wfn.org | ELCA Assembly Acts on Final Three Memorials

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ELCA Assembly Acts on Final Three Memorials
CWA-49-05-JI

     ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA)--The 2005 Churchwide Assembly of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) acted on three
memorials at the assembly's final session Aug. 14 -- the last of
12 offered separately to the assembly by a memorials committee.
     The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of
the ELCA, met here Aug. 8-14 at the World Center Marriott and
Convention Center.  About 2,300 people participated, including
1,018 ELCA voting members.  The theme for the biennial assembly
was "Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever.
     Memorials are resolutions submitted by synods seeking
specific action.
     The final three memorials have to do with exceptions to
ordinations in unusual circumstances, ratification of policy and
governing documents and deaf ministry.
     In response to memorials from the ELCA Southwestern
Minnesota Synod, the action on exceptions to ordinations in
unusual circumstances refers that synod's memorial to the ELCA
Division for Ministry and declines to suspend the document known
as "Called to Common Mission (CCM)," with regard to ordination of
pastors and installation of bishops.  CCM established the ELCA's
full-communion partnership relationship with the Episcopal
Church. The vote on the churchwide assembly memorial was 671-146.
     The memorial on ratification of policy and governing
documents responded to memorials from three ELCA synods.  The
churchwide asembly's action, 592-242, acknowledged that the
subject of those synod memorials had already been studied by the
ELCA Church Council and presented to the 2003 Churchwide
Assembly.  The Aug. 14 action also asked the ELCA secretary to
provide the 2003 assembly's action on that matter to the three
synods.
     The assembly voted down a proposal to substitute the wording
of a "model memorial" for the memorial of the committee.  That
model proposed amending the ELCA constitution to require
ratification of amendments to the constitution by three-fourths
of the church body's 65 synods.
     With a vote of 802-44, voting members adopted a deaf-
ministry memorial, which responded to a request from the Lower
Susquehanna Synod. The original churchwide asembly memorial
contained recommendations to :
     * reaffirm the ELCA's commitment to conducting deaf
ministry;
     * reaffirm a 2001 action of the ELCA Church Council that
supports "the culture and language ... of deaf persons," calls
for separating deaf ministry "from disability ministries in
structure and budget," calls for the continuing work of a
coordinator for deaf ministry, and asks "the appropriate unit" of
the churchwide organization to commit to increasing support for
deaf ministry; and
     * acknowledges that actions of the 2005 Churchwide Assembly
on the 2006-2007 budget and the constitution and bylaw amendments
are the response to the synod's memorial.
     Constance M. Kilmark, voting member, ELCA South Central
Synod of Wisconsin, proposed an amendment that changed the
wording of the recommendation on the deaf-ministry memorial from
the committee.
     That amendment added "brothers and sisters with disabilities
have valuable perspectives which should be presented by people
with disabilities themselves and not solely by 'abled' people on
behalf of people with disabilities.
     The amendment also affirms "that to be a truly inclusive
church, we must seek people with disabilities of all sorts to
teach others of us how to be specifically welcoming to them and
how properly to value and use the gifts of their experience at
every level of membership and leaderships in every expression of
this church.
     As a final action on memorials, the assembly Aug. 14
approved 25 responses to memorials "en bloc," in one action.
*-
     Information about the ELCA Churchwide Assembly is at
http://www.elca.org/assembly/05 on the Web.

For more information contact:
John Brooks, Director (7
73) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news