Nebraska Synod Holy Land Accompaniment

Nebraska Synod Holy Land Accompaniment The Nebraska Synod's journey of accompaniment with our Christian siblings in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land B. C.

Global mission through the Nebraska Synod continues to grow! We're excited to announce the Nebraska Synod Holy Land Accompaniment (NSHLA)! This new initiative grew out of the 2010 and 2011 Nebraska Synod trips to modern Palestine, Israel and Jordan. Many of the 40+ people who returned from the trips wanted to continue to walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Evangelical Lutheran Chur

ch in Jordan and the Holy Land - thus the name "accompaniment" to reflect our partnership with them in prayer, service, care and awareness. We'd like to help others across the Nebraska Synod get to know our Christian friends in the Holy Land (modern Palestine, Israel, Jordan: the lands of Jesus and the Bible)! There are six Lutheran churches, many schools, human service ministries, and the internationally recognized Augusta Victoria Hospital affiliated with the Lutheran World Federation. But most importantly, there are Lutheran Palestinian Christian individuals and families who love Jesus, share his grace and long for peace. Many know some of the biblical stories that took place in ancient times in the area, but many of us aren't familiar with the history since then and what life and faith are like now. Getting to know our friends helps all of us grow in faith, knowledge and understanding in order to better serve God and our neighbors in the Middle East. Our goals established on March 2, 2013:
A. To create an aware, influential group in the Nebraska Synod to be "salt and light" in regard to Middle East issues, particularly in regard to Palestinian and Israeli issues of justice and peace. To also hold the situations in neighboring Middle East countries in our prayers and search for understanding and action. To give Nebraska Synod churches, groups and individuals the opportunities to learn, share and be accompaniers to Palestinian Christians whether they have actually traveled to the area or not. What is possible in the future:
+The schools and churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land have wonderful programs focused on the arts from dance groups to the visual arts. Perhaps we can partner to bring artists to visit or design a trip to focus on the arts or promote teachers learning from each other in many areas of education.
+Augusta Victoria Hospital is known internationally for its programs. Perhaps we can learn from each other and share medical knowledge. The initials for our new name, NSHLA, sound much like an Arabic word, "inshallah", which means "God willing." We pray for our partnership and hope that it grows in ways that promote understanding and peace - God willing!

Pray for our partners, those unjustly imprisoned and their families, those with power to change this unjust action, and ...
04/01/2026

Pray for our partners, those unjustly imprisoned and their families, those with power to change this unjust action, and those whose spirits and hearts cry out in pain - or glee. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AzNqqvJLX/

A Letter to Partners from Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad on the Recent Israeli Death Penalty Law for Palestinians

Dear partners,

On Monday, March 30, Israel’s Knesset passed a law imposing the death penalty for Palestinian detainees. This discriminatory law is worded to apply exclusively to Palestinians sentenced at an Israeli military court’s discretion. The military courts responsible for enforcing this law, where only Palestinians are tried, are notorious for disregarding due process; they have an approximately 96 percent conviction rate that relies on confessions obtained under duress and torture, as condemned by many human rights organizations. The United Nations high commissioner for human rights says the application of this law would constitute a war crime.

As we are preparing to celebrate Easter, the miracle of the empty tomb, our people are preparing tombs for those who will be impacted by this inhumane ruling. As Christians, we reject the ideology of an eye for an eye. As Palestinians familiar with the dehumanizing conditions of Israeli prisons and the unjust machinations of military courts, we fear for the many innocents who will inevitably be executed under this directive. In our belief in the sacredness and dignity of every human life, we stand firmly against killing by anyone, including by the state.

While those who designed and passed this law celebrate death by drinking champagne in the halls of power, we preach a gospel of life from the foot of the cross.

Now is the time to urgently ask you, our partners, to take a courageous stand: to write, to publicly advocate, and to condemn. Do not let death have the last word. Stand firm in our commitment to abundant life that encompasses all.

Your brother in Christ,

Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad
Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14bsE7YLRJr/
03/18/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14bsE7YLRJr/

“One of the pastors of the ELCJHL asked us: how can people look at what is happening in Gaza and deny it is a genocide, when genocide scholars and human rights organizations in Israel and around the world have stated that it is? How can Christians look at what is happening to people in the West Bank and say that it is justified? How can so many ask: who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born Palestinian?…”

Bishop Meghan Johnston Aelabouni reflects on John 9:1-4 and questions of justice and Jesus in this week’s ELCA Sumud Lenten devotion. Find our Lenten series at elca.org/sumud under “resources”, or find the link in our bio.

Coming soon! March 2!
02/21/2026

Coming soon! March 2!

Going Home by Another Road: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Join us online as Bishop Scott Johnson shares stories, images, and reflections from his January 2026 ELCA delegation to Palestine.

You’ll see photos and video from the journey, hear about the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and have time for questions and conversation.

📅 March 2, 2026
⏰ 7:30–9:00 p.m. Central
💻 Online
💲 No cost

All are welcome.

Learn more and register here - https://nebraskasynod.org/event/going-home-by-another-road-pilgrimage-to-the-holy-land/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HfrR8KyPU/
02/14/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HfrR8KyPU/

Join ELCA Sumud February 26th at 11am CST for an important webinar exploring the realities of detention and imprisonment from Bethlehem to Minneapolis. Bishop Jen Nagel of the Minneapolis Area Synod will share recent experiences from her community involving ICE detentions and their impact on the local community. Rami Khader, director of the Anar Center in Bethlehem, will offer insight into the ongoing detention and imprisonment of children in Palestine. Together, they will help us understand these interconnected struggles and invite us into deeper solidarity. Register using the link in bio, or go to elca.org/sumud and click “Events and Webinars”.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7-qFOblgTsubCc-8gS30_A #/registration

Bishop Scott Johnson traveled with the ELCA Bishops Accompaniment trip in January. His devotion is included in the ELCA ...
02/11/2026

Bishop Scott Johnson traveled with the ELCA Bishops Accompaniment trip in January. His devotion is included in the ELCA Sumud 2026 Lenten Devotional Series. Access them via ELCA.org/sumud and click on Advent and Lent devotions.

This Lent, join ELCA Sumud and six of our ELCA bishops who have just returned from the ELCA Bishops Accompaniment trip to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). This series will include six PDF Devotionals which will be sent out by February 5th via email, as well as posted to the ELCA Sumud webpage. You are invited to read through and reflect upon these devotionals with a small group, bible study group, youth group, or any other setting you see fit. Each devotion will include a bible passage from the 2026 lectionary for this year’s Lenten season, as well as a brief prayer.

In this ELCA Sumud 2026 Lenten series, “Body of Christ", we are invited to reflect on Paul’s proclamation that “we who are many are one body in Christ” (1 Corinthians 12). In the body of Christ, no member can be dismissed or deemed expendable. This series lifts up especially Palestinian Christians as an inseparable and equal part of the Body of Christ, whose witness and oppression demand our attention and solidarity. Through prayer, scripture, and devotionals, we will explore how each member of Christ’s body has distinct gifts and responsibilities, yet is bound together in mutual care, accountability, and love. ELCA Sumud was honored to accompany the 2026 Bishops Solidarity delegation, and throughout this series you will hear reflections from ELCA Bishops on their experience in accompaniment, conversation, and relationship with our partners and siblings in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. In a time of profound injustice and violence in Palestine, this series calls the church to repentance from indifference, to listening across borders, and to faithful action, trusting that when one part of the body suffers, all suffer together. God calls upon the whole body of Christ to work together for justice, dignity, and peace.

01/26/2026
The Consecration Service of Rev. Dr. Imad Musa Haddad as the new Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and...
01/11/2026

The Consecration Service of Rev. Dr. Imad Musa Haddad as the new Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Our prayers are with you!

the Consecration Service of Rev. Dr. Imad Musa Haddad as the 5th Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. The stream will begin...

01/11/2026

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