WCC NEWS: First Palestinian Christian woman ordained in Holy Land

Rev. Sally Azar was ordained on 22 January as the first Palestinian Christian woman to serve in this role in the Holy Land.  Sally Azar leads Bible study in the Ecumenical Centre Chapel during the LWF Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on 15 June 2019.  Photo: Albin Hillert/Life on Earth 23 January 2023 Azar’s ordination—marking an historic milestone for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and for all Christians in Palestine—was held at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Old City Jerusalem.  in a congratulatory letter, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay celebrated her ordination. “We rejoice with the Lutheran Church and with the people of the Middle East and of the Holy Land in particular on this important consecration of your spiritual and ecclesial leadership,” wrote Pillay. “For us you are a daughter, a sister, but also a mentor, a leader contributing to the life and mission of our churches.” Born and raised in Jerusalem, Azar earned a bachelor's degree in theology from the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2019. In 2022 she finished her masters of International Theology from the Georg-August-Universität in Göttingen and Hermannsburg, Germany.  She also served at the Evangelische Johanneskirche Frohnau  in Germany, and is very involved in the international Lutheran community, serving as a council member of the Lutheran World Federation, and on the board of ACT Alliance. The Ordination of Sally Azar: Video recording of the livestream See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland