Vision and Mission
Our Vision is equity, justice, and peace for Palestinians and Israelis and an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Our Mission:
Led by the Holy Spirit and inspired by the witness of our companions – including especially the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), and other faith-based organizations and secular groups working for justice and peace – the Middle East Peace Team (MEPT) of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod strives to support the Sumud initiative of the ELCA, educate members of our Synod, promote effective advocacy for justice for Palestine and Israel, and accompany our siblings in the Holy Land.
Join the Middle East Peace Team
The Metro D.C. Synod’s Middle East Peace Team (MEPT) is following up on the 2025 actions of the Metro DC Synod Assembly and the ELCA Churchwide Assembly regarding Palestine and Israel. The MEPT is also looking ahead to the 2026 Metro D.C. Synod Assembly and discussion around its resolution on boycotting companies that are complicit in Israel’s occupation and its ongoing genocide.
Please contact the co-chairs of the MEPT (Pr. Mark Brown and Pr. Renata Eustis) if you would like to support the work of the MEPT. One option is to actively participate in the MEPT monthly Zoom planning meetings. Another is to serve as an “ambassador” of the MEPT by receiving news and information from the MEPT and passing it along to members of your congregation.
Key Resources
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Boycott for Freedom
Boycott for Freedom(opens in new tab) is an inspiring and informational video resource — just 11 minutes long — regarding a boycott initiative spearheaded by the US Lutheran Palestine Israel Justice Network(opens in new tab) (USLPIJN). The network created Boycott for Freedom(opens in new tab) in order to encourage Lutherans and others to consider boycotting companies complicit in the government of Israel's occupation and the ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
The USLPIJN(opens in new tab) boycott initiative highlighted in Boycott for Freedom(opens in new tab) began after the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted overwhelmingly to recognize that the Israeli attacks on Palestinians rose to the level of the crime of genocide. Since then, many ELCA members are seeking nonviolent and constructive ways to curtail Israeli brutality and to end the occupation, deemed illegal under international law.
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Boycott Planning Guide
See how to get started and access the guide.
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Current Advocacy Action Alerts
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2025 Resolution: For an End to Occupation and for Recognition of Palestinian Statehood
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2025 ELCA CWA Resolution on Israeli Occupation
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ELCA Sumud
Sumud is the ELCA's response to occupation and injustice in Palestine and Israel. Learn more.
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Kairos Palestine - The Palestinian Christian Initiative
A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide. Read the initiative.
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US Lutheran Palestine Israel Justice Network (US-LPIJN)
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Opportunity Palestine - supporting the ELCJHL schools
Learn more.
