"Wisdom born of experience should tell us that war is obsolete. There may have been a time when war served as a negative good by preventing the spread and growth of an evil force, but the destructive power of modern weapons eliminated even the possibility that war may serve as a negative good. If we assume that life is worth living and that man has a right to survive, then we must find an alternative to war. In a day when vehicles hurtle through outer space and guided ballistic missiles carve highways of death through the stratosphere, no nation can claim victory in war." - The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
EMO Statement on the War between Israel and Gaza
Oct. 13, 2023
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) grieves with the families who lost loved ones to horrific acts of violence in Israel and Gaza. We know that many Oregonians are feeling fear, pain and anxiety, especially those who have family or friends directly impacted.
We are also concerned that actions thousands of miles away could contribute to rising antisemitic and anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States. We must not give into hate. We stand against hate in all its forms. Terrorism and war can never lead to justice or sustained peace.
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon calls upon our leaders to promote de-escalation, secure dialogue, and pursue policies that will achieve a just and lasting peace.
Statements by EMO Member Denominations
American Baptist Churches Requests Prayers for Peace in Israel and Gaza (Oct. 13, 2023)
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on 10,000+ dead in Gaza: Stop the killing (Nov. 17, 2023)
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton Holy Land Prayers, video (Nov. 1, 2023):
ELCA Resources for the Crisis in the Holy Land
Presbyterian Church USA Acting Stated Clerk condemns violence between Israel and Hamas (Oct. 13, 2023)
Religious Society of Friends, Quaker organizations call for a ceasefire and humanitarian protections in Gaza (Oct. 17, 2023)
United Church of Christ (UCC) Palestine Israel Network
UCC sign on letter, “Call for an End to the Violence in Israel and Gaza”
United Methodist Church Bishops call for peace in the Holy Land (Nov. 10, 2023)
Additional Resources
One Year Later, National Council of Churches (Oct. 7, 2024)
Statement on the Escalating Crisis in Gaza, World Council of Churches (June 11, 2024)
Allied Against Hate: A toolkit for faith communities, published by the White House
Black Christian leaders call for cease-fire in Gaza (Nov. 10, 2023, Washington Post)
Global Ministries (Christian Church/Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ) Joint ecumenical community in letter to Congress on crisis in Israel/Palestine (Oct. 12, 2023)
National Council of Churches (NCC) Statement on Israel and Palestine, and the Current Hostilities and list of NCC Member Communion and Other Ecumenical Statements
NCC Responds to the ICJ Case Ruling in South Africa v. Israel
Minnesota Council of Churches Co-CEO Statement on Holy Land (Oct. 26, 2023)