Chicago, USA - The bishops from the nation's largest Lutheran group will hold their annual theological retreat in the Mideast, hoping to boost peace efforts in the region.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is sending 59 of its 66 bishops to the area Jan. 6-13, along with five of the six bishops in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
The trip is part of the "Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine," which the U.S. denomination adopted in 2005.
The leaders of both North American churches _ Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson from the U.S. and National Bishop Susan Johnson from Canada _ will travel to Jordan first, then to Jerusalem to join the other bishops. They will meet with Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian leaders from churches, community groups and the political world