Travelling to the Holy Land?
If your Church is organising a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we courage to ensure that your itinerary includes visits and tours which highlight the stories and experiences of local Christian populations.
NCCA is a supporter of World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine & Israel (EAPPI) in the West Bank.
The program was created by the WCC in response to a letter of appeal from local Palestinian church leaders in 2002. The program supports a just peace in the Holy Land through deploying international volunteers to provide a protective presence.
The EAPPI program was created by the World Council of Churches in response to a letter of appeal from local Palestinian church leaders in 2002. The program supports a just peace in the Holy Land through deploying international volunteers to provide a protective presence – please read about the theology of accompaniment here. Your group or pilgrimage can request a tour in one of EAPPI’s seven placement locations in West Bank including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, and the city of Hebron where the tomb of Abraham and his sons is located. There may be Australian Ecumenical Accompaniers available to provide the tour, if requested; as the aid agency of the National Council of Churches, Act for Peace, recruits and deploys Australians to be part of the program.
Further, World Council of Churches also supports the Jerusalem Inter-Church Centre (JIC) based in Jerusalem. JIC is an organisation that provides tours and delegations to church groups, including to West Bank and also to Palestinian Christian communities inside Israel including Nazareth.
The contact details for these groups are below:
- EAPPI’s administration This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone +972 (0) 2- 626-2458 More information about the program is available here https://www.oikoumene.org/en/what-we-do/eappi
- Yusef Daher, Executive Director of JIC: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. More information about JIC is available here https://pief.oikoumene.org/en/jic/about
What are the Churches saying about US Policy?
President Trump's 'Peace and Prosperity' document comes under some intense scrutiny from Churches and Christian organisations.
Here is a short list of articles with their introductions and links for further reading
Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem
After a thorough consideration of the United States of America’s Middle East peace plan, also known as, the “Deal of the Century”, and after reviewing the reactions of all concerned parties on the matter, we, Patriarchs and Heads of the Holy Land Churches, affirm our strong devotion to achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on the international legitimacy and the relevant UN resolutions and in a manner that guarantees security, peace, freedom and dignity to all of the peoples of the region....
A Statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem on the “Deal of the Century”
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6)
I am very dismayed and disturbed by President Trump’s announcement of a “peace plan” that, I fear, will bring greater insecurity for Israelis and Palestinians instead of peace.
Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America - response to President Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” document
The Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land
JERUSALEM - Calling U.S. President Donald Trump’s Peace-to-Prosperity plan a “unilateral initiative,” church leaders in the Holy Land said it did not give “dignity and rights” to the Palestinians....
Holy Land Catholic leaders: Trump peace plan needed Palestinian input
“This plan will bring no solution but rather will create more tensions and probably more violence and bloodshed,” ...
Church leaders in Holy Land dismiss Trump peace plan
World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on 29 January urged the international community not to support a proposal by US president Trump and Israeli prime minister Netanyahu for dividing up Palestine and Israel - a plan developed with no meaningful participation from the Palestinian people....
Churches worldwide have been releasing their official reactions to the proposal by US president Trump and Israeli prime minister Netanyahu for dividing up Palestine and Israel....
Churches worldwide react to US-proposed plan for dividing Palestine and Israel
