Five members of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be leaving on a mission of solidarity to Lutherans in Jerusalem and the West Bank in what the group is calling a pastoral visit. The delegation of three clergy and two lay members will leave April 2nd and return on April 11th and has as their main purpose to offer a visible sign of encouragement to the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan, based in Jerusalem.

The two thousand members of the ELCJ's six congregations are Palestinian Christians and are part of a shrinking Christian presence in the Holy Land. With the escalation of violence in Israel, the men, women and children of the ELCJ have also suffered considerably due to increased violence, massive unemployment, closures, and checkpoints. Bishop Munib Younan of the ELCJ has been an outspoken proponent of peace and religious dialogue.

Despite the many challenges before them, the ELCJ operates four schools in the West Bank. Part of their identified mission is to give their students the tools necessary for living peaceably in coexistence with other Christians, Jews and Muslims. However, teachers have also had to deal with a sharp rise of children affected by increased mood and personality disorders, speech impediments and other trauma-related disorders.

The New England delegation will be led by the Rev. Hans R. Arnesen, Associate to Bishop Margaret Payne, and will include the Rev. John Heinemeier of Roxbury, MA, the Rev. Jeffrey Johnson of Wayland, MA, Pam Engberg of Brimfield, MA, and Maureen Andrew of Auburn, ME. The New England Synod's main offices are located in Worcester.

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