Whereas, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is committed to continuing its awareness-building, accompaniment, and advocacy on behalf of a peaceful and just resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine and on behalf of ending the occupation; and
Whereas, The ELCA in its three expressions continues to pray for and accompany the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (“ELCJHL”); and
Whereas, The ELCA’s 2013 Glocal Mission Gathering document “Accompaniment” states. “…we are called to love and be loved by those who are not like us, whom we might have to work quite hard to understand, or who may not understand us at all. God’s reconciliation is across borders and boundaries.”; and
Whereas, The ELCA’s 2013 Glocal Mission Gathering document “Accompaniment” further states, “God calls us to include everyone in the mission of reconciliation…In accompanying one another, we look to see who is excluded, and why, and commit to change community structures and habits that can exclude people without any deliberate intention.” As a result accompaniment of our companion churches should not mean otherwise excluding people outside of the church; therefore, be it,
Resolved, That the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod Assembly memorialize the 2019 Churchwide Assembly to encourage this church’s members, congregations, synods, churchwide office including the Office of the Presiding Bishop to expand our relationships and dialogue beyond
accompaniment with companion churches to engagement with those non-church groups and individuals in the Holy Land, whose perspective we may not yet understand, including mainstream Jewish Israelis “to undo the boundary of strangeness or suspicion between us” while at the same time continuing to affirm our unique relationship with and accompaniment of Palestinian Christians and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).
Submitted,
The Rev. Michael Wright
Aurora-Redhouse Parish
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