CHICAGO (ELCA) The International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has committed $100,000 to aid the refugee crisis in Kosovo, in addition to an earlier gift of $50,000.
The funds were sent through Action by Churches Together (ACT) to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Norwegian Church Aid and Diakonisches Werk Germany, said Belletech Deressa, director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Division for Global Mission. ACT is an emergency response coordinating office of LWF and the World Council of Churches.
The new funds were distributed following a request from Lutheran World Relief (LWR), which has now expanded its relief work into Albania, Deressa said. Earlier funds were sent through ACT to Norwegian Church Aid, which continues its efforts to help refugees in Albania and Macedonia.
LWR is an agency that works in overseas relief and development on behalf of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It has been working through ACT and the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation.
Its efforts have included supplying food, water and clothing to refugees in Kosovo border camps and coordinating airlift of supplies, including food clothing and vehicles to Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia said Jonathan C. Frerichs, LWR director of communication. Some $4 million is needed now for work among Kosovar refugees in Macedonia, Albania, Montengro and Serbia, Frerichs said.
World Wide Web sites with regular updates on the situation in Kosovo are available. For the ELCA's International Disaster Response, visit www.elca.org/dgm/disaster/. For LWR, visit www.lwr.org.
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to
survivors of major disasters *outside* the United States, Puerto Rico or
the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include:
Lutheran World Relief
Church Street Station
P.O. Box 6186
New York, NY 10277-1738
1-800-LWR-LWR-2
1-800-597-5972
Checks or credit card contributions should specify "Kosovo."
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities 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:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
