-
- The Rev. Rolf Pearson and his wife, Deacon Kerstin Pearson, seconded by the Church of Sweden, were installed during the dedication service as the caregivers of the site. Over the coming months, they hope to develop a pilgrimage site for those who wish to visit.
-
- The Rt. Rev. Alex G. Malasusa, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania and vice president of The Lutheran World Federation, also took part in the dedication.
-
- The Rev. Rafael Malpica (left), executive director for ELCA global mission, told those gathered, “In our baptism we participate in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, and in this place we are reaffirming our baptismal vocation of following in the steps of Jesus, participating through him in God’s mission to restore community with God and with one another.”
-
- Other clergy who attended the dedication were Archbishop Anders Wejryd of the Church of Sweden, and Bishop Atle Sommerfeldt of the Church of Norway. The Church of Norway and the Church of Sweden are members of The Lutheran World Federation.
-
- “During a time when many Christian communities in the Middle East are experiencing strained relationships with their neighbors of other faiths, it is refreshing to see such a strong commitment from King Abdullah for the thriving of Christian churches in Jordan,” said the Rev. Robert Smith, ELCA program director for the Middle East and Africa.
-
- Prince Raed bin Zeid (center), the Rev. Munib Younan (right) bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the Rev. Samer Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Amman walk together toward Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan for the Jan. 6, 2014, dedication.
-
- According to the Rev. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan is a concrete way to help Christians in the Middle East connect with pilgrims all over the world “with us here in Jerusalem, and in Bethlehem.”
-
- The Mission Investment Fund, the lending ministry of the ELCA, provided a loan for Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan. “The Mission Investment Fund is humbled to be able to participate in a building project at such a historic site,” said Eva M. Roby, president and CEO of the Mission Investment Fund.
-
- Special dedication In addition to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, the site includes a pastor’s house and a multipurpose hall.
-
- The baptismal site has a remarkable degree of archaeological veracity. It is described in several pilgrim accounts from the fifth century onward.
In an effort to provide a place for Christians in the Middle East and from around the world to gather for pilgrimage and baptism, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land have officially opened the Evangelical Lutheran Church at Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan. Dedicated on Jan. 6, 2014, Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan is located where Christians believe John the Baptist baptized Jesus. The ELCA and the Lutheran church in Jordan and the Holy Land are members of The Lutheran World Federation — a global communion of 142 churches representing more than 70 million Christians in 79 countries. The ELCA is the communion’s only member church from the United States.
