ELCA Bishops Learn Officer Won't Seek Re-election, Finances Good

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Dr. Addie J. Butler of Philadelphia, announced she will not seek re-election when her six-year term ends in 2003. Butler announced her decision in a report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops.
The Conference of Bishops is an advisory body that includes the bishops of the ELCA's 65 synods, the ELCA presiding bishop and the ELCA secretary. The group met here Oct. 5-10.
Butler was elected at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 1997. As vice president she chairs meetings of the ELCA Church Council, which serves as the church's legislative authority between churchwide assemblies. Despite her decision, Butler said she enjoys her role in the ELCA.
In another discussion, Richard L. McAuliffe, ELCA treasurer, thanked the Conference of Bishops for their work which has led to an increase in mission support income through the first seven months of the current fiscal year, which began Feb. 1. Mission support dollars are given by congregations to the ELCA through the synods.
Mission support gifts through Aug. 31 totaled $37.9 million, an increase of $807,000 from the previous year, McAuliffe reported. In addition, expenses for the churchwide organization are $3.4 million under budget, due largely to efforts by churchwide units to control spending.
Contributions to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, which support the church's national and international hunger programs, were $6.7 million through Aug. 31. That represents an increase of $593,000 from the previous year, McAuliffe said.
The Conference of Bishops heard other presentations, including:
+ A presentation on HIV/AIDS by Dr. Belletech Deressa, director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Division for Global Mission. Some 34.5 million people in the world have HIV/AIDS, she said. Seventy percent of the world's cases are in Africa, and more than half of the people affected there are women. "AIDS is killing more people than civil wars going on in Africa today," Deressa said. She said ELCA members can support programs to combat HIV/AIDS through gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, including a special HIV/AIDS emphasis; support a planned "Stand with Africa" campaign that will include the ELCA and several Lutheran organizations; and support HIV/AIDS advocacy efforts through the ELCA's Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs and through Bread for the World.
+ A presentation on the newly formed ELCA Attorneys Association by Philip H. Harris, ELCA general counsel. About 60 attorneys met last month in Scottsdale, Ariz., to form the organization which will work with Harris to provide leadership and service to congregations, synods and affiliated ELCA ministries, he said. "These attorneys will assist the church in coping with the various legal issues and challenges confronting the church," Harris said in a report to the bishops. He said the Arizona meeting was funded by a grant from Lutheran Brotherhood, a fraternal benefits organization based in Minneapolis.
+ Seven new bishops attended their first meeting of the ELCA Conference of Bishops. They are the Rev. David Defreese, Nebraska Synod; the Rev. Warren Freiheit, Central/Southern Illinois Synod; the Rev. James Justman, East-Central Synod of Wisconsin; the Rev. Kevin Kanouse, Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod; the Rev. Gerard Knoche, Delaware-Maryland Synod; the Rev. Margaret Payne, New England Synod; and the Rev. Raymond Tiemann, Southwestern Texas Synod.
The Conference of Bishops' next regular meeting is March 1-6 in San Antonio, Texas.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html