ELCA NEWS SERVICE

May 17, 2007  

ELCA Presiding Bishop, Other Church Leaders Call for Compassionate Budget
07-085-AL

     WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- As members of the U.S. House and Senate
negotiated the federal budget for fiscal year 2008, the Rev. Mark
S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), along with leaders of four other Christian
denominations, sent a letter May 10 to members of the U.S.
Congress calling for the budget to be just and compassionate.
     In the letter the group expressed thanks for House and
Senate resolutions that made positive changes to the president's
proposed budget and retained positive elements of that budget.
The budget proposal was released in February.
     The group applauded congressional resolutions making fiscal
responsibility a priority while providing needed funding for
children's health insurance and nutrition programs. The group
also expressed appreciation for the Senate's resolution which
restored $2.2 billion of international assistance funding, which
had been cut from the president's budget request. The group urged
budget negotiators to keep funding for all those programs in the
budget as Congress holds final votes on the budget this week.
     The letter was signed by Hanson; the Rev. Clifton
Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.); Bishop Beverly Shamana, president of the United
Methodist General Board of Church and Society; the Most Rev.
Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal
Church; and the Rev. John H. Thomas, general minister and
president, United Church of Christ.
     The House-Senate conference committee reached an agreement
May 16 on the budget. Full details of the conference committee
agreement were unavailable. The budget now must pass the full
House and Senate before it is sent to the president.
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     The text of the letter is available at
http://tinyurl.com/32bwpj on the ELCA Web site.


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