wfn.org | $8.6 million toward mission, communication and development projects

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

LWF COUNCIL MEETING, TURKU, FINLAND, 14-21 JUNE 2000
PRESS RELEASE NO. 15

TURKU, Finland/GENEVA, 21 June 2000 (LWI) - The Council of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) has received the Project Committee report in
which funding was approved for 54 projects with a financial volume of
more than USD 8.6 million for the period 2001-2003.

The report was brought before the Council meeting in Turku, Finland by
the Program Committee for the LWF Department for Mission and Development
(DMD). The projects are in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and on a
global level. They were approved by the Project Committee at its last
meeting in Geneva, Switzerland from 23 to 26 May 2000.

The allocation among the continents is as follows: USD 3.9 million for
Africa representing 45 per cent, USD 1.4 million for Asia (25 per cent),
USD 290,000 for Europe (2.5 per cent), USD 2.5 million for Latin America
(25 per cent) and USD 348,450 (2.5 per cent) for two global projects.
Overall, this represents 85 per cent of the total amount requested for
the different projects.

The Project Committee had received for approval a total of 86 projects
of which 45 were mission and communication-related, 39
development-related and two global projects. The breakdown by regions
was 28 projects from member churches in Africa, 27 from Asia, four from
Europe and 25 from Latin America. The total volume of funds applied for
was USD 10.1 million extending over 2001 - 2003.

Out of the total projects, 27 of them totaling USD 447,190 had been
approved by the LWF inter-departmental committee, based on the existing
guidelines, which authorizes staff to approve small-scale projects with
a maximum budget of USD 30,000, and of which funds must be raised by
staff just as for any other project. The committee rejected a project
from Thailand, deferred one from Bangladesh and two from India while one
from South Africa was rejected.

At its meeting in 1999, the Project Committee approved 97 mission,
communication and development projects worldwide representing a total
amount of USD 16.5 million. In 1998, the Committee approved 112 projects
worth USD 12 million.

On other matters, the Council received from the DMD Program Committee
proposed guidelines for visitation teams and pastoral delegations. The
committee's chairperson Rev. Susan E. Nagle explained that the
guidelines were developed to facilitate response to the many requests
for assistance in the process of mediation and reconciliation in view of
the internal difficulties experienced by member churches.

The chairperson said discussions in the DMD committee centered also on
violence against women, with appreciation of the draft document Churches
say 'No' to Violence against Women; message from the pre-Council youth
workshop; appreciation for as well as challenges and problems by some
charismatic movements and how this relates to mission; the meaning of
the terminology "missional church"; the Lutheran identity and the
regional expressions of Communion among other items.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 59 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. Its highest
decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years.
Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which
meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its
various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

*       *       *
Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/