October 5, 2005

CHICAGO – Overall financial results for the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were generally favorable compared with projections for the first seven months of the 2005 fiscal year, said Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer. In addition gifts to ELCA Domestic Disaster Response for relief and recovery from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita totaled $11 million through Sept. 30, she said.

Jackson-Skelton made the comments in a report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops. The conference is an advisory body of the church, consisting of the ELCA's 65 synod bishops, presiding bishop and secretary. It met here Sept. 29-Oct. 3.

In the general operating budget receipts totaled $45.1 million for the period of February through August, up from $43.6 million in the same period last year. Related expenses were $44 million, a decrease of $1.6 million from one year earlier.

Compared to budget projections, Jackson-Skelton said receipts were ahead of budget by $1.4 million and expenses were below budget by $4.2 million.

Mission support funds from congregations through synods totaled $35.8 million, an increase of $200,000 compared to one year earlier, Jackson-Skelton said. In addition the churchwide organization benefited from increases of $1.45 million in income from bequests and trusts and $335,000 from investment income for 2005 compared to 2004, she said.

"Investment income performance is improving after three years of underperforming the budget and prior-year results. The significant increase in unrestricted bequest income ensures us of receipts in excess of the budget from this source," the ELCA treasurer reported.

In response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes the ELCA has received more than 60,000 individual financial gifts of which 19,000 are from first-time donors, Jackson-Skelton said.

Gifts to ELCA Domestic Disaster Response are channeled into Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a ministry of the ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. LDR is coordinating the churches' response to the disaster along the Gulf Coast from southeast Texas to Alabama, including the hard-hit areas of Mississippi and southeast Louisiana.

"We are grateful for the response of this church," Jackson- Skelton said, adding her thanks for the huge number of individual gifts in response to the disaster.

Jackson-Skelton said contributions to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal "started strong and continue to be strong." For February through August 2005 hunger appeal gifts were $7.1 million, an increase of $300,000 for the same period last year. She thanked the Conference for its ongoing support of the appeal.

"Anything you can do to lift up the ministry of world hunger would be greatly appreciated," Jackson-Skelton added.

ELCA News Service