Bethlehem

Christmas Lutheran Church took its site seriously long before the celebration of the year 2000. Living in the location of God's incarnation, Bethlehem Christians cannot ignore contextual, incarnational theology. Christmas Church has sought to empower local expressions of the gospel - in theology, in culture, in community and in education.

The church now numbers about 200 baptized members and is led by Pastor Mitri Raheb (pictured at left). Pastor Raheb has led the development of The International Center of Bethlehem, a locus for foreign visitors to encounter Palestinian life and thought. It is a place for indigenous culture and thought to cross-fertilize with international perspectives. The center promotes arts, music, cultural programs and conferences. Bethlehem Media Resource Center operates news and creative communications resources at the International Center. Dar al Kalima Academy, a two-year fine arts and communications college, opened in 2006 for the first class of 2008. They work in partnership with the Lutheran school in Bethlehem, The Dar al Kalima School. Built alongside the school is a Wellness Center offering fitness and health screenings to the community, in addition to a nature reserve and a garden

Each Sunday the worshippers gather in the 110 year old sanctuary that has many interesting features:

The Stained Glass Windows: The windows in the church came from the Emperor Stained Glass Factory in Germany. They are in a unique style, similar to German windows, and made to reflect the Bethlehem and Holy Land environment. In the church chancel, at the front, are three windows depicting the Christmas story, complete with angels, shepherds and the Holy Family. At the left, in a shallow, rounded chapel, are three windows showing the life of Christ until his baptism, including the flight to Egypt, portraying Jesus and his family as refugees. This picture is particularly pertinent and poignant for the congregation of today because two-thirds of the people are refugees themselves. At the right, in another shallow, rounded chapel, are three windows portraying Jesus’ passion and resurrection, with the crucifixion in the center window. The remaining windows in the main church are related to Bethlehem’s biblical history and landscape.

Windows made by this factory in this style have been used around the world, but today the Bethlehem windows are the only ones to survive in total. This is an amazing fact for two reasons: 1) The church was bombed in the 1967 war and the roof and ceiling were damaged; and 2) The church was in the middle of fierce Israeli shooting and bombing in 2002. People were under curfew in their homes and could hear glass breaking everywhere. Pastor Raheb, who lives with his family in the parsonage on the church compound, also could hear glass breaking and feared it was the stained glass windows. No one could get out to check until a few days later. When Pastor Raheb finally went into the church he was astounded and grateful to see that all the windows were unbroken and intact. There is one small hole in the red robe of a person in the left chapel windows, which is hardly noticeable but serves as a reminder of the frightening chaos and the damaging attacks in 2002.

Architecture and Construction
The German architect who designed the Christmas Church was very well-known. He made drawings of the church and the work proceeded. The architect was astonished at the precision and fine-quality work of the Palestinian stone cutters. Even today one can notice the beautiful precision stone work of the Christmas Church.

This same architect tried to think contextually, that is, he tried to incorporate Bethlehem traditions into the building. After consulting with people, he decided to design the tower or steeple of the church like the Bethlehem women’s traditional hat of the 19th century, a conical design. (The hat itself was about 20 centimeters tall, with a scarf hanging from the back.) The tower or steeple of the church, then, is high and conical with a cross at the pointed top. In February 2004 an earthquake caused part of the ring of concrete holding the cross in place to fall to the ground. The other half is still holding on to the cross at the top of the steeple. Work is in progress to repair the 110 year old tower.

The Organ and the Bells
The organ in the church was manufactured in Berlin, Germany, around 1890. By the 1990s the organ had developed many problems and was basically unusable. A partner congregation in the U.S., the Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, took on the project of rebuilding the organ. An organ specialist came to Bethlehem and took the organ completely apart. It was shipped to the U.S. where it was completely rebuilt and repaired, and shipped back to Bethlehem to be put back together and usable in time for the 2000 Millennium celebrations. Today the 19th century organ once again leads joyful and meaningful worship in the Lutheran Christmas Church. The bells in the church tower were donated to the church by Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany.

Pastor Raheb and Family
Pastor Raheb is a native of Bethlehem and he grew up attending the Christmas Church, participating in its youth activities. He is third generation Lutheran, his children fourth generation. The name “Raheb” means “monk.” The family originally was Greek Orthodox by religion and the name Mitri is a form of “Demitrius”, a Greek Orthodox saint. Pastor Raheb’s grandfather’s name was Mitri.

The grandfather, Mitri, became a Schneller Boys School student in Jerusalem in 1868 when he was orphaned at six years of age, due to an epidemic. As an adult, the grandfather was a dealer in mother-of-pearl artistry in Bethlehem. The father, Bishara (an Arab Christian name meaning “feast of Annunciation”), also attended the Schneller School. Bishara established a hat factory in Bethlehem that introduced the fez into Palestine as men’s headwear in about 1908. The fez was associated with Turkey; Bishara made it popular in Palestine. He also exported his hats. By 1936, however, the fez became unpopular and Bishara changed his business, establishing the first bookstore in Palestine, in Bethlehem. He imported all the books and read them himself, becoming a very well-read man. He also sold notebooks, pens and pencils in his store. Bishara was so successful and well-known that the Stetler Company designed and sold a pencil notebook with Bishara’s photo on it.

When Pastor Raheb was thirteen years old his father died. At that age the boy took over the bookstore himself, running it when he wasn’t in the German School. At age sixteen the family decided to sell the bookstore because the young man Mitri did not see himself becoming a businessman. In secondary school he was active in the Christmas Church as well as in the whole ELCJ, particularly in youth work. He liked the discussions the youth group had about science and theology. In his senior year young Mitri studied theology, and helped as a youth leader throughout the church. He was instrumental in publishing a Youth Magazine in the church. Bishop Youan has stated that he always saw the future in the young Mitri.

Following his graduation Pastor Raheb studied for one year at Bethlehem Bible College and then had the opportunity to go to Germany for college and seminary training. He attended Hermansburg Seminary for four years. Pastor Raheb earned his masters and doctorate degrees at the University of Marburg.

In 1987 the young Vicar (intern) Raheb served at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church and was ordained in 1988. At that point he became the pastor of the Christmas Church and has continued there ever since. Pastor Raheb also helps in serving Beit Sahour Lutheran Church. He serves the Eucharist on the first Sunday each month at an early service, and also officiates at baptism and marriages in Beit Sahour.

In 1989 Pastor Raheb married Najwa Khoury and they have two daughters, Dana and Tala. Pastor Raheb has authored two books: I Am a Palestinian Christian, 1994, Augsburg, and Bethlehem Besieged: Stories of Hope in Times of Trouble, May 2004, Fortress Press, both publishing houses in Minneapolis, MN, USA. He also co-authored several other books among which are: Bethlehem 2000: Past and Present; Rooted in the Land: An Introduction to Palestinian Christianity; and Church History of the Holy Land.