Lutheran Youth Organization Delegates Act on Resolutions

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ELCA) -- More than 300 delegates
attending the Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) convention here
acted on a series of proposals, addressing such issues as
Lutheran unity, prayer, peacemaking, advocacy, the ONE campaign,
the conflict in Darfur, immigration and world hunger. The
delegates met July 9-12 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention
Center.
The LYO represents the high-school-age members of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Its convention
meets every three years between ELCA Youth Gatherings.
About 40,000 high-school-age and adult Lutherans from the
United States and around the world are participating in the 2006
ELCA Youth Gathering here. The gathering is taking place in two
back-to-back events. Some 15,000 young people, chaperones and
volunteers participated July 5-9; this week more than 24,000
people are participating through July 16.
At the LYO convention resolutions were proposed by
delegates, local or synod youth organizations, or the LYO board.
The delegates' actions included:
+ Lutheran unity: Stating they "feel moved to reach out to
our brothers and sisters in other Lutheran churches by
strengthening communication and realizing we are all people of
God," the delegates encouraged all Lutheran church denominations
"to seek unity and cooperation."
+ 4:24 campaign: During the convention, delegates paused at
4:24 p.m. each day to pray. The effort was based on the Book of
Acts 4:24, which says:"When they heard (that the disciples were
released from prison), they raised their voices together to God."
Noting that the ELCA's evangelism strategy calls the church to
prayer, the LYO invited ELCA members, congregations, synods,
churchwide organizations, agencies and institutions to join young
Lutherans for one minute of prayer at 4:24 p.m. each day.
+ Kairos 2006: Delegates encouraged the ELCA to enter into
moral discussion "concerning our nation's foreign and military
policy," suggested use of peacemaking resources, and asked
members to "prayerfully consider becoming involved in studying,
developing and signing 'Kairos 2006,' as one step in being a
'public church' following God's command to be peacemakers."
Kairos 2006 is a statement of concern drafted by Seattle-area
Lutherans and others, and is available at
http://kairos2006.tripod.com/ on the Web.
+ ELCA advocacy: The board of the LYO said it would work to
establish a liaison position with the ELCA's advocacy offices "to
engage youth in education and advocacy on issues that affect our
communities, nation, and the world, (on) which the ELCA has taken
a position."
+ ONE Lutheran campaign: Delegates joined with the Rev. Mark
S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, and the ELCA Conference of
Bishops in endorsing the ONE campaign, an effort to end global
poverty. The LYO delegates "strongly encouraged" LYO members to
sign the ONE pledge and join the ELCA e-Advocacy Network at
http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy, and asked LYO representatives to
plan outreach campaigns in their synods to promote the ONE
campaign.
+ Darfur: In response to Hanson's statement in May 2006
urging ELCA members to take action on behalf of the people of
Darfur, Sudan, LYO delegates asked the organization to "raise
awareness about the Darfur conflict and world genocide" through a
variety of methods, and resolved that the LYO use (its) talents
and tools "to help those in need in Darfur and around the world."
+ Immigration: While saying they do not condone illegal
immigration, the delegates said the ministry of LYO "should not
be contingent on (the) legal status of immigrants." Delegates
supported an April 2006 immigration statement issued by Ralston
H. Deffenbaugh Jr., president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee
Service, Baltimore, Hanson and most members of the ELCA
Conference of Bishops, promoting a path toward permanent
residence for all immigrants currently in the United States.
Delegates asked the LYO board to establish communication among
synods on immigration issues, and asked that the board work with
its Multicultural Advisory Committee to "call for development of
resources to guide members of the LYO to set forth a youth
ministry to immigrant youth."
+ World hunger: Delegates challenged every congregation
youth group or synod LYO in the ELCA "to raise money toward (the)
ELCA World Hunger Appeal and Disaster (Response) to fight to end
world hunger and raise awareness of extreme hunger and poverty"
in 2007. They asked the church to provide resources and tools to
assist the youth in meeting this challenge, and encouraged each
youth group and synod LYO to set a fundraising goal.
Delegates acted on other issues such as developing a
partnership with ELCA outdoor ministries; called for an amendment
to the ELCA Constitution and Bylaws to permit ELCA Church Council
youth advisory members to serve a three-year term instead of a
two-year term; and adopted LYO's priorities for the next three
years, focusing on being a community of faith, engaging in
conversation, training leaders, developing and sustaining
partnerships, being servant leaders, and working to address the
lack of involvement by young people in congregations. They also
approved a series of proposals on internal LYO concerns.
The delegates spent considerable time debating a resolution
on the war in Iraq before tabling it and taking no action. The
proposal was aimed at promoting conversation about the war.
Delegates defeated a proposal on environmental stewardship
that asked the LYO board to compile resources to increase
awareness of environmental issues and stewardship. The delegates
asked that the LYO board reconsider this resolution.
The convention included worship, prayer, workshops,
conversations on a series of contemporary topics, elections of
officers and a new board, discussions about the organization's
future and inspirational presentations.
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Information about the Lutheran Youth Organization is at
http://www.ELCA.org/lyo/ on the ELCA Web site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog