ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 18, 2008
ELCA Council Affirms Church's Work to Develop Initiative on Malaria
08-047-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) affirmed the work of the
church in developing a proposed Lutheran malaria initiative.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and
serves as the legislative authority of the church between
assemblies. The council met here April 11-13. Assemblies
are held every other year; the next is Aug. 17-23, 2009, in
Minneapolis.
The council authorized the "receipt of funds" and their
"utilization for the purposes of preparation for a potential
Lutheran malaria initiative education and fundraising campaign
in accordance with the United Nations Foundation grant
proposal." Under the auspices of ELCA World Hunger Appeal and
Program, the council authorized the church to continue working
on the initiative until the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The
council stipulated that the United Nations Foundation grants
for the Lutheran malaria initiative are not subject to the
allocation between ELCA World Hunger domestic and international
projects. It requested that an update on the initiative be
provided at the council's November 2008 meeting. The council
also requested that a report with recommendations for action
by the 2009 assembly be delivered at the council's April 2009
meeting.
The council acknowledged that the proposed Lutheran
malaria initiative would include an HIV and AIDS emphasis and
that the emphasis would be integrated with an ELCA churchwide
strategy on HIV and AIDS, which is currently under way. The
proposal would also connect with ELCA appeals, such as its
annual World Hunger Appeal.
In a presentation to the council, the Rev. Rafael Malpica
Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, said,
"Malaria (is) a preventable and curable disease" that "claims
over 1 million lives each year, mostly infants, small children
and pregnant women -- most of whom live in Africa. Each year
more than 350 million people worldwide contract this
debilitating disease, which pulls families and communities
into a downward spiral of poverty, especially those who cannot
afford treatment."
Malpica Padilla told the council that there is an
increasing number of people who are infected with malaria and
HIV and AIDS, "which attacks the body with a deadly synergy."
He said, "Poverty is not the virus that causes AIDS or
malaria, but poverty creates the conditions in which these
diseases thrive."
A year ago the United Nations Foundation approached
Lutheran World Relief (LWR) to engage in an effort to control
and prevent malaria. LWR brought to the ELCA and the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) a proposal to develop a common
Lutheran malaria initiative that includes raising a minimum
of $75 million in the course of five years. Based in
Baltimore, LWR is a ministry of the ELCA, LCMS, individuals
and parishes involved in international relief, development,
advocacy and social responsibility.
In addition to raising $75 million for the Lutheran
malaria initiative Cynthia Halverson, executive director,
ELCA Development Services, and president, ELCA Foundation,
told the council the goals of the initiative include
mobilizing 8 million Lutherans to combat the disease,
increasing awareness and advocacy among Lutherans, and
creating new roles and partnerships for faith-based
organizations in the field of global health.
Regarding "the network of relationships that Lutherans
in the United States are forming around the Lutheran
malaria initiative, we're excited because of the co-design
and co-visioning that has occurred in the past 18 months
with the church bodies. We feel that this presents to us
an unprecedented opportunity for us to work together,"
said John A. Nunes, LWR president and CEO.
William R. Lloyd Jr., council member, Somerset, Pa.,
expressed his hope that money raised "would actually get out
into the field." He added, "My perception in this whole
process has been that we've driven it with the amount of
money available rather than looking at the other end. What's
the need?"
In response Malpica Padilla gave the example of
assessments being conducted in South Africa that "will tell
us where the money needs to go right away." He added that
such assessments are being done in collaboration with the
Lutheran World Federation and the ELCA's "companion" Lutheran
churches.
- - -
Audio of Nunes' comment is at
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080417.Nunes.MP3
and of Halverson's comment is at
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080417.Halverson.MP3
on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
