2009 Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly
God's work, our hands...unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
2009 Synod Assembly > News > Bishop Usgaard's Report to the Assembly

Bishop Usgaard's Report to the Assembly

In 2005, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted in assembly a campaign, "Peace Not Walls...Stand for Justice in the Holy Land. " It expresses solidarity with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land...and concern for all the people there, Israelis and Palestinians.

The ELCA Conference of Bishops has long had an invitation to come to that region. We had finally decided that the most meaningful response would be for our entire conference to go in one group...and so that trip was planned for this past January. When I approached the synod council about it, they graciously offered encouragement and support for both Lynette and I to go.

As you will remember, at that time the conflict in Gaza grew to a point where the Israelis invaded the Palestinian area of Gaza. I appreciated the concern expressed for our safety. But in continuing with the trip, we also found that both Israelis and Palestinians were so thankful that we had decided to come in spite of the warfare. "Now you really know what life is like over here," they said.

Since returning, I have had a number of invitations from congregations to share our experiences. I know the danger of home movies...but I do want to share with you some reflections that will give you a sense of what we experienced.

[Assembly viewed "Insights and Images," a DVD with reflections from the January 2009 trip to the Holy Land by many of the ELCA bishops.]

We who are Christians dare to believe that God can break down walls that divide ...every kind of wall. In the midst of all that causes despair, we saw signs of hope...signs of the One who teaches about reconciliation. Some of those signs:

Rami and Mazen: These are two men that you heard two of the bishops refer to...theirs is a story that moved us as no other. Rami is an Israeli, a veteran of the '67 war, living in Jerusalem. His teenage daughter went into the center of the city to shop with some friends. Later that afternoon, Rami received a phone call encouraging him to come downtown to identify her remains...there had been a suicide bombing. He shared his unimaginable grief...the entire scope of emotions...from revenge to acute depression. ..the months of utter hopelessness. And then a friend, who had also lost a child in a similar attack, invited him to attend a meeting. It was a group of families who had all lost someone to the ongoing conflict...but it was a group that included both Israelies and Palestinians.

Mazen is a Palestinian. He has only known life in a United Nations refugee camp on the West Bank where his family went after being driven out of their village. He had been born there and his mother had died during childbirth. His elderly father raised Mazen and his brothers...leaving early each day, standing in line at the checkpoint, waiting and hoping that the Israeli soldiers would let him through to get to his work site. But one day they refused...but the father knew he had to provide...and he pushed his way through the checkpoint...and was shot and killed by the Israelies. Mazen shared too the range of emotions...where do you think suicide bombers come from he asked us? But for him too, after months of emptiness, a friend invited him to a meeting...the same group of families where Rami had been invited.

They call each other brothers now...Rami and Mazen. And they go together to schools, Israeli and Palestinian, to speak of the cost of warfare. They travel the countryside, as do other members of this family circle, breaking down walls...and people listen...people are actually listening.

Another sign...the Augusta Victoria Hospital. It is your hospital...owned and operated by the Lutheran World Federation. You can tell the Lutherans are there...your quilts cover their beds. It stands on a high hill next to the Mt. of Olives...a sign of health and healing and hope for the Palestinians who are patients there. It is one of two cancer centers available to Palestinians, and the only site offering dialysis for Palestinian children. The CEO of the hospital is Christian; the chief of staff is Moslem; many of the physicians are Jewish. And they work together in your name. But there is more...on the nearby hillside owned by the hospital, 80 homes are being built for Christian families. Christians are disappearing from Jerusalem and the Holy Land...the occupation is just too difficult for them. But here, even with the support of the Jewish mayor of Jerusalem, Christians will find a home. It was interesting hearing Moslem and Jew alike say that Christians are needed. Christians often play peace-keeping roles... Christians can be a means of reconciliation. Yet how often we heard that tourists were surprised to find Christians in the Holy Land. And the questions was usually, "so when did your family become Christian." The answer: "In the beginning...in the time of Christ."

Another sign of hope...the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. It is a small church...only about 3,000 members...6 congregations...but in addition, 8 strong schools. The first Lutheran school in Palestine was founded in 1856...today these schools offer hope to over 2,000 young Palestinians. 40% of the students are Muslim. And every day there is Christian Bible study and worship...but Muslim families continue to send their children...because of what they are being taught. Lutherans are educating the next generation of Palestinian citizens and leaders in a spirit of tolerance with prayers for finding a peaceful and just resolution to the present conflict. Here they are truly teaching the things that make for peace.

It was a humbling experience to sit with small groups of high school students in these different schools. "Please tell your people we are not terrorists," they would say. They are young people mature beyond their age. They are intelligent and bright...and in the midst of it all, they smile. They have seen and experienced everything in the midst of this conflict. And yet they carry hopes and dreams as would any teenager in our own community. You and the Lutheran church give them hope...and they are grateful.

The Psalmist says, "with my Lord I can jump over walls." (Psalm 18) That's God's work. And our hands are involved.