CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reaffirmed a churchwide assembly action to increase the annual income goal for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal to $25 million by 2005. The council received an update on "Stand With Africa: A Campaign of Hope" and moved to expand awareness among the 5.1 million members of the ELCA on the HIV/AIDS crisis and famine in Africa.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. The council met here Nov. 15-17. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 11-17, 2003, in Milwaukee.
The 2002 goal of the appeal was $16.5 million. The council reaffirmed the goal of the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Denver of increasing income for the appeal to $25 million by 2005 and called "upon this church to work" toward reaching that goal.
"This goal may not be realistic without a specific plan to make it happen," said the Rev. Karen L. Soli, Sioux Falls, S.D., council member. "If we do not change how we're doing things, change won't happen." Soli asked council members to reduce the $25 million income goal to a "more attainable one."
The goal "seems like a small amount," said Faith A. Ashton, Chapel Hill, N.C., council member. If each member of the ELCA gave $5.00 the goal can be reached, she said. "We have to make that known," Ashton added.
Sally Young, Waterloo, Iowa, chair of the council's program and services committee, said the resolution to increase the appeal's income goal "came to us as a reminder that we need to encourage efforts that will bring more giving." Young said the goal serves as a "challenge" to the council and the church.
The council received a report on "Stand With Africa," a three-year campaign of the ELCA, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) and Lutheran World Relief (LWR) that focuses on withstanding HIV/AIDS, banishing hunger and building peace in sub-Saharan Africa. LWR is the overseas relief development ministry of the ELCA and LCMS.
"Six thousand people die each day in Africa from HIV/AIDS. That's two World Trade Center disasters," said the Rev. Bonnie L. Jensen, executive director, ELCA Division for Global Mission. Jensen delivered an update on activities related to Stand With Africa.
"Three million people died of AIDS in 2001. Of that, 2.2 million in Africa alone," Jensen said. "Poverty and hunger can lead to HIV/AIDS, and HIV/AIDS leads to poverty and hunger," she said.
"Stand With Africa is about hope and it is about choices," Jensen said. "It would take $7 billion per year -- $1.5 billion from the United States -- to cut hunger in half by 2015," she said, adding that "$2 billion was the amount spent on Halloween candy this year."
In 2001 the ELCA World Hunger Appeal received $329,000 designated for Stand With Africa. In April of that year the council allocated $350,000 for Stand With Africa. This year contributions from Lutherans have already exceeded $500,000 with four months remaining in the fiscal year.
In the ELCA half of all Stand With Africa income is directed to LWR and the other half funds specific initiatives of ELCA synod relationships with churches overseas for projects in three campaign areas: AIDS, hunger and peacemaking. The Division for Global Mission has taken the lead in coordinating this response.
The council "acknowledged with gratitude" the work of the ELCA World Hunger Program in partnership with LWR which has "given life" to the Stand With Africa campaign. It also "reaffirmed" the commitment of the ELCA to "walk with the churches of Africa"; expressed appreciation for the 65 synods of the ELCA, congregations, individuals and others for "going the second mile" in giving; encouraged additional offerings in 2003; and supported members of the Lutheran Youth Organization in their special "million dollar" challenge goal to support the campaign.
In a separate decision, the council moved to encourage Lutherans to expand awareness of the HIV/AIDS crisis and famine in Africa, and "give generously" to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, Stand With Africa and "international emergency appeals to respond to the urgent needs of people affected by hunger, drought, famine and disease in Africa" and other "countries in need."
The council also asked the ELCA Division for Church in Society to "request that pharmaceutical companies in which the ELCA holds corporate shares support national and international efforts to make generic anti- retroviral (ARV) drugs accessible to persons living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries" and continue to "raise with U.S. government officials and intergovernmental bodies the need for U.S. policy to reflect concerns related to hunger, drought, famine and disease in developing countries."
Council members contributed $3,700 for the Stand With Africa campaign and the World Hunger Appeal during worship on Nov. 17. -- -- --
Information about the World Hunger Program is available at http://www.elca.org/hunger/ on the ELCA Web site. Information about Stand With Africa is at http://www.elca.org/hunger/standwithafrica.html on the Web.
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
