CHICAGO (ELCA) - "Proclaim Jubilee: Cancel the Debts, Now!" is the theme of the National Mobilization for Debt Cancellation rally to be held in Washington, D.C., April 9 to bring public attention to an international effort to cancel the debts held by the world's most impoverished countries.
The rally, which organizers expect will draw thousands of people from throughout the country, is part of the Jubilee 2000/USA campaign. The campaign has drawn a variety of religious and secular organizations together to work for elimination of debts held by impoverished nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Jubilee campaign is based on biblical passages in Leviticus which call for a "Year of Jubilee" every 50 years to eliminate debts and proclaim liberty to all inhabitants.
On April 10 rally participants plan to visit members of Congress to discuss Jubilee 2000/USA.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a sponsor of the events. In recent years the ELCA Church Council and churchwide assemblies have declared support for Jubilee 2000/USA. The 1999 Churchwide Assembly affirmed the ELCA's continued participation and encouraged ongoing educational efforts for members.
In his report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops this month, the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said a constant theme in his conversations with international visitors is support for Jubilee 2000 and debt relief.
The April 9 rally and April 10 meetings are intended to influence decision makers and to call on the Clinton Administration and the U.S. Congress to eliminate debts in impoverished countries.
Plans call for rally participants to worship April 9 at one of numerous "Jubilee congregations" in the Washington metropolitan area, said the Rev. Mark B. Brown, assistant director for international affairs and human rights, Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), Washington, D.C. LOGA has been active on behalf of the ELCA in the Jubilee 2000/USA campaign, and Brown chairs the planning committee for the April 9 rally and April 10 "Lobby Day."
Jubilee congregations include churches of the ELCA, Church of the Brethren, The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Roman Catholic Church and United Church of Christ.
Following worship, rally participants will gather at noon on April 9 for music and speeches at The Mall, a large open area between the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol, Brown said. Confirmed speakers include the Rev. Oscar Rodriguez, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president, AFL-CIO; the Rev. Jim Wallis, editor-in-chief, Sojourners magazine; Rabbi David Saperstein, director, Religious Action of Reformed Judaism; Ann Pettifor, director, Jubilee 2000, United Kingdom; and Ricardo Navarro, president, Friends of the Earth International.
Following the speeches, rally participants will begin forming a human "chain" around the U.S. Capitol and past the White House to the World Bank to demonstrate the need for both U.S. and international action to help break the "chains" of debt, Brown said.
"The human chain will be a reminder of the chains of debt borne by impoverished countries and a representation of the chains of solidarity we are forging around the world as we work for a more just global economy," Brown said. "Our action will be a dramatic and nonviolent statement of our commitment to the right economic relationships suggested by the biblical concept of jubilee."
On April 10, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, an ELCA congregation in Washington, D.C., will host a morning prayer service and a briefing for people who will visit lawmakers. The congregation will also serve as a gathering place and hospitality center during the day, Brown added.
Editors: Information about the April 8-9 Jubilee 2000 rally in
Washington, D.C., is available at the event's Web site,
www.loga.org/JubRally.htm.
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
