CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Concerned about the well-being of children, the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) recommended that the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopt a resolution that will urge congregations to work toward a "Christ-centered, positive environment" for children in families, congregations and communities.
The council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between meetings of its churchwide assembly. The council met here April 9-12. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is August 16-22 in Denver. The ELCA is made up of 5.2 million members in 11,000 congregations in the United States and Caribbean.
Developed by a task force of the ELCA's initiative to help children, the resolution calls for prayer for the well-being of all children, especially for the "poorest and most at risk." The ELCA will seek to declare its congregations as "safe havens" for all children, developing "creative programs" to meet the needs of children in the congregation and community with special emphasis on those who are hungry, homeless, abused, lonely and subject to violence.
The resolution said more than 14 million children under age 18 and 5 million under age six in the United States live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, unpublished data, March 1998. More than 4 million children experience severe to moderate hunger, and "every day more than three children die as a result of abuse or neglect," according to the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, 1996.
The resolution calls for the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to support public policy that advances the well-being of children and their families through the church's advocacy office.
Child-care rooms will be set up at the assembly this summer for the children of voting members, staff, visitors and volunteers. The rooms will be staffed primarily by trained volunteers who serve in the Foster Share program of Lutheran Family Services of Colorado. The child-care rooms will model "safe havens" for children.
"Help the Children" is one of seven ELCA "Initiatives to Prepare for a New Century."
In 1997 the ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted seven Initiatives -- significant areas of ministry for the 21st century. Leadership teams were formed early last year to provide overall guidance for the work of congregations, the ELCA's 65 synods and churchwide organizations. Team leaders help provide a picture of how the church may be different as a result of the Initiatives.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.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
