Bishop Munib Younan, former Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and the past president of the Lutheran World Federation, will visit Augustana University and the Sioux Falls community September 18-23. A leading global voice in Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle East and around the world, Bishop Younan will spend time with Augustana students, faculty and staff. He also plans to engage area churches to discuss interfaith relations. All of the events are free and open to the public.
"As Christian people seeking to serve peace in the world, I am thrilled for us to listen to Bishop Younan who has served constructive interaction between Jews, Christians and Muslims for decades,” said Augustana University Campus Pastor Paul Rohde. “As a Palestinian-Christian living in Jerusalem, he has known the life and death anguish of religious conflict first hand and speaks wisdom to engage our neighbors with hope for peace."
The visit to Sioux Falls and Augustana University will be one of five stops during the Bishop’s tour of ELCA universities around the United States. The goal of the Bishop’s visits is to create ongoing and open interfaith dialogue to address issues impacting Jewish-Christian-Muslim communities and congregations.
Wednesday, Sept. 18: 10 a.m.
Wednesday Worship at Augustana University
Chapel of Reconciliation (2125 S. Summit Ave.)
Bishop Younan will be preaching while the new SD Synod ELCA Bishop Constanze Hagmaier will be presiding.
Wednesday, Sept. 18: 6:30 p.m.
Interfaith Discussion
Muslim Community Center (3932 S. Western Ave.)
Bishop Younan will take part in an interfaith discussion that is being hosted by Dr. Muhammad Qamar.
Thursday, Sept. 19: 7 p.m.
Building Community Event at Augustana University
Chapel of Reconciliation (2125 S. Summit Ave.)
Bishop Younan will give the keynote address. Responses will be given by Dr. Mohammad Qamar from a Muslim perspective. Senator Stan Adelstein from a Jewish perspective, and Rev. Randall Gehring from an ELCA Christian perspective.
Sunday, Sept. 22: 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Service at EastSide Lutheran Church (1300 E 10th St.)
Bishop Younan will preach at both services.
About Bishop Munib Younan
Bishop Emeritus Munib Younan was educated in Palestine and Finland and has been active in numerous faith organizations since his ordination in 1976, such as the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC). The bishop was the first to translate the Augsburg Confession, a key document of the Lutheran Church, into Arabic. He is an active member of various ecumenical and interfaith dialogue initiatives in Jerusalem that he helped found.
He is the former President (2010-2017) of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a global communion of Christian churches with 145 member churches in 79 countries representing more than 70 million Christians. He is past president of FMEEC and provides leadership for the ecumenical Patriarchs and Heads of Local Christian Churches in Jerusalem, as well as for the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land (CRIHL), comprised of leaders of Jerusalem’s Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities. His term as acting Bishop of the ELCJHL was from December 1998 – January 2018.
He is the author of Witnessing for Peace: In Jerusalem and the World (Augsburg Fortress, USA, 2003), Our Shared Witness: A Voice for Justice and Reconciliation (Lutheran University Press, 2012) and of The Augsburg Confession in Arabic (Emerezian Est., Jerusalem, 1993). Bishop Younan also has written numerous articles, lectures, and presentations relating to the life of Palestinian Lutherans in the Middle East.
About Augustana University
Founded in 1860, Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a selective, comprehensive university affiliated with the Lutheran Church. With more than 100 majors, minors and pre-professional programs for undergraduates, along with graduate degree and continuing education programs, Augustana is committed to enriching lives and fostering development by combining a foundation in the liberal arts with professional skills and advanced study.
Nationally recognized for academic excellence, graduate outcomes and affordability by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes and the Princeton Review, Augustana serves more than 2,100 students from 33 states and 32 countries. Most are part of our residential community and call our 100-acre campus home. Our graduate and continuing education programs serve students online and during times that are convenient for adult learners.