wfn.org | Lutherans Surpass $1 Million-Mark in 'Millions for Mitch' Campaign

[NEWS <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

February 4, 1999

LUTHERANS SURPASS $1 MILLION-MARK IN 'MILLIONS FOR MITCH' CAMPAIGN
98-04-22-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "Millions for Mitch" -- a campaign that involves
millions of Lutherans contributing millions of dollars for recovery
efforts in Central America following the devastation of Hurricane Mitch --
has surpassed the $1 million-mark since the campaign began in November
1998.  The World Hunger and Disaster Appeal of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) has received $1.6 million from congregations for
distribution in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
     "Our members' response to the tremendous human suffering caused by
Hurricane Mitch has been overwhelming," said Lita Brusick Johnson,
director for the ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal.  
     Hurricane Mitch killed more than 10,000 people Oct. 29-31.  The
Category 5 hurricane was the strongest storm to hit the Atlantic Ocean
since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.  Damages were catastrophic, with ships
lost in the Caribbean Sea and deaths caused by flooding and mud slides in
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.  Millions of
people are homeless, and hundreds of thousands are isolated.
     "This wonderful outpouring of financial help has enabled our church
to respond quickly to immediate and desperate needs through our sister
churches and partner agencies in Central America.  It lays the foundation
for our long-term response to what has been described as a 'disaster of
biblical proportions,'" said Johnson.
     The ELCA has provided $450,000 for Central America through Lutheran
World Relief (LWR), the overseas relief and development agency of the ELCA
and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  LWR has been working with partner
agencies in Central America dispatching millions of dollars in material
and financial aid since the first weeks of the crisis.
     Through Action by Churches Together (ACT), the ELCA has provided
$220,000 for Central America and $10,000 for Honduras.  The ELCA is a
member of ACT, a worldwide network of churches, including the Lutheran
World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency
response.  The ELCA is one of the 124 member churches of the Lutheran
World Federation.
     The ELCA has provided the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nicaragua
with $72,000 for potable water, food and medicine, housing and the
"reactivation of the local economy."  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Honduras received $10,000, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Guatemala received $10,000 from the ELCA.  
     "The remainder of the $1.6 million is in the process for
distribution in Central America," said Belletech Deressa, director for
international development and disaster response in the ELCA Division for
Global Mission.
     "We have promised our brothers and sisters in Central America to
walk with them on the long path to recovery -- recovery that could take a
decade," Johnson said.  "The continuing support of our members in the
coming months will ensure that long-term help is available for those often
forgotten in disasters -- the poor and persons with special needs."   
     Gifts to "Millions for Mitch" or "Hurricane Mitch" are used for
church-related relief and recovery efforts under way primarily in
Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS:

Editors:  When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to survivors of major
disasters outside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please
include:
                    Lutheran World Relief 
                   Church Street Station 
                       P.O. Box 6186 
                  New York, NY 10277-1738 
                       1-800-LWR-LWR-2
                              
                              
                  For information contact:
    John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
           http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html