altMr. Shaun Casey, head of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives, visited Bishop Munib Younan and the Lay Preachers Academy on Friday, February 14th, to discuss the peace process and the role of the Lutheran church in peace.

Mr. Casey met Bishop Munib Younan in Jerusalem and asked Bishop Younan to speak on how the church sees its role as peacemakers in the Middle East.

Mr. Casey then traveled to AbrahamsHerberge in Beit Jala to speak with the members of the Lay Preachers Academy and ask for their candid opinions on the peace process and to ask how Palestinian Christians view themselves and their community.  Mr. Casey spent 90 minutes listening to the Lutheran Christian voices of Palestine on their concerns about the current peace talks and their hopes for the future.

We would like to thank Mr. Casey for taking the time to meet and listen to the criticisms and the hopes of the Palestinian Lutheran Church and the Palestinian community as a whole.

By: ELCJHL