Palestinian Lutheran Church or ELCJHL

A Holy Land Blessing 

May the babe of Bethlehem 
bring you peace; 
May the child of Nazareth 
bring you joy; 
May the man of Galilee 
bring you strength; 
May the Christ of Calvary 
bring you courage; 
May the risen Jesus 
bring you hope 
And the ascended Christ a
foretaste of his glory. 

-Father George Potter of Peckham 
Anglican Franciscan friar (1887-1960)
 *** 
From Pastor Jordan: 
Thank you for your willingness to learn about our siblings in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (the ELCJHL or the Palestinian Lutheran church) during Lent, and to hold them in your prayers. The people of Palestine, especially those in the ELCJHL, hold a special place in my heart, and it means so much to me to help you learn to care about them and advocate for them. 
I am pleased to tell you that St. Mary’s website will have a new section where you can continue to learn more about the Palestinian Lutheran Church, stay up-to-date on their activities, and support their ministries. The page on the website will include the links below, as well as additional resources to learn from and ways to advocate for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel. 
The people of the ELCJHL are a vibrant, faithful, resilient community of indigenous Christians in the Holy Land. They live out their faith every day under the many challenges of the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. In the words of one young Palestinian Christian, the people of the ELCJHL believe that Jesus walked the land of Palestine, and Jesus is still with us (the Christians of Palestine) now. 
The ELCJHL has about 2,000 members who worship among 6 congregations throughout the West Bank and in Amman, Jordan. Additionally, the ELCJHL operates an Environmental Education Center, a gender justice desk, a youth ministry program, 4 kindergarten-12th grade schools in the West Bank, and a diaconal ministry program. 
Students at the ELCJHL’s 4 schools participate in activities like model United Nations, where teams travel in Palestine and beyond to compete in tournaments. 
The ELCJHL’s vibrant youth ministry gives young Palestinian Christians a chance to connect with each other and their faith, as well as experience travel to other countries, including the United States. 
As American Lutheran Christians, we can support the Palestinian Lutheran Church through learning and sharing their stories, holding them in our prayers, and donating financially. It means a lot to the people of the ELCJHL to know that people across the world are advocating for justice and peace, and accompanying them from around the world.