CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has distributed $2,005,000 to support the work of various relief agencies working in and around Kosovo on behalf of refugees and for reconstruction efforts.
As hopes for peace begin to materialize in Kosovo, the ELCA continues its commitment to support people who have suffered and continue to suffer, and to help rehabilitate the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communication, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
The ELCA sent $350,000 on Aug. 12 to Lutheran World Relief (LWR) for implementation by the Lutheran World Federation-World Service. LWR works overseas in relief and development on behalf of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans.
LWR is providing financial support to assist displaced individuals and those returning to Kosovo and neighboring Serbia, Macedonia and Albania. After providing initial material and financial support for the emergency phase, LWR is providing an additional $1.1 million for the rehabilitation of homes, water and sanitation, infrastructure, agricultural production and trauma counseling services for refugees and their families.
In the region around Kosovo, Action by Churches Together (ACT) has been coordinating relief support among its members, LWR and LWF. ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response based with LWF and World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of the LWF and WCC.
In addition to LWF, members of the ELCA have contributed funds to Norwegian Church Aid and the Slovak Evangelical (Lutheran) Church of the Augsburg Confession in Novi Sad, both members of ACT.
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
