ELCA NEWS SERVICE
February 7, 2008
ELCA Presiding Bishop Asks for Prayers for Peace in Kenya
08-009-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a Feb. 8 message to the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA
presiding bishop, asked members to "join brothers and sisters
throughout the world in prayer for peace and reconciliation in
Kenya." The presiding bishop's message also served as a report
to the church with updates about mission personnel serving there,
contacts with Kenyan Lutheran churches and information about how
the ELCA has responded to the crisis in Kenya.
Following a disputed presidential election Dec. 27, there
has been widespread violence in Kenya that has left more than
1,000 people dead. Political and civic leaders have been
assassinated.
In his message Hanson asked for prayers for the church in
Kenya, for those who have lost loved ones and are displaced, and
for ELCA mission personnel who continue to serve. They include
two "Young Adults in Global Mission," a husband and wife team
providing leadership to the Nairobi International Lutheran
Congregation, and an Africa-wide health consultant and his
family, he said. ELCA Global Mission staff is monitoring the
situation to ensure their safety, Hanson said.
Through contacts with church leaders, Kenyan church leaders
have reported that "hundreds of thousands of Kenyan children,
women and men have been forced to flee their homes. This unrest
has its roots in ethnic divisions that were reinforced by
colonial rule and have shaped post-colonial life in Kenya. It
also is rooted in the wide gap between 'haves' and 'have-nots' in
that country. The emerging pattern of violence threatens the
future of one of the most stable countries in Africa and could
have enormous implications on other countries in the region,"
Hanson said.
The ELCA is working with the churches in Kenya and global
Lutheran and ecumenical partners to meet urgent human need, he
said. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has two member
churches in Kenya: the ELCA has a companion church relationship
with the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC) and the
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) is in altar and pulpit
fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK).
"From the very first days of the crisis, both churches have
provided emergency food and supplies to families in the slums of
Nairobi and in other parts of Kenya affected by the violence,"
Hanson said. The ELCA responded immediately with a $10,000 grant
to the KELC and a $15,000 grant to Church World Service, which
helped coordinate the work of Action by Churches Together (ACT)
in the initial days of the crisis.
ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies
working to save lives and support communities in emergency
situations worldwide. It is based with the World Council of
Churches (WCC) and the LWF in Geneva. The ELCA is a member of
the WCC and LWF.
The ELCA also coordinated its response with Lutheran World
Relief, a ministry of both the ELCA and the LCMS. Hanson invited
members to visit the ELCA Web site at
http://www.ELCA.org/disaster for updates and for information
about how members can contribute financial gifts.
ELCA Global Mission staff remains in close communication
with KELC Bishop Zachariah Kahutu, by both phone and e-mail.
Gaylord Thomas, director of the Africa desk, ELCA Global Mission,
traveled to Kenya to provide encouragement and support to the
KELC and ELCA mission personnel serving in Kenya.
The All Africa Conference of Churches and Inter-faith Action
for Peace in Africa are working with churches and faith groups in
Kenya to help build peace and achieve accountability,
transparency and national unity, Hanson said. Support includes
personal visits, such as the recent trip of global church leaders
organized by the WCC.
On Feb. 6 the U.N. Security Council deplored the violence in
Kenya. "The council emphasizes that the only solution to the
crisis lies through dialogue, negotiation and compromise and
strongly urges Kenya's political leaders to foster
reconciliation," the statement said.
The council statement said that some 310,000 people in the
country fled their homes.
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The full text of Presiding Bishop Hanson's message is at
http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/messages/m_080207.html
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
