ELCA Assembly Hears Hunger Report

MILWAUKEE (ELCA) -- Lutherans strive to address chronic hunger and poverty in the United States and world as reported by the World Hunger program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
Participants heard of dire need and creative response from related activities of the World Hunger Appeal, which collects designated funds for poverty relief and development; Lutheran World Relief (LWR), which works for justice with partners in 50 countries; and Stand With Africa, an education, advocacy and giving effort by the ELCA, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and LWR.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 11-17 at the Midwest Airlines Center. There are about 2,100 people participating, including 1,031 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: For the Healing of the World."
"The World Hunger Program is the way our church has chosen to be a faithful, reliable partner in the worldwide movement to end chronic hunger, to say 'yes' to the healing of the world," said Lita Brusick Johnson, director of World Hunger Appeal. "The ELCA World Hunger Program is about saying 'yes' in a complex world, through relief that keeps people alive in times of crisis and through sustainable development and long-term companionship with communities that break the cycle of poverty that causes hunger."
The 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly set a goal of increasing giving to the World Hunger Appeal from $12.5 million to $25 million by 2005. That averages $5 per member instead of 50¢ per member. In 2002, $17 million was raised, which Johnson called "progress."
According to Johnson, efforts of Lutheran young people have been inspiring. Youth challenged each other to bring $1 million in quarters for hunger relief to the recent ELCA Youth Gathering in Atlanta, Ga., July 16-20 and July 23-27. Over $660,000 have already been raised, "more than 16 tons of quarters!" said Johnson.
According to the Rev. E. Roy Riley, Jr., bishop of the ELCA New Jersey Synod, over 31 million U.S. citizens are living below the government poverty level, 1 million African Americans live in "extreme poverty" (defined as living at less than half of the poverty level), and one in six children in this country is living in poverty. "That's not just a crisis, that's a scandal," said Riley. "The scandal is ours to deal with. And, by the grace of God, the reality of hope and healing is ours to deliver," he added.
In the New Jersey Synod three years ago, Lutheran business leaders were invited to help the synod brainstorm on how to address poverty in their states. Hearing stories directly from people living in poverty was part of the agenda. "[The business leaders] were dumbfounded. They had never known anyone who lived in financial poverty," said Riley. "Their only reference for the poor was the homeless person they would occasionally see sleeping on a city sidewalk."
Kathryn Wolford, president of Lutheran World Relief, highlighted the organization's efforts for shelter, protection and economic support for people around the world. "Their lives do indeed count, not just their debts," Wolford said.
Among LWR programs making a difference in people's lives is coordination of fair trade with coffee, tea, cocoa and handicraft suppliers. "Lutherans are leading the country in promoting fair trade. Fair trade provides fair wage for some of the poorest farmers in the world," said Wolford.
More than $1.3 million has been given by members of congregations to “Stand With Africa” since 2001 to promote efforts to overcome the HIV/AIDS pandemic, banish hunger and transform conflict into peace. An additional $350,000 was designated by the ELCA Church Council since the 2001 Churchwide Assembly, said Dr. Belletech Deressa, director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
In 2002, some 42 million people worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS, including 29.4 million people in Africa, she said.
HIV/AIDS has affected African economies, reduced productivity and increased hunger, she said. In spite of this, Lutheran churches in Africa have become “healing communities” in the face of the AIDS pandemic, Deressa said.
“There are signs of hope, and there are roads to recovery and healing,” Deressa said. “Stand With Africa enables us and our partners to work with the people and share the gift of hope.”
The World Hunger Program report was concluded by participants waving colorful scarves from Bangladesh.
"[The scarves'] story goes back to 1971 when the Lutheran World Federation, our worldwide Lutheran family, provided food and shelter to refugees fleeing war. When Bangladesh achieved independence, Lutheran World Federation returned to help rebuild and escape the silent disaster of chronic hunger through comprehensive rural community development," said Johnson. Assembly participants were asked to reflect upon the soft silk and calloused hands of the women who pulled the strong fibers for the scarves. The women who labored to feed their families and the World Hunger partners whose prayers, gifts and advocacy seeded the program were described as the "warp and woof of the weave." "Breaking the cycle of poverty takes hard work, skill and commitment over time," said Johnson. "The result is luminescent."
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Information about the ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.elca.org/assembly/03 on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
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