international partners, are partnering in the
Mt. of Olives Housing Project:
Mt. of Olives Housing Project
Learn more about supporting affordable housing for the Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
CMEP NEWS BULLETINS:
January 27, 2012
January 20, 2012
January 13, 2012
January 6, 2012
December 16
December 9
November 18, 2011
November 11, 2011
November 4, 2011
October 28, 2011
October 22, 2011
October 21, 2011
October 14, 2011
October 7, 2011
September 30, 2011