Title: ELCA Presiding Bishop Asks for Prayers for Peace in Kenya ELCA NEWS SERVICE
February 7, 2008
ELCA Presiding Bishop Asks for Prayers for Peace in Kenya 08-009-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a Feb. 8 message to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, asked members to "join brothers and sisters throughout the world in prayer for peace and reconciliation in Kenya." The presiding bishop's message also served as a report to the church with updates about mission personnel serving there, contacts with Kenyan Lutheran churches and information about how the ELCA has responded to the crisis in Kenya.
Following a disputed presidential election Dec. 27, there has been widespread violence in Kenya that has left more than 1,000 people dead. Political and civic leaders have been assassinated.
In his message Hanson asked for prayers for the church in Kenya, for those who have lost loved ones and are displaced, and for ELCA mission personnel who continue to serve. They include two "Young Adults in Global Mission," a husband and wife team providing leadership to the Nairobi International Lutheran Congregation, and an Africa-wide health consultant and his family, he said. ELCA Global Mission staff is monitoring the situation to ensure their safety, Hanson said.
Through contacts with church leaders, Kenyan church leaders have reported that "hundreds of thousands of Kenyan children, women and men have been forced to flee their homes. This unrest has its roots in ethnic divisions that were reinforced by colonial rule and have shaped post-colonial life in Kenya. It also is rooted in the wide gap between 'haves' and 'have-nots' in that country. The emerging pattern of violence threatens the future of one of the most stable countries in Africa and could have enormous implications on other countries in the region," Hanson said.
The ELCA is working with the churches in Kenya and global Lutheran and ecumenical partners to meet urgent human need, he said. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has two member churches in Kenya: the ELCA has a companion church relationship with the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) is in altar and pulpit fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK).
"From the very first days of the crisis, both churches have provided emergency food and supplies to families in the slums of Nairobi and in other parts of Kenya affected by the violence," Hanson said. The ELCA responded immediately with a $10,000 grant to the KELC and a $15,000 grant to Church World Service, which helped coordinate the work of Action by Churches Together (ACT) in the initial days of the crisis.
ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergency situations worldwide. It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the LWF in Geneva. The ELCA is a member of the WCC and LWF.
The ELCA also coordinated its response with Lutheran World Relief, a ministry of both the ELCA and the LCMS. Hanson invited members to visit the ELCA Web site at http://www.ELCA.org/disaster for updates and for information about how members can contribute financial gifts.
ELCA Global Mission staff remains in close communication with KELC Bishop Zachariah Kahutu, by both phone and e-mail. Gaylord Thomas, director of the Africa desk, ELCA Global Mission, traveled to Kenya to provide encouragement and support to the KELC and ELCA mission personnel serving in Kenya.
The All Africa Conference of Churches and Inter-faith Action for Peace in Africa are working with churches and faith groups in Kenya to help build peace and achieve accountability, transparency and national unity, Hanson said. Support includes personal visits, such as the recent trip of global church leaders organized by the WCC.
On Feb. 6 the U.N. Security Council deplored the violence in Kenya. "The council emphasizes that the only solution to the crisis lies through dialogue, negotiation and compromise and strongly urges Kenya's political leaders to foster reconciliation," the statement said.
The council statement said that some 310,000 people in the country fled their homes.
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The full text of Presiding Bishop Hanson's message is at http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/messages/m_080207.html 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