Title: ELCA Congregations Mark Earth Day ELCA NEWS SERVICE - NEWSBRIEF April 7, 1997 CHURCHES MARK EARTH DAY "Earth Day was created by secular organizations in 1970," said Job S. Ebenezer, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's director for environmental stewardship and hunger education. "It is time that the churches consider the biblical call for earthkeeping and the unique contributions that churches can make in the area of caring for God's creation." Ebenezer said, "Toxic waste dumping, incinerator siting, dangerous working conditions, exposure to lead and other harmful substances due to poor living conditions are some of the issues that churches can bring to the attention of governments and corporations. Bringing hope into hopeless situations should be a priority for churches." The National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. has sent a mailing to 51,000 congregations across the United States asking for their active participation in Earth Day activities April 22. The congregations belong to a dozen church bodies that make up the NCC's Eco-Justice Working Group, including the ELCA. The mailing suggests that they send letters and pictures of children to President Bill Clinton urging him to "protect our children's and grandchildren's future" from the dangers of climate change. "Concern for the environment is a matter for people of faith, not only because we are called to be stewards of God's good creation but because we are part of God's redemption of the world," said the Rev. Richard Killmer, director of the NCC Environmental Justice Office. For information contact: Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html