wfn.org | Jubilee 2000/USA Rally, Meetings April 9-10 in Washington, D.C.

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 23, 2000

JUBILEE 2000/USA RALLY, MEETINGS APRIL 9-10 IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
00-070-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -  "Proclaim Jubilee: Cancel the Debts, Now!" is
the theme of the National Mobilization for Debt Cancellation rally to be
held in Washington, D.C., April 9 to bring public attention to an
international effort to cancel the debts held by the world's most
impoverished countries.
     The rally, which organizers expect will draw thousands of people
from throughout the country, is part of the Jubilee 2000/USA campaign.
The campaign has drawn a variety of  religious and secular organizations
together to work for elimination of debts held by impoverished nations
in Africa, Asia and Latin America.   The Jubilee campaign is based on
biblical passages in Leviticus which call for a "Year of Jubilee" every
50 years to eliminate debts and proclaim liberty to all inhabitants.
     On April 10 rally participants plan to visit members of Congress
to discuss Jubilee 2000/USA.
     The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a sponsor of
the events.  In recent years the ELCA Church Council and churchwide
assemblies have declared support for Jubilee 2000/USA.  The 1999
Churchwide Assembly affirmed the ELCA's continued participation and
encouraged ongoing educational efforts for members.
     In his report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops this month, the
Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said a constant
theme in his conversations with international visitors is support for
Jubilee 2000 and debt relief.
     The April 9 rally and April 10 meetings are intended to influence
decision makers and to call on the Clinton Administration and the U.S.
Congress to eliminate debts in impoverished countries.
     Plans call for rally participants to worship April 9 at one of
numerous "Jubilee congregations" in the Washington metropolitan area,
said the Rev. Mark B. Brown, assistant director for international
affairs and human rights, Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs
(LOGA), Washington, D.C.   LOGA has been active on behalf of the ELCA in
the Jubilee 2000/USA campaign, and Brown chairs the planning committee
for the April 9 rally
and April 10 "Lobby Day."
     Jubilee congregations include churches of the ELCA, Church of the
Brethren, The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Roman
Catholic Church and United Church of Christ.
     Following worship, rally participants will gather at noon on April
9 for music and speeches at The Mall, a large open area between the
Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol, Brown said.  Confirmed speakers
include the Rev. Oscar Rodriguez, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras;
Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president, AFL-CIO; the Rev. Jim
Wallis, editor-in-chief, Sojourners magazine; Rabbi David Saperstein,
director, Religious Action of Reformed Judaism; Ann Pettifor, director,
Jubilee 2000, United Kingdom; and Ricardo Navarro, president, Friends of
the Earth International.
     Following the speeches, rally participants will begin forming a
human "chain" around the U.S. Capitol and past the White House to the
World Bank to demonstrate the need for both U.S. and international
action to help break the "chains" of debt, Brown said.
     "The human chain will be a reminder of the chains of debt borne by
impoverished countries and a representation of the chains of solidarity
we are forging around the world as we work for a more just global
economy," Brown said. "Our action will be a dramatic and nonviolent
statement of our commitment to the right economic relationships
suggested by the biblical concept of jubilee."
     On April 10, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, an ELCA
congregation in Washington, D.C., will host a morning prayer service and
a briefing for people who will visit lawmakers.  The congregation will
also serve as a gathering place and hospitality center during the day,
Brown added.

Editors: Information about the April 8-9 Jubilee 2000 rally in
Washington, D.C., is available at the event's Web site,
www.loga.org/JubRally.htm.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html