Standing with the Holy Land: An Urgent Invitation to Support Lutheran Ministry
At the 2026 Grand Canyon Synod Assembly, congregations and individuals across our synod contributed $3,702.84 to support the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).
We give thanks for this generous response. Yet in recent days, church leaders in the Holy Land have shared an urgent appeal for additional support as the ELCJHL faces a significant financial crisis that threatens its ability to sustain core ministries, schools, and staff.
This year’s assembly offering reflected our theme, “Rooted in God’s Story,” by supporting Lutheran Christians who continue to live, worship, teach, and serve in the very places where the Christian story first took root.
The ELCJHL is a small but vibrant church of approximately 2,500 members across six congregations in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, and Amman. The church also operates four Lutheran schools serving more than 3,000 students from many faith traditions, offering a witness of education, peacebuilding, and community care.
In January, the church celebrated the consecration of Bishop Imad Haddad as its fifth bishop. In his ministry and leadership, Bishop Haddad has emphasized the church’s calling to proclaim “salvation, peace, and reconciliation for the world.”
That ministry now faces extraordinary challenges. In a June 3 letter to global church partners, Bishop Haddad reported that the ELCJHL has experienced substantial financial losses due to declining currency exchange rates, ongoing war, economic instability, and reduced income from church-supported institutions. Together, these factors have created a major deficit that threatens essential ministries and could impact the church’s ability to meet payroll obligations for teachers, pastors, administrators, and other staff in the coming months.
Despite these hardships, the ELCJHL continues to embody what many Palestinian Christians call sumud—steadfast endurance. It is a commitment to remain rooted in faith, hope, and community even amid uncertainty and suffering.
As Lutherans, we believe generosity flows from grace. We give not out of obligation, but in grateful response to God’s abundant love. Through our assembly offering, we joined with companions around the world in supporting education, congregational ministry, pastoral care, accompaniment, and reconciliation in the Holy Land.
If you intended to give during Synod Assembly but did not have the opportunity, or if you would like to respond to this renewed appeal, there is still time to participate. Gifts may be made through the 2026 Synod Assembly Giving Page.
The ELCJHL’s appeal reminds us that we are members of one Body in Christ. When one part of the Body suffers, all suffer together; when one part is strengthened, the whole Body is strengthened.
Thank you for your prayers, generosity, and solidarity with our Lutheran siblings in the Holy Land. Together, we continue to stand alongside them in hope, faith, and Christ’s promise of peace.
Give today through the 2026 Synod Assembly Giving Page.
