Lutheran Malaria Initiative

ELCA Churchwide Assembly Action CA09.02.06

Passed by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Resolved
To approve continued development of the Lutheran Malaria (LMI) by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in partnership with Lutheran World Relief (LWR), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synon (LCMS), and the United Nations Foundation (UNF):

To join with domestic and global partners to address malaria as a disease intensified by poverty within the context of comprehensive and sustainable community development and in close cooperation and partnership with this church's companion churches in Africa and the Lutheran World Federation;

To begin work related to LMI in the next biennium (2009-2011), specifically involving preparation of resources, pilot projects at sites to be determined, solicitation of individual donors, and collaboration with synods and congregations for anticipating LMI fundraising engagement following the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly;

To develop the Lutheran Malaria Initiative in ways that reinforce efforts by the World Hunger Appeal both to achieve $25 million goal and to continue to raise desigated funds to address another disease intensified by poverty: HIV and AIDS;

To authorize continued receipt of designated LMI gifts under the auspices of the World Hunger Appeal, with such funds to be allocated through a specific budget for this initiative;

To request that a report and recommendations for a possible churchwide campaign for the Lutheran Malaria Initiative be brought to the 2011 Churchwide Assembly; and

To anticipate that this whole church--members of every age, congregations, synods, the churchwide organization, agencies and institutions, the Women of the ELCA, Lutheran Men in Mission, the Lutheran Youth Organization, colleges and universities, seminaries, social ministry organizations, camping ministries, and all others will learn about malaria and other diseases intensified by poverty and prayerfully support the Lutheran Malaria Initiative as it grows into readiness for a possible major fundraising campaign in synods and congregations following authorizing action by the 2011 Churchwide Assembly.