ELCA support continues to aid European partners assisting refugees

            CHICAGO (ELCA) – As ministers of the European Union consider a plan this week for countries to receive and settle refugees streaming in from the Middle East and Africa, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) continues to support the humanitarian efforts of its European companion Lutheran churches and partners, as they assist people seeking refuge now and anticipate their needs for the coming winter.

            "What we're providing is immediate, life-saving support through our partners to ensure the distribution of food, water, blankets, diapers and other materials," said the Rev. Cindy Halmarson, ELCA area program director for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Tens of thousands refugees who have fled their home countries with very few personal belongings will need warm clothing and shelter to sustain themselves this winter, she said.
            An estimated 800,000 refugees will have fled to Europe by the end of 2015, said Halmarson. "While this is a difficult challenge to Europe, this number is but a fraction of the 9 million Syrians who are displaced internally or who have fled to neighboring countries," she said. In addition to participating in humanitarian work to meet the needs of refugees, the "world needs to work for resolution of the conflict in Syria, where people do not feel safe."
            Refugees have fled on foot or with ground and/or water transportation. The migration route enters Europe through Turkey to Greece through Macedonia to Serbia, and then to Hungary, Austria and Germany, said Halmarson. Hungary is now controlling its boarder along Serbia and Austria. While Germany is a preferred destination for many refugees due to the provision of social assistance and the future opportunity for work, the European Union is meeting to determine a plan for settling refugees in countries across Europe.
            "With European Union countries being divided about the reception and settlement of refugees who are already in Europe and with the imposition of border controls in various places, we anticipate that the crisis will continue through the winter with refugees being 'stuck' on route or being returned to the place of first asylum, or if a European Union agreement can be reached, being allowed to settle in several European Union countries," said Halmarson.
            The ELCA has companion relationships with Lutheran churches in Hungary, Serbia and Germany, as well as other central and western European countries, she said. "Some bishops of ELCA companion synods to Europe churches have been in contact with their counterparts and shared reports from Bavaria, Hungary and elsewhere," she added.

Hungary

            The Rev. Tamás Fabiny, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH), has criticized the Hungarian government's approach to migrants flowing into and through the country. Fabiny and other church leaders took immediate action to provide information and humanitarian assistance to migrants who were encamped at a Budapest train station when the crisis escalated late this summer. Through its Lutheran Disaster Response, the ELCA provided $5,000 to the Lutheran church in Hungary to support its humanitarian assistance.

Serbia

            The ELCA has partnered with Church World Service (CWS) and with the Asylum Protection Center, which provides free legal aid and psychosocial services to people seeking asylum. Through Lutheran Disaster Response, the ELCA provided $5,000 to CWS and $5,000 to the Asylum Protection Center in Serbia. Funds were allocated to support the distribution of food, water, diapers, blankets and other essentials.

Germany and the Middle East

            The Rev. Michael Grabow, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, reported that the system there for welcoming refugees is and will be strained beyond capacity, according to Halmarson. She said that the Rev. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and president of the Lutheran World Federation, wrote an open letter to world leaders calling for an attitude of "welcoming the strangers" in regards to refugees and called for concerted action to solve the conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.
            In response to appeals for funds from the ACT Alliance and Church World Service, the ELCA sent $50,000 to the Hungarian Interchurch Aid, $50,000 to Church World Service in Serbia, and another grant of $50,000 to support work at the Za'atari Refugee Camp in Jordan and neighboring communities. The camp is a ministry of the Lutheran World Federation – a global communion of 144 churches representing more than 70 million Christians in 79 countries. The ELCA is the communion's only member church from the United States.
            "Our partners and the ELCA have agreed that our joint response would address humanitarian needs of both refugees and affected local communities, including unaccompanied migrants and Roma internally displaced persons. We are going to invest our resources strategically by supporting a current and a long-term social service, such as soup kitchen programs for vulnerable people," said Dr. Vitaly Vorona, ELCA program director for Lutheran Disaster Response – International.
            Information about Lutheran Disaster Response is available at www.ELCA.org/disaster.
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:

The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.8 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
Associate director, ELCA Publications and Public Relations
773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@elca.org
ELCA News: www.ELCA.org/news
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: www.livinglutheran.com