LWF president Bishop Henrik Stubkjær, Head of International Programs Caroline Tveoy, and LWF Jerusalem Representative Sieglinde Weinbrenner, listen to community leader Eid Abu Khamis of Khan Al Ahmar – a Jahalin Bedouin community of some 35 families living in the so-called E1 Area of Jerusalem, under constant threat of eviction and forced displacement because of Israeli settlement expansion in the area. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær preaches in Jerusalem at conclusion of his week-long visit
(LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) president Bishop Henrik Stubkjær concluded his visit to the Holy Land on Sunday, preaching a message of hope and courage in the midst of injustice and violence.
Presiding at a Sunday service together with local pastors Rev. Sally Azar – an LWF Council member – and Rev. Rodny Said, both from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), Stubkjær delivered his sermon at the Ascension church on the Mount of Olives.
Addressing the congregation, Stubkjær reflected on the painful realities lived by the Palestinian people at this time.
“We come together to worship and pray in a state of mourning and shock over the tens of thousands of children, women and men that have been killed; atrocities that have been committed and humanity that has been denied. But not only in past tense: Lives are still being lost, atrocities are being committed, and humanity is still being denied,” Stubkjær reflected in view of the war in Gaza as well as injustices continuing to pressure Palestinian communities on the West Bank and in Jerusalem.
We come together to worship and pray amidst stories of incredible courage.
LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær
Yet, he noted, “We also come together to worship and pray amidst stories of incredible courage. Teenagers who have looked after and played with their younger sisters and brothers in the middle of the rubble. Young men and fathers who have risked their lives to go and fetch humanitarian aid distributed under inhuman conditions. Exhausted mothers who ceased to have food to give but never ceased to have love to give to their starving children – till they died, but in caring arms.”
“We come together to worship as members of the same worldwide Lutheran Communion – from here and from everywhere. We are humbled and grateful for the witness of our Lutheran sisters and brothers here in Palestine,” said the LWF President, recalling: “You have never ceased to offer to share this land with all: Betna Betkum! And you have never ceased to cry out in protest and speak truth to power.”
Following a week of meeting and walking alongside Palestinian communities across Jerusalem and the West Bank, Bishop Stubkjær reflected that as part of a global Lutheran communion, the ELCJHL does not stand alone in its witness.
“As a communion we have wept with you; we have walked with you, and we have worked with you,” he reflected. Recalling the Bible text containing Jesus’ call to “Love your enemy”, which Stubkjær described as a profound challenge in the current circumstances, he underlined the importance of daring to act differently, even in face of injustice and violence.
“Where your enemies see and treat you as inhuman, see and treat them as human; where your enemies lie about reality, speak truth; where your enemies deny your dignity, acknowledge their dignity. For we are all children of God. Else no-one is. Not that I have to like my enemy, but I must love him: acknowledge the God-created dignity of the other. A dignity that comes with accountability and comes with truth and justice as foundation,” Stubkjær said.
Reaffirming joint Christian witness
Through the past week, LWF President has met with representatives of the ELCJHL, the LWF World Service program, as well as partners and a variety of political and diplomatic representatives to urge solidarity and support for the most vulnerable people and communities.
In Jerusalem, the LWF President met with both Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and the Anglican Archbishop Most Rev. Hosam E. Naoum, to listen and learn about the daily realities of Christian communities in the Holy Land at this time.
Together, they reaffirmed the importance of witnessing together as Christians from different traditions, all as part of the one body of Christ.
7 November 2025, Jerusalem, Palestine: Most Rev. Hosam E. Naoum, Anglican archbishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem welcomes Lutheran World Federation president Bishop Henrik Stubkjær of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark and his delegation as part of a visit by the LWF President to the Holy Land from 4-9 November 2025. Photo: LWF/A. Hillert
His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem (right) receives Lutheran World Federation president Bishop Henrik Stubkjær (left) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark. Photo: LWF/A. Hillert
8 November 2025, Jerusalem, Palestine: Spokesperson and community leader Eid Abu Khamis of Khan Al Ahmar – a Jahalin Bedouin community of some 35 families living in the so-called E1 Area of Jerusalem, under constant threat of eviction and forced displacement because of Israeli settlement expansion in the area – meets the LWF delegation led by President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær. Photo: LWF/A. Hillert
”As churches we are called to speak the language of truth and justice, and to always work for peace,” Stubkjær said, underlining his gratitude “to hear about the work together as Christians, which is a strong signal that we are together, that we work and we pray together, for justice and for peace.”
Rev. Dr Rospita Siahaan, LWF regional secretary for Asia, who accompanied the LWF President during the visit, said seeing and affirming the many important ministries of local Christians, most notably the ELCJHL as an LWF member church, “was a meaningful expression of accompaniment, assuring the ELCJHL that the LWF, representing over 78 million members worldwide, continues to walk and work alongside them.”
“At the same time, this visit has allowed us to deepen our understanding of the life and witness of this church, how though small in number, the church makes a profound impact on the community through education and diaconal service. Like the early church, they face many challenges yet remain resilient by continuing to live in faith and to share hope.”
Resilience and hope in the face of injustice
On Saturday, LWF President Henrik Stubkjær and his delegation saw firsthand the consequences of settlement expansion in the E1 Area – visiting the Israeli settlement Ma'ale Adumim and the Bedouin community in Khan Al Ahmar – and the way the threat of forced displacement looms over the most vulnerable Palestinian communities.
At Khal Al Ahmar, the group heard the testimony of the local 35-family strong community that’s been faced with, and resisted, the threat of eviction for decades.
Looking back at the many encounters with local communities, the testimonies of the local church, the work of the LWF World Service program to provide service to people in need even amid profound challenges and scarce resources, and the ministry of building hope in the face of hopelessness, LWF President Stubkjær underlined the resilience and self-confidence of Palestinians determined to build a future for themselves.
“It has a deeper meaning that we are here to accompany them in their struggle, so that they know that they're not walking alone, but we are working together. They know that their pain is not just kept by themselves, but it is shared with the global communion,” he reflected.
“I really think we have seen that there is a future also for the Palestinian people. We just have to work with them and accompany them. Try to release their potential. Help them carry out this fundamental work for the society that is being done by the church. We have seen schools, we have seen vocational training centers, sites for environmental protection, the social work and the preaching of the Gospel. That's really where the hope is grounded,” Stubkjær concluded.
LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjæer visits the Holy Land on 4-9 November, to meet with representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the LWF World Service program, as well as partners and with political representatives. Accompanying him were Rev Dr Rospita, Regional Secretary for Asia, Caroline Tveoy, Head of International Programs, and Sieglinde Weinbrenner, LWF Jerusalem Representative.
