A local Bishop is one of five Minnesota Lutheran Bishops leaving today for the Middle East... despite the fighting in Gaza.The Reverend Jon Anderson is Bishop for the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America...or E-L-C-A. He's leaving today and hopes to meet Jewish and Islamic leaders.Church leaders say the goal is to support the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the holy land, which has congregations and schools in Israel, Jordan and the west bank.The trip has been in the works for a couple years.The bishops plan to return January 16.