ELCA Department for Communication, News & Information 8765 West Higgins Rd, Chicago, IL 60631 800/638-3522 ext. 2963 ELCA NEWSBRIEFS ISSUE #01, January 30, 1996 KIDS TALK ABOUT STEREOTYPES Kids speak to kids about racial stereotypes in "The Family of God," a new videotape produced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The five-part resource and study guide are designed to help pre-adolescents (ages 8-12) learn to respond to racial stereotypes in church and society. Children are encouraged to value themselves and people of different races as God's children through biblical stories and learning activities. The Rev. Charles Ruehle, producer, said the ELCA recognized this area of need. "We are realizing more and more that young people have picked up stereotypes from our culture, from the media, advertising and toys, and carry them." He said, "Some of the most typical are the widespread stereotypes of Native Americans, not based on any real experience with 20th century Native Americans." The videotape features "18 delightful pre- adolescents, a cross-cultural group gathered from about four congregations in the Milwaukee area," Ruehle said. "They're very open. They sense the pain beneath society's thin veneer, and kids at this age have a very strong sense of what is right, what is just." Congregations may teach the five sessions in a variety of settings: Sunday school, vacation Bible school, retreats, mid- week programs or day camp. "The Family of God" was produced by the ELCA's Commission for Multicultural Ministries in cooperation with the Department for Communication and the Division for Congregational Ministries. MID-ATLANTIC FLOODING Lutheran disaster response grants have exceeded $66,000 following the Mid-Atlantic states flooding disaster. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as several major Pennsylvania rivers flooded their banks. "It is clear we face a major disaster," said the Rev. Leon Phillips Jr., director of the Inter-Lutheran Disaster Response. ILDR, a joint ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod, is responding to the flooding as damage assessments become clear. In Pennsylvania more than 500 hundred homes have been lost in the area near Williamsport, and the death toll continues to rise. In the Harrisburg area 8,000 people remain out of their homes and damage is widespread. Bedford County is devastated. Serious damage is reported in Maryland counties bordering Bedford County. The Rev. Mark L. Killen, First English Lutheran Church, Wheeling, W.V., reports serious damage to about 5,000 homes in his area. Killen said three- fourths of his congregation was affected in some way by the flooding. Initial emergency funds have been made available in central Pennsylvania. The Rev. Kenneth W. Longfield reports his church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Reedsville, Pa., along with many others in the area, is flooded out. "It looks like we'll face several weeks of trying to put everything back into working order. Please remember all of us." Phillips and the Rev. A. Donald Main, bishop of the ELCA's Upper Susquehanna Synod, met with pastors in Williamsport on Jan. 23. Fifteen staff members of Tressler Lutheran Services, Mechanicsburg, Pa., have either lost their homes or suffered major damage. Tressler is the agency managing disaster response on behalf of ILDR. Phillips reports that ILDR resources are stretched by recent major disasters in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. VETO WELFARE REFORM The Rev. H. George Anderson, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, sent a mailgram message to U.S. President Bill Clinton on Dec. 19 asking him to veto welfare reform legislation approved by Congress. Clinton vetoed the plan Jan. 9. "I believe the consequences of this legislation will be devastating to desperately poor families with children and other vulnerable people who have few alternatives. It provides no guarantee that even the poorest of the poor will receive services," Anderson said. "I acknowledge that the welfare system as it now exists needs reform. However, that reform needs to move in a different direction. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is willing and eager to work with policy makers to fashion more responsible welfare reform legislation in the future," said Anderson. The Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs in Washington, D.C., uses the church's "Working Principles for Welfare Reform" to advise lawmakers. DIRECTOR FOR HISPANIC MINISTRIES NAMED The Rev. Gregory J. Villalon is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's new director for Hispanic Ministries and Leadership Ministries in the Commission for Multicultural Ministries. Villalon currently serves as bishop of the ELCA's Caribbean Synod. The beginning date of his service in the commission will be May 1. Villalon did his undergraduate work at Herbert H. Lehman College, New York, and earned his master of divinity degree in 1983 from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Villalon served as pastor at Our Savioržs Lutheran Church, Queens, N.Y., and Zion Lutheran Church and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church both in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, before becoming bishop in 1993. He and Letty Villalon are the parents of two children. HARLAN F. FOSS DIED The Rev. Harlan F. Foss, the seventh president of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., died Dec. 20 at age 77. Foss, who lived in Sun City, Ariz., during the winter, died in a Phoenix hospital, where he was taken when he fell ill while playing golf. Foss, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, served as St. Olaf's president for five years. He also served as acting vice president and college dean, and was a religion professor for 33 years. Foss graduated from St. Olaf in 1940 and from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., in 1944. He did his doctoral work at Drew University, Madison, N.J. Foss served Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wis., prior to joining the St. Olaf faculty. His son is the Rev. Richard J. Foss, bishop of the ELCA's Eastern North Dakota Synod. PEACE PRIZE FORUM The eighth annual Peace Prize Forum will be held Feb. 23-24, at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. The forum focuses on the theme "Striving for Peace: From National to Common Security." Speakers and workshops will explore the need for revised notions of national and global security. Many policy analysts are realizing that in the 21st century national security will be significantly affected by demographic, environmental and technological trends. Specific attention will be focused on the political situation in the Middle East and the ways in which these trends are already impacting that region of the world, said forum coorindator Karen Martin-Schramm. Speakers include Timothy Wirth, U.S. undersecretary of state for global affairs; Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, commissioner general of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights; and Dr. Geir Lundestad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yitzhak Rabin had been invited to address the forum. The forum has been dedicated to the cause of peace. Also invited to address the forum are Rabinžs successor and co-laureate Prime Minister Shimon Peres, and Palestinian co-laureate Yasir Arafat. The Peace Prize Forum is sponsored annually and hosted on a rotating basis by five colleges of Norwegian heritage associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Augsburg, Minneapolis; Augustana, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Concordia, Moorhead, Minn.; Luther, Decorah, Iowa; and St. Olaf, Northfield, Minn. CHURCH SUSTAINS $200,000 DAMAGE IN BLAZE A fire erupted Dec. 28 at New Creation Lutheran Church, San Jose, Calif., causing an estimated $200,000 in damage. The building is the home of two separate congregations -- the New Creation Lutheran Church and the Ambassadors for Christ Christian Center. The combined congregations number about 120 people. The church houses a day-care center and several community groups hold their meetings there. "It's a big loss for all ages -- for the children to the oldest members of the congregations, to the community organizations that need a place to meet," said Glenda Voss, a member of New Creation. The fire appears to have been set deliberately, arson investigators said. Arson investigators found evidence of forced entry and traces of a flammable liquid in the 7,000-square-foot church. Neighboring churches have volunteered space for the 60-member New Creation congregation to meet. OUR SAVIOUR'S DESTROYED BY FIRE Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, an 85-year-old church in Minneapolis, was destroyed by fire Dec. 16. The fire broke out about 2:30 a.m. and took more than seven hours to bring under control. There were no serious injuries, but 31 homeless people staying at the church were evacuated. Authorities said the building, built in 1910 and insured for about $2 million, was a total loss. Some thought the loss of the church would lead to cancellation of Sunday services, but church members gathered at the school across the street. "I know we are all grieving right now for that beautiful building," the Rev. Janet Tidemann told the congregation of about 250, "[but] we accept this gift from God, this new beginning." The Rev. David W. Olson, bishop of the ELCA's Minneapolis Area Synod, said the congregation "really demonstrated a true sense of how God is central and sustaining. They were passionate about their calling to a neighborhood, to people." Many of Our Saviour's earliest records, photographs and important wood carvings -- dating back to about 1870 -- had been previously sent to the ELCA's Region 3 Archives, St. Paul, Minn., for safe keeping. "Had we not held them here, these almost certainly would have been lost," said Paul A. Daniels, archivist, ELCA Region 3. Daniels stressed the need for congregations to plan ahead and protect their valuable historical materials and art objects. REBUILDING IN CHINA Action of Churches Together (ACT) is working through the Amity Foundation to meet the needs of flood victims in China. In the early summer torrential rains poured down across China resulting in some of the worst floods of this century. Ten southern provinces were swamped; the worst affected regions were in Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces. The Chinese government reported that 100 million people were affected by the flood with 1.3 million evacuated from their homes. Economic damage is estimated at $U.S. 4 billion with 6.6 million hectares of crops destroyed. In August rain fell in the northeast of China resulting in further catastrophe as flood waters swept away more homes and crops. Estimates in August were that in the northeastern provinces 400,000 homes and 533,300 hectares of wheat crops were destroyed. A team from the Amity Foundation assessed the damage and helped local communities determine priorities. The team reports that farmers have concentrated their efforts on replanting. Crops of oats, rice and vegetables have been resown. Areas of bare land remain where the flood waters prevented replanting. Priorities are reconstruction of homes and re-establishing the food grain supply. Schools must be rebuilt in many villages. Physical labor for the projects is contributed by local people with Amity providing materials and equipment. ACT is a worldwide network of churches, including the Lutheran World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. LUTHERANS RESCUE SOMALIS The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is aiding vulnerable children and women in Somalia, providing an airlift operation to resupply critical food stock levels in Mogadishu and other areas. "This is the kind of generosity that makes a difference. This contribution can actually save lives now and prevent tragedy in the future. We are very grateful," UNICEF's Somalia representative, Pierce Gerety, told the Nairobi Sunday Standard. A series of 30 flights is airlifting 600 tons of food, health education, water, sanitation and fuel supplies to the Somali capital Mogadishu and elsewhere. In Mogadishu, 15,000 children under five years of age will benefit directly from the operation and a further 2,500 are expected to benefit in the southern port town of Kismayo. A combination of poor harvests, lack of rain, drought, floods and insecurity, as well as the departure of the United Nations Mission in Somalia in March, have contributed to an escalating cost of living and decreased purchasing power, and consequently have led to malnutrition. The LWF is a communion of 122 member churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. WEST BENGAL FLOOD RECOVERY The Indian state of West Bengal is faced with severe flood damage caused by excessive rains in the autumn of 1995. In the first week of October the century's heaviest rainfall was recorded in the northern part of West Bengal. The Lutheran World Federation moved, immediately after the flooded areas became accessible, to start life-saving relief work among 12,000 flood victims, focusing on children and mothers. Flood victims were served through 19 nutrition centers. According to Action of Churches Together (ACT), water is now a critical need. At present there is water everywhere but none safe to drink. ACT plans to sink wells at 150 strategic points to ensure potable drinking water for about 75,000 people. ACT will distribute materials for the reconstruction of homes to 1,000 families whose houses were completely destroyed. The new houses will have a new, improved design, using concrete pillars as a skeleton and wooden trusses with bamboo rafters. Bamboo, tiles or thatch and timber are all available locally, and the families will participate in the rebuilding of their dwellings. School buildings will be reconstructed where schools were lost. Each will have toilet facilities and drinking water. The permanent structures will be not only educational institutes, but also community shelters in times of emergency. ACT is a worldwide network of churches, including the Lutheran World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. OBSERVERS HAIL ELECTIONS "For the greater part, we saw competent management of the election process," said a statement issued by the International Ecumenical Election Observers after the Palestinian elections held Jan. 20 under provisions of the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements. "In many places the election was a community event that expressed seriousness and pride in the process of voting. We observed no violence, overt intimidation or coercion," said representatives of the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the Church of Sweden Mission and Maryknoll, the Roman Catholic foreign mission society. They did cite several circumstances that "reduced the number of voters who were able to vote," such as a breakdown in "the secrecy of the balloting," lost voter registrations, inconvenient poll locations and heightened security. "Checkpoints on West Bank roads set up by the Israeli Defense Forces impeded the travel of voters to polling stations," said the statement. The Rev. Mark B. Brown, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was one of the 19 Christian observers. He is an associate director for public policy advocacy ministry of the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA) in Washington, D.C. BURUNDI EMERGENCY Emergency conditions continue in the African nation of Burundi, according to Action of Churches Together (ACT). People are uprooted while sporadic fighting occurs between armed gangs of militia and the army on an almost constant basis. Thousands are displaced, hiding in the hills in poor conditions with inadequate diet and little access to humanitarian aid. There are no signs of a political solution. ACT's humanitarian programs are implemented by a wide network of local churches providing food and non-food items, as well as medical relief to displaced families. Churches are purchasing and distributing soap, seeds, tools and other non-food items, distributing food to displaced people in camps who are unable to return home, and providing mobile health clinics. Agricultural rehabilitation, house reconstruction and small income-generating projects for women are planned for 1996 in less violent regions of the country. Other efforts include providing school equipment for orphans and providing housing materials in peaceful areas. ACT is a worldwide network of churches, including the Lutheran World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. ================================================ ELCA FEBRUARY 1996 Making Christ Known through people from many cultures 1 Department for Ecumenical Affairs, Lutheran-Episcopal Planning, Delray Beach, Fla. 2-3 Division for Higher Education and Schools, Evangelical Lutheran Education Association Annual Conference- Network 4, "Teachers Sent by God," Golden Valley, Minn. 2-3 Division for Outreach, Region 1 Consultation, Visitation Retreat Center, Federal Way, Wash. 2-4 Department for Ecumenical Affairs, Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network, Delray Beach, Fla. 3-6 Division for Higher Education and Schools, Lutheran Educational Conference of North America and ELCA Council of College Presidents, Newport Beach, Calif. 5 Division for Outreach, Region 7 Consultation, Seafarer's International House, New York 5-8 Department for Ecumenical Affairs, Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network and Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical Officers, Duncan Center, Delray Beach, Fla. 8 Division for Outreach, Region 2 Consultation, Grand Canyon Synod Conference Center, Phoenix 8-9 Department for Ecumenical Affairs, Pre-Hong Kong Assembly Planning Committee, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Winnepeg, Manitoba 8-11 Department for Communication, Communicators' Consultation, Lutheran Center, Chicago 8-12 Department for Ecumenical Affairs, Lutheran-Episcopal Consultation, Delray Beach, Fla. 9-10 Division for Higher Education and Schools, Florida All- Lutheran Early Childhood Conference, Faith Lutheran School, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 10-11 Board of Pensions, Trustees, Marquette Hotel, Minneapolis 11 Department for Communication, Advisory Committee, Lutheran Center, Chicago 11-12 Grand Canyon Synod, "Senior Saints Alive," Gathering, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Phoenix 12 Division for Global Mission, Southern Africa Network, Lutheran Center, Chicago 12-15 Department for Communication, NCC Communication Committees, Presbyterian Center, Louisville, Ky. 14-15 Division for Ministry, Theological Education Coordinating Committee, Chicago 14-18 Commission for Multicultural Ministries, Multicultural Writers Workshop, Chicago 15-16 Division for Outreach, Region 3 Consultation, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. 15-18 Division for Congregational Ministries, Council of Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Presidents, Chicago 16-18 Division for Outreach, Mission Builders, Construction Managers, Lutheran Center, Chicago 17-19 Department for Ecumenical Affairs, Lutheran-Reformed Coordinating Committee, Delray Beach, Fla. 19-20 Conference of Bishops, First Call Assignments Consultations, Lutheran Center, Chicago *** END *** NEWSBRIEFS are prepared for the news media as a supplement to the ELCA news releases.