wfn.org | ELCA Assembly Votes to Strengthen Commitment To End World

["News News" <NEWS@elca.org>]

ELCA Assembly Votes to Strengthen Commitment To End World Hunger
CWA-22-05-JI

     ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA)--Voting members at the 2005 Churchwide
Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
overwhelmingly passed a memorial Aug. 10 strengthening the church
body's commitment to ending world hunger after declining to add
an amendment that several speakers said could have been
confusing,
     The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of
the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the World Center Marriott
and Convention Center.	About 2,300 people are participating,
including 1,018 ELCA voting members.  The theme for the biennial
assembly is "Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever."
     The hunger memorial is the first of five originally proposed
by the assembly's memorials committee for action by the
churchwide assembly.
     Growing out of 15 similar memorials that ELCA synods
recommended for action by the assembly, the memorial on hunger
calls for making hunger eradication "a core conviction" of the
ELCA, and for each of the 65 synods to make ending hunger a core
conviction of their ministry and mission.
     The memorial recommits the ELCA to the goals of its World
Hunger Appeal and Program "through increased resolve and renewed
engagement" in a number of areas, and lists concrete examples of
ways that congregations, synods and the churchwide organization
might also step up their resolve and commitment to ending world
hunger.
     Those examples include asking ELCA congregations, synods and
the churchwide organization to join with other churches in
initiating and advocating legislation to end hunger at local,
state, national and global levels, and asking congregations and
synods to encourage increased contributions to the ELCA World
Hunger Appeal.
     For congregations, examples also include "engaging in local
efforts to feed the hungry" in ways to "ensure adequate nutrition
and promote community economic development," praying with and for
those in need, and contributing generously to the ELCA World
Hunger Appeal.
     The memorial also suggests that synods increase hunger-
eradication efforts by "equipping congregations in their efforts
to feed the hungry."
     For the churchwide organization, the memorial gives examples
such as "continuing to undertake relief efforts and implement
sustainable development in partnership with Lutheran World Relief
and in cooperation with other people of faith in situations of
extreme hunger" and asks the assembly "to direct relevant units
to raise with the Lutheran World Federation this church's
interest in finding ways ... to address hunger eradication as an
urgent matter confronting people of faith."
     During floor discussion of the memorial, at least 20 voting
members spoke of the urgency of increasing efforts to end world
hunger.
     However, several noted that a suggested amendment addressing
"the complexities of sustainable development in countries whose
populations are living with chronic hunger" might be confusing to
church members.  The assembly voted down adding that amendment.
     The Rev. Diane H. "Dee" Pederson, St. Cloud, Minn., co-chair
of the memorials committee, noted from the assembly stage
yesterday that crafters of such amendments were "simply trying to
strengthen" that memorial.
     ELCA synods forwarded 196 memorials to the assembly for
consideration, which Pederson said is 120 more than they
submitted to the previous assembly in 2003.
     The memorials committee, appointed by the ELCA Church
Council, met in late June to categorize the memorials and draft
proposals for response by the assembly.
     The committee recommended that proposed responses to memorials be
approved "en bloc," where responses are proposed in a single
action, primarily for referral to an ELCA churchwide unit or
legislative body for study or action.
     However, Pederson and committee co-chair Karl D. Anderson,
Lakeville, Minn., pointed out that voting members have asked that
seven other categories of memorials be removed from the "en bloc"
list for separate consideration by the assembly.
     The five memorials the committee originally proposed for
action have to do with world hunger; bioethical research;
refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants; faithful conversation
about Scripture; and a mission-support covenant.
     The seven other categories of memorials that voting members
have requested be considered separately from the "en bloc" list
are HIV and AIDS education; Jewish-Christian relations; renewing
worship; licensed lay ministers; exceptions to ordinations in
unusual circumstances; ratification of policy and governing
documents; and deaf ministry.
---
     Information about the ELCA Churchwide Assembly is at
http://www.elca.org/assembly/05 on the Web.

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