CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has issued an appeal for funds to help confront the increasing humanitarian crisis with the conflict in and around Kosovo.
More than $380,000 has been "received from members of the ELCA for Kosovo relief, and contributions are still increasing," said Lita Brusick Johnson, director for the ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal. "It is a wonderful outpouring of support in this extraordinary situation," she said.
The appeal, sent to the ELCA's 5.2 million members, includes a statement by the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA: "Like most Americans, I have been distressed by the reports of the evolving crisis in the Balkans. The tragic suffering of the Kosovo Albanians, caused by armed attacks and other forms of violence -- including "ethnic cleansing" -- conducted by Yugoslav security forces, compels the international community to respond. I regret that military action has largely replaced diplomacy."
ELCA International Disaster Response sent an initial $150,000 to provide immediate assistance for refugees. The funds were sent through Action by Churches Together (ACT) to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Norwegian Church Aid and [Lutheran] Diakonisches Werk in Germany. ACT, a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response, is based with the LWF and the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of the LWF and WCC.
A team of representatives from LWF, WCC and the Conference of European Churches met with church leaders April 16-18 in Novi Sad and Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to discuss the causes and consequences of the Kosovo crisis. The visit was organized in the context of the ecumenical response to the crisis, especially the humanitarian actions coordinated through ACT.
In Novi Sad the team met with leaders of Lutheran, Reformed and Methodist churches; in Belgrade the team met with leaders of Serbian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The team sought to explain their wish to "manifest solidarity" with the churches in Yugoslavia and determine possible ecumenical initiatives in the country and region, including further humanitarian aid.
Religious leaders will encourage international prayer for peace on May 16. They will also support churches in Yugoslavia and encourage congregations to share their understanding of the present crisis.
"Churches in Yugoslavia have been adamant in their opposition to the terrible ethnic-cleansing in Kosovo. They have publicly called for the release of three U.S. soldiers and for an end to the bombing that is hurting civilians," said the Rev. Roy Lloyd, broadcast news director for the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCCC). He is a member of St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Ridgefield, Conn., a congregation of the ELCA.
Lloyd accompanied a delegation of U.S. Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders to Belgrade May 1. The delegation, led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Chicago, and the Rev. Dr. Joan B. Campbell, NCCC general secretary, made a humanitarian and religious appeal to the Milosevic government for the release of three U.S. soldiers held in captivity.
"The delegation was not naive about the ethnic-cleansing in Kosovo. There are different religious bodies that are deeply involved in the crisis. The delegation was clear about the message to stop the ethnic cleansing," said Lloyd.
When the delegation was informed that the soldiers would be released, Lloyd said, "the Rev. Jackson and Dr. Campbell returned to the hotel ... came in the door and burst into tears." He said, "It is one thing to hear about miracles, but it's another thing to be present for one. It was an utterly incredible time."
About 20,000 Kosovo Albanian refugees will be admitted to the United States in May. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is working to help bring the refugees from Macedonia to the United States, and advocating for hospitality within the international community on the refugees' behalf. LIRS is a ministry of the ELCA, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Wisconsin are key areas for resettlement, said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communication, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
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
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
