wfn.org | ELCA global mission board urges nonviolence

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Raising international consciousness about children worldwide who silently
suffer the consequences of violence

TECHNY, Ill., U.S.A./GENEVA, 2 November 1998 (elca/lwi) - Acknowledging the
serious effect violence has on the lives of children around the world, the
board of the Division for Global Mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) voiced its support for a "Decade of Nonviolence" when it
met in Techny, Illinois, from October 15 to 17.

Twenty Nobel Peace Prize laureates have sponsored an appeal "for the
children of the world" and called for a Decade of Nonviolence (2001 to
2010) "to teach the practical meaning and benefits of nonviolence in our
daily lives in order to reduce violence and build a new culture of
nonviolence."

The board directed the division's staff to consult with the ELCA's Division
for Church in Society on finding the best ways to support the Nobel
laureates' appeal. They will also consider ways the ELCA may provide the
global community's leadership with resources on nonviolence, especially
materials dealing with violence toward children and youth.

The action came in conjunction with related reports about violence in South
America and Africa and about a major initiative for the ELCA. Board members
heard that children in Colombia - through the Children's Movement for Peace
- are raising international consciousness about children worldwide who
silently suffer the consequences of violence.

The effects of violence in Sierra Leone's civil strife led the board to
request a needs assessment and a response for those affected in western
Africa. It also heard a report on the ELCA's "Initiatives to Prepare for a
New Century," which urges that "we redouble our efforts to aid children,
youth and young adults at risk from racism, hunger, violence and poverty,
both at home and throughout the world."

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/