October 10, 2010

CHICAGO – The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) took action Oct. 8 to "focus the commitment of the ELCA to address malaria through a rebranded and prioritized" ELCA Malaria Campaign. It also called on church members to learn about malaria and other diseases intensified by poverty, and asked members to "prayerfully support" the church's commitment to contain and prevent malaria in Africa.

The council acted on the malaria proposal during a special conference call meeting Oct. 8. Much of the same meeting was held in executive session to discuss a separate topic, a comprehensive plan for a new design of the churchwide organization to be announced Oct. 11.

The council's malaria action followed a Sept. 30 announcement by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, that the ELCA churchwide organization withdrew a grant proposal to the United Nations Foundation (UNF), ending the ELCA's involvement in the Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI) partnership. Hanson said the ELCA withdrew from the LMI partnership because of a decline in churchwide financial resources. The ELCA will instead work directly with companion churches in Africa through an ELCA Malaria Campaign.

The council asked staff to bring a report and recommendations for a churchwide campaign to address malaria to its April 2011 meeting for referral to the 2011 Churchwide Assembly.

Hanson told the council the campaign fundraising proposal would likely be for $15 million over a five-year period.

The Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl, coordinator for the ELCA Malaria Campaign, said that the ELCA will continue to raise awareness and funds for prevention and treatment of malaria. Four key emphases of the ELCA Malaria Campaign are "prayer, advocacy, education and fundraising," she said. The goal is to contain the number of deaths in Africa related to malaria, she said.

DeGroot-Nesdahl also emphasized that the ELCA will continue to work with Lutheran World Relief (LWR) on malaria-related efforts, particularly in Tanzania. She also said the ELCA expects to work in partnership with "Nothing But Nets."

The council thanked five pilot synods involved in the ELCA's malaria work, and five more synods that will begin addressing malaria in 2011. It gave thanks for "generous gifts of donors" and expressed appreciation to companion churches in Africa that have embraced and begun to implement the joint effort with the ELCA. The council reaffirmed "the ongoing core work of ELCA World Hunger" through the new campaign.

The council requested that after donors are informed of the ELCA's refocused malaria campaign, "funds already held by this church and funds to be received with any designation for malaria be distributed to address issues of malaria through Global Mission's ongoing relationships with partner churches." It authorized continued receipt of designated gifts for malaria by the ELCA World Hunger Appeal to support the malaria work.

The council acknowledged "with gratitude" the LMI work already begun by Lutheran World Relief (LWR), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the UNF, and pledged "to deepen partnerships" with LWR, the Lutheran World Federation and other partners. It also said that the ELCA would continue to work with LWR and the LCMS on malaria-related efforts.

ELCA News Service