In the photo: Sally Azar, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
Voices of the Communion: Palestinian Lutheran World Federation Council member Sally Azar
(Lutheran World Information Center) – Please tell us about yourself and your church.
I was born in Jerusalem and I am 22 years old, and I have recently completed my bachelor’s degree in theology at the Near East School of Theology. I will continue my studies in a master’s program in Germany. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) is made up of seven congregations – one in Amman, Jordan; one in Bethany, across the Jordan River; four in the West Bank and one in Jerusalem.
In what way does context shape the mission of the ELCJHL?
To a large extent, the occupation is our main problem in connection with the current situation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Anyone who lives in the West Bank needs documents in order to come to Jerusalem. When we want to hold joint conferences, congregation members may have difficulty obtaining permits to enter or leave. Sometimes the border is closed and it is not possible to enter so freely. People usually say that it is easier for holders of a Jerusalem identification card, because they can come and go. But life in Jerusalem itself can be very difficult today. Our life is complicated – Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, Israelis and Jews, all living together and trying to find ways to adapt.
How do you see your church’s role in this situation?
We try to maintain dialogue with people and we talk with many churches, including the Middle East Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, discussing the possibilities of peaceful dialogue. We also try to maintain interreligious dialogue with Jews and Muslims and to help our congregations learn to do so. Our schools likewise have programs intended to bring Israelis and Palestinians together. For now I do not see results from it, but we are waiting for it to bear fruit.
“We try to maintain dialogue with people and we talk with many churches [..] We also try to maintain interreligious dialogue with Jews and Muslims and to help our congregations learn to do so,” Sally Azar, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Tell us more about your schools and the role they play in strengthening young Palestinians who face these everyday challenges.
We have four schools that provide education from kindergarten through 12th grade. They want to offer quality education to Christian and Muslim students regardless of their background. The church helps the poorest families who cannot afford tuition by drawing on support from other organizations. In our schools, German is taught alongside English and Arabic, and we encourage our pupils to develop as broad a perspective as possible by giving them the opportunity to take part in regular exchange programs with students from other countries. We also organize three summer camps for children from various churches, offering sports activities, religious education and organizing excursions to Jericho and other places where they can learn stories from the Bible.
As a young woman, how do you assess the empowerment of young people, gender equality and the participation of women in your church?
The church adopted the LWF Gender Justice Policy more than two years ago, and we are seeing changes in the area of gender equality with the introduction of representation quotas – 40 percent for women and 20 percent for young people. In the case of young people, we do all the necessary basic things to encourage them to come to church, and we also organize camps and other similar activities. They do not attend churches, but this is a worldwide problem. My friends are more active in this regard, and that helps. I think that little by little we will achieve something in youth work.
We likewise need to work hard on women’s participation, and the women’s office is doing great work. We struggle for the empowerment of women in our society because of the attitudes that exist in our culture. Women’s participation in leadership still has to be fought for. Some say: “Because I am a woman, I cannot do this or that.” In our church not many women study theology, but we are trying to involve more.
During the LWF Council meeting you approved a new LWF strategy. Which parts of the strategy will be especially relevant or interesting for your church?
The commitment to empower young people and women. I consider it especially important. Because in our church there are very great problems in the work for just relationships between men and women, and also in ensuring the meaningful and full participation of young people.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land has 3,000 members. It joined the LWF in 1974.
Jerusalem / Geneva
| 11./01./2019.
Source: The Lutheran World Federation