ELCA Council Designates Funds for 'Stand with Africa'

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) designated $350,000 to support "Stand With Africa," a three-year Lutheran campaign that focuses on issues significant to Africa, including HIV/AIDS, economic justice, food security, and peace and reconciliation.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide assemblies. The council met here April 5-7. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 11-17, 2003, in Milwaukee.
Developed by the ELCA World Hunger Appeal and Program, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) World Relief, and Lutheran World Relief -- the overseas relief and development agency of the ELCA and LCMS -- the campaign includes a strategy for increasing available financial resources by encouraging individual and congregational giving for Africa. In August 2001 the Churchwide Assembly called on the 5.13 million members of the ELCA to "support generously" the campaign within the context of the ELCA World Hunger Appeal and Program.
The council moved to ask members of the ELCA to support Stand With Africa with the "intensity that disasters elicit, but understanding that 'marathon' rather than 'sprint' giving is required." It also requested that the ELCA Division for Church in Society, through it's Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), call on the Bush Administration and members of the U.S. Congress to provide additional funds for "human- centered development aid" to Africa and to "appropriate its fair share of financial support for U.N.-coordinated efforts to assist African countries to respond" to the HIV/AIDS crisis. LOGA is the ELCA's federal public policy advocacy office based in Washington, D.C.
In the same resolution, the council acknowledged that, in addition to the $350,000 it designated, additional funds had been provided by the ELCA since 1999 to respond to the crisis in Africa. That included $1.45 million in ELCA World Hunger funds and $325,000 from the church's Ministry Among People Living in Poverty funds.
The council also moved to acknowledge "with appreciation" a report from 16 ELCA leaders who participated in a Stand With Africa study trip last January. Based on the report, the council moved to underscore the "crucial character of the Stand With Africa effort."
The study trip was "a life-changing experience for me," the Rev. Callon W. Holloway Jr., bishop of the ELCA Southern Ohio Synod, Columbus, told council members. Holloway serves on the council as an advisory member appointed by the ELCA Conference of Bishops -- an advisory body of the ELCA's 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and secretary.
People in Africa "were amazed to see people from the United States, of African descent, as leaders in the church," Holloway said. Bishops are revered in the church there, so it was not an expectation to meet a U.S. Lutheran bishop of African descent, he said.
Holloway said it was difficult "to grasp the tragedy in Africa, especially the HIV/AIDS crisis, refugees and poverty. That was overwhelming. We often hear about the crisis in Africa. But, not until you actually witness it can you appreciate the gravity of the tragedy. At the same time, I was surprised to see that there is hope among the people of Africa."
In their report, members of the study trip asked the Church Council to "make an immediate, dramatic, large allocation of funds -- at least $1 million or possibly a tithe of undesignated reserves -- for Stand With Africa efforts."
The council's decision to designate "$350,000 "is tough for us that went on the trip," said Earl L. Mummert, Harrisburg, Pa., council member. Mummert was a member of the study trip.
The study group's "intent was to send a message to the church" on the severity of the situation in Africa, Mummert said. "Our church has contributed more than $2 million. To me, that is sending a message. But we need to raise substantially more than that to make any kind of a difference in Africa," he said.
Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer, said the ELCA, through its World Hunger Program, has provided $1.2 million in support for Stand With Africa in 2000 and 2001.
Ellen T. Maxon, Hartland, Wis., council member, asked the council to "reconsider" its decision on designating $350,000 "for Stand With Africa efforts" and increase the designated amount. Her motion was defeated.
The council resolved to:
+ encourage participants in the World Hunger Program to "help connect the hearts of people in this church with the hearts of African brothers and sisters through stories, experiential learning and volunteer possibilities, and Stand With Africa study/action trips that focus on relief and development"
+ explore a variety of fund raising efforts and promote the Stand With Africa campaign in church publications and meetings
+ consider a specific "Stand With Africa day" or congregational offering period;
+ request that the ELCA Division for Global Mission continue its commitment to place "indigenous Africans and persons of African heritage on its staff to represent the ELCA in its relationship with Africa"
+ review and explore new ways for the ELCA's 65 synods to build relationships and partner with Lutheran churches in Africa
+ request that the World Hunger Program, in consultation with other units of the ELCA churchwide office, "give witness in the public media to the crisis and the hope in Africa"
+ join with LWR and Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, Switzerland, to foster a "coordinated strategy for relief, development, response to HIV/AIDS, and advocacy in partnership with African churches"
+ expand the promotion of the Equal Exchange Coffee project through an ELCA marketing and education campaign;
+ strengthen interfaith and ecumenical efforts to achieve goals of relief, development, advocacy and healing in Africa and United States
+ increase available resources to enable the ELCA to deepen its advocacy on behalf of Africa
+ request that a report on activities related to Stand With Africa be delivered by the World Hunger Program, in consultation with other units of the churchwide organization, to its meeting in November. -- -- --
Information about "Stand With Africa" is maintained at http://www.standwithafrica.org on the Internet.

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