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Rev. Sally Azar

22 January 2023, Jerusalem, Palestine: Rev. Sally Azar, ordained minutes earlier as pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, presides over Holy Communion at the conclusion of her ordination service at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Jerusalem Old City. 

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Azars 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.

WCC greetings on the occasion of the Ordination of Sally Azar in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land

The Ordination of Sally Azar: Video recording of the livestream

First Palestinian woman to be ordained as pastor (Lutheran World Federation News, 18 January 2023)