MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Voting members at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly gave strong affirmation Aug. 20 to the ministry of a disaster response agency it supports jointly with the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS).
By a vote of 529 to 20, voting members affirmed the ministry of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). They approved a memorial suggested by six synods in Pennsylvania, and one representing West Virginia and Western Maryland. It encourages the ELCA “to continue to deepen and develop its process for working together with churchwide units, synods and social ministry organizations in times of specific disasters.”
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 17-23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,045 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is “God’s work. Our hands.”
The Rev. Serena S. Sellers, of the ELCA Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, praised what she saw to be the effective work LDR, even in economically challenging times. She said, “[the ministry] has become stronger and more nimble, even while financial resources are diminished.”
An amendment was approved recommending the creation of a permanent LDR advisory committee, to provide better direction to the ministry. Speaking in support of the concept, the Rev. Clifton D. Eshbach, of the ELCA Lower Susquehanna Synod, said, “We need assistance in getting our act together. The advisory committee will make the ministry better.”
Lutheran Disaster Response has provided rapid response in times of crisis. In recent years it was early on the scene when a passenger plane went down near Buffalo, N.Y. It responded quickly following the Katrina hurricane disaster in Louisiana and across the Gulf South.
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Information about the 2009 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
