Let Us Be Changed: What Arab American Heritage Offers the Church

In honor of Arab American Heritage Month, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries is uplifting voices from Arab and Middle Eastern descent within the church. In My Take: We Are Not Newcomers, Khader Khalilia shares a powerful reflection on the deep faith, hospitality, and history of Arab Christians—and calls us to move beyond celebration to true belonging. Let us not just observe a month; let us be transformed by the witness of Arab American Lutherans. Click here to read the full post at ELCA.org.

Presiding Bishop Eaton Issues Pastoral Message on Syria

In the ELCA, we recognize that some of our members are of Syrian nationality or heritage. Through ecumenical bodies such as the Middle East Council of Churches, we have long been in relationship with the Syrian Christian communities, which date back to the earliest days of the church and whose members live and worship today as a religious minority that is not always welcomed or accepted. These Christians hope that a new Syria will include a place of safety, security and freedom of worship for them and their neighbors. Syria’s diversity is integral to the fabric of Syrian society and should be protected.

This is: Ministries of Diverse Cultures and Communities

Living Lutheran shares a brief article about each of the following Ministries of Diverse Cultures and Communities, their mission strategies, and related associations:

Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations
African descent (African American, Afro Caribbean, African National)
Arab and Middle Eastern
Asian and Pacific Islander
European descent
Latino
Cross Cultural Conversations

Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine 2022

Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine is a four-week virtual pilgrimage from the ELCA’s Peace Not Walls, Young Adult Ministry, Arab and Middle Eastern ministry, and ALAMEH featuring young adult voices from the ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

ALAMEH Statement on Iran

ALAMEH (Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage) released a issued a statement on current events in Iran. Read it here or in full in this post.

“Zan. Zendegi. Azadi. Woman. Life. Freedom. These are the words Iranian citizens have been shouting from the streets throughout Iran for the last several weeks. Iranians took to the streets to protest the murder of a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini.”

ELCA, Letters, NewsBrian FlatgardNovember 18, 2022Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage (ALAMEH)Comment