ELCA NEWS SERVICE August 16, 2003 ELCA Assembly Greeted By Lutheran Immigration And Refugee Service 03-CWA-41-BMC MILWAUKEE (ELCA) -- Ralston Deffenbaugh, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), greeted the 2003 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), stressing that support for refugees is crucial in a post- September 11 world. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 11-17 at the Midwest Airlines Center. There are about 2,100 people participating, including 1,031 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: For the Healing of the World." Jill Schumann, executive director of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), was unable to bring greetings to the assembly because her flight from Baltimore was grounded by the power outages experienced Aug. 14 in the northeastern states. Deffenbaugh thanked the assembly for passing a resolution earlier in the plenary session that upheld the importance of working with refugees. "The support of this church has been stalwart, and we thank you for that," he said. Deffenbaugh pointed out that as Lutherans in the United States, "We once were, and still are, an immigrant church." He said that before September 11, 2001, the United States was a leader in resettling refugees. Since then, most refugees have been denied entrance to the country. "The aftermath of [September 11] has been devastating for LIRS and for those who work on behalf of refugees," he said. Nevertheless, LIRS and its volunteers continue to provide welcome to refugees, said Deffenbaugh. "Lutherans are helping to shape welcoming communities every day." Deffenbaugh invited voting member and former refugee Kamy Moghbeli from the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod to offer his testimony. Moghbeli, who is a volunteer ambassador for LIRS, said, "I am proud to be a Lutheran-American -- first Lutheran and then American." Moghbeli added, "The refugees are not terrorists. They are waiting to join their families and relatives." The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, asked the assembly to acknowledge the work that both LSA and LIRS do on behalf of the ELCA. LSA is an umbrella organization for the social ministry organizations of the ELCA and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It is the largest social-ministry organization in the United States, reaching one in 50 Americans. -- -- -- Information about the ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.elca.org/assembly/03 on the Web. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news