by Annie Lynsen, ELCA Washington Office
The Rev. Marie C. Jerge, bishop of the Upstate New York Synod of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Syracuse, met
with U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and several other
members of the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Washington, D.C. visit by the sixth annual Collegium of the New York State Council of Churches.
Jerge and others in the collegium, including the Rev. Daniel B.
Hahn, director, Lutheran Statewide Advocacy, Albany, N.Y., and
several ecumenical partners, advocated primarily on peace and
poverty issues with Clinton and their representatives in memory
of Tom Fox, one of the Christian Peacemakers in Iraq, whose body
was found last month. Other denominations with representatives at
the meeting were the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ and
United Methodist Church.
"I appreciate the ecumenical nature of this event," said Jerge.
"We draw on all denominations and find places where we can speak
with a common voice. There's power in that." The group discussed
the 2007 federal budget, immigration reform, nuclear
nonproliferation, the Iraq war and U.S. policy on torture.
Links:
ELCA Washington Office: http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy/
Upstate New York Synod: http://www.upstatenysynod.org/
U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: http://clinton.senate.gov/
New York State Council of Churches:
http://www.nyscommunityofchurches.org/
Lutheran Statewide Advocacy: http://www.crisny.org/not-for-
profit/luthstad/about.htm
Episcopal Church: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): http://www.pcusa.org/
Reformed Church in America: http://www.rca.org
United Church of Christ: http://www.ucc.org/index.php
United Methodist Church: http://www.umc.org
- - -
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
