ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 28, 2008
Chinese Congregation Gives ELCA Funds for Midwest Floods
08-148-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla said he is
rarely at a loss for words, but the generosity he and others
witnessed Aug. 10, half a world away in China, left him
speechless and grateful for the partnership of Luzhou Christian
Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission,
and other ELCA leaders and staff, visited the congregation that
Sunday to participate in worship. The Lutherans were in China
for many reasons, one of which was to see how ELCA contributions
following the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province are at work.
The earthquake's devastation was beyond anything Malpica
Padilla had seen before, including hurricanes and the 2005 South
Asia tsunami.
Luzhou Christian Church's pastor, the Rev. Liao Xin Qin,
asked Malpica Padilla to offer a brief greeting and homily for
the nearly 300 people who were assembled. After he was finished,
there was a surprise. "The pastor said, 'We have been waiting
for you.' She mentioned that we had accompanied them as they had
served their people through all of (their) challenges and
particularly through the earthquake. But also, they came to know
of the floods that had affected the United States and the ELCA's
involvement," Malpica Padilla said. Liao then presented Malpica
Padilla with an envelope containing the equivalent of $500 USD,
the contributions of members. Barely able to express his
appreciation, Malpica Padilla remembered what he saw at that
moment.
"I could see their faces. They gave what they didn't have,
just to show their solidarity and love to a sister church that
has walked with them. That was worth the trip," he said. "In
the midst of their need, they heard about ours and responded."
The gift is a sign of companionship and accompaniment, Malpica
Padilla said.
The funds were designated for the 2008 Midwest floods and
will go to Lutheran Disaster Response, a collaborative ministry
of the ELCA and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, for its
ongoing response.
Though 250 miles from the earthquake zone, Luzhou Christian
Church was able to reach out to earthquake survivors because of
its understanding of holistic ministry, said the Rev. Y. Franklin
Ishida, director, Asia-Pacific Continental Desk, ELCA Global
Mission, who was also on the trip. Their witness, that of other
Christians and of partners such as the ELCA have been noticed and
appreciated by the Chinese government and its citizens, he said.
The congregation supports a cerebral palsy program at a
local hospital, operates a clinic that provides basic health
services to the community and helps develop rural communities.
The ELCA provided a ventilator to the congregation for use by
children at the hospital. ELCA World Hunger funds were provided
to the congregation to help pave a road and to provide water well
pumps to some 100 families in the village of Tudiba. The village
is a producer of a special lychee fruit, once a favorite of the
Tang dynasty imperial court, Ishida said. The lychee fruit trade
has brought economic rewards due to the improved road. For
example, the fruit was sent to visiting dignitaries at the recent
Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, he said.
ELCA Global Mission personnel and Christians in China have
been working together for nearly four years through the China
Christian Council and partners such as Luzhou Christian Church,
Ishida said.
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Photos and video from the China trip are at
http://imageevent.com/ELCAhunger/chinaearthquake on the Web.
Audio with the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla is at:
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080828.mp3
Information about ELCA Global Mission is at
http://www.ELCA.org/globalmission 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
