ORLANDO, FLA. (ELCA) - Christina Jackson-Skelton, treasurer
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said the
church's financial position is satisfactory. She made her
remarks in a report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops and ELCA
Church Council here Aug. 7.
The bishops and council gathered on the eve of the ELCA's
2005 Churchwide Assembly at the Orlando World Center Marriott
Resort and Convention Center, Aug. 8-14. The Conference of
Bishops is an advisory body of the church consisting of the ELCA
presiding bishop, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson; the secretary of the
church, the Rev. Lowell G. Almen; and the 65 ELCA synod bishops.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as
the legislative authority of the church between churchwide
assemblies.
"While the overall financial position was satisfactory due
to positive variances in unit spending, the decrease in mission
support revenue continues to be an area of concern," Jackson-
Skelton wrote in her report to the bishops and council.
Mission support income from congregations through synods
totaled $26.1 million, a decrease of $100,000 from the previous
year, according to the report. Jackson-Skelton also thanked the
bishops for keeping the ELCA Office of the Treasurer informed
about mission support changes.
The ELCA churchwide organization "had expenses in excess of
income of $100,000 in current operating funds for the five months
ending June 30, 2005," Jackson-Skelton wrote in the report, but
said expenses were below budget by $2.5 million.
Receipts totaled $32.3 million for the five months ended
June 30, 2005, a decrease of $500,000 from the previous
year. Contributions to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal totaled $5.2
million for the first five months of 2005, an increase of
$400,000 from the same period last year.
"The last five month's results are less than spectacular in
some ways, but represent very good work in many ways by the
Conference of Bishops," Jackson-Skelton said.
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Information about the ELCA Churchwide Assembly is at http://www.elca.org/assembly/05 on the Web.
*Kirsten H. Boettner is a senior communication major at Luther
College, Decorah, Iowa. This summer she is an intern with the
ELCA News Service.
For more information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
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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
