Lutheran Disaster Response

ELCA Churchwide Assembly Action CA09.04.21

Passed by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Resolved
To thank the Northeastern Pennsylvania, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Northwestern Pennsylvania, Southwestern Pennsylvania, Lower Susquehanna, Upper Susquehanna, and West Virginia-Western Maryland synods for their strong support for and concern about Lutheran Disaster Response;

To acknowledge that Lutheran Disaster Response is a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS);

To acknowledge that Lutheran Disaster Response currently is involved in a strategic planning process including the chief executive officers from five Lutheran Disaster Response-affiliated social ministry organizations;

To recommend to the strategic planning group that they give consideration to creating a permanent Lutheran Disaster Response advisory committee and to defining a process for succession of committee membership;

To anticipate that this process will address effective, appropriate, and sustainable response mechanisms and the future nature and focus of Lutheran Disaster Response;

To encourage the ELCA to continue to deepen and develop its process for working together with churchwide units, synods, and social ministry organizations in times of specific disasters; and

To request that the Church in Society program unit bring a progress report to the April 2010 meeting of the Church Council.