The “Chapel of Life” in Bethlehem provides mourners a room for prayer and reflection.
ELCJHL Bishop Sani Azar during the inauguration of the “Chapel of Life”. Photo: Maddi Froiland/ELCJHL
ELCJHL inaugurates new chapel next to cemetery
(LWI) - On 23 May the “Chapel of Life” in Bethlehem was inaugurated. The newly constructed chapel is meant to be a physical and spiritual sanctuary for mourners in The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) where they can feel at peace and in the presence of God.
The chapel is next to the Lutheran cemetery in Bethlehem. With this new building, the ELCJHL wants to provide a space for healing and prayer when Lutherans are laid to rest.
“In a time where Christians are suffering and are challenged in their beliefs, opening and establishing such a chapel gives hope for the existence of Christians in Palestine despite all we are facing,” said ELCJHL Bishop Sani Azar. “God promised us life and a future. We named the new building the ‘Chapel of Life’ because we have a living God, a living hope, and a living future.”
The “Chapel of Life” will also make it easier for families to bid farewell to their loved ones. Previously, funeral services were held at one of the ELCJHL churches and mourners drove to the cemetery, where there was little room for prayer or reflection.
