Title: ELCA Council Affirms Church's Work to Develop Initiative on Malaria ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 18, 2008
ELCA Council Affirms Church's Work to Develop Initiative on Malaria 08-047-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) affirmed the work of the church in developing a proposed Lutheran malaria initiative.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between assemblies. The council met here April 11-13. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 17-23, 2009, in Minneapolis.
The council authorized the "receipt of funds" and their "utilization for the purposes of preparation for a potential Lutheran malaria initiative education and fundraising campaign in accordance with the United Nations Foundation grant proposal." Under the auspices of ELCA World Hunger Appeal and Program, the council authorized the church to continue working on the initiative until the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The council stipulated that the United Nations Foundation grants for the Lutheran malaria initiative are not subject to the allocation between ELCA World Hunger domestic and international projects. It requested that an update on the initiative be provided at the council's November 2008 meeting. The council also requested that a report with recommendations for action by the 2009 assembly be delivered at the council's April 2009 meeting.
The council acknowledged that the proposed Lutheran malaria initiative would include an HIV and AIDS emphasis and that the emphasis would be integrated with an ELCA churchwide strategy on HIV and AIDS, which is currently under way. The proposal would also connect with ELCA appeals, such as its annual World Hunger Appeal.
In a presentation to the council, the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, said, "Malaria (is) a preventable and curable disease" that "claims over 1 million lives each year, mostly infants, small children and pregnant women -- most of whom live in Africa. Each year more than 350 million people worldwide contract this debilitating disease, which pulls families and communities into a downward spiral of poverty, especially those who cannot afford treatment."
Malpica Padilla told the council that there is an increasing number of people who are infected with malaria and HIV and AIDS, "which attacks the body with a deadly synergy." He said, "Poverty is not the virus that causes AIDS or malaria, but poverty creates the conditions in which these diseases thrive."
A year ago the United Nations Foundation approached Lutheran World Relief (LWR) to engage in an effort to control and prevent malaria. LWR brought to the ELCA and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) a proposal to develop a common Lutheran malaria initiative that includes raising a minimum of $75 million in the course of five years. Based in Baltimore, LWR is a ministry of the ELCA, LCMS, individuals and parishes involved in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
In addition to raising $75 million for the Lutheran malaria initiative Cynthia Halverson, executive director, ELCA Development Services, and president, ELCA Foundation, told the council the goals of the initiative include mobilizing 8 million Lutherans to combat the disease, increasing awareness and advocacy among Lutherans, and creating new roles and partnerships for faith-based organizations in the field of global health.
Regarding "the network of relationships that Lutherans in the United States are forming around the Lutheran malaria initiative, we're excited because of the co-design and co-visioning that has occurred in the past 18 months with the church bodies. We feel that this presents to us an unprecedented opportunity for us to work together," said John A. Nunes, LWR president and CEO.
William R. Lloyd Jr., council member, Somerset, Pa., expressed his hope that money raised "would actually get out into the field." He added, "My perception in this whole process has been that we've driven it with the amount of money available rather than looking at the other end. What's the need?"
In response Malpica Padilla gave the example of assessments being conducted in South Africa that "will tell us where the money needs to go right away." He added that such assessments are being done in collaboration with the Lutheran World Federation and the ELCA's "companion" Lutheran churches. - - - Audio of Nunes' comment is at http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080417.Nunes.MP3 and of Halverson's comment is at http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080417.Halverson.MP3 on the ELCA Web site.
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