CHICAGO (ELCA)-- Lutherans around the nation should study
the situation in Darfur and advocate to U.S. officials in order
to seek an end to the killing that many call a genocide in the
African region, said a resolution adopted here Aug. 8 by the 2007
Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA).
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of
the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 6-11 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall.
About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,071 ELCA voting
members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Living in God's
Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"
The resolution on Darfur, passed by a vote of 976 to 11,
also praised the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA Presiding Bishop, for
the efforts that he and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) have
made to address the killings in Darfur. Hanson is the president
of the LWF, an organization of 140 Lutheran churches in 78
countries around the world.
There are 4.2 million people who may be in danger of
starvation in Darfur, said the Rev. Lisa C. Anderson, a pastor
from the ELCA New England Synod and the only voting member to
speak on the recommendation. As many as 10,000 might be dying
each month, Anderson said.
Lutherans were urged to use the state and national
governmental advocacy offices of the church and the church's
electronic advocacy network to contact public officials to make
the concerns of the churches known.
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Information about the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be
found at http://www.ELCA.org/assembly/ on the Web.
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
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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
