April 14, 2011

CHICAGO – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) bishops who serve the six synods of Wisconsin said the proposed 2011-2013 budget for the state should treat all people with dignity and not place "undue challenges on those who can least afford those burdens." The bishops made the comment in an April 13 letter they sent to Gov. Scott Walker and members of the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate, in which they called for "compassion for the poor."

The bishops, who represent 468,000 ELCA members in 809 congregations, wrote to Walker and the state lawmakers as they concluded preliminary hearings this week on a $59.2 billion proposal. The governor and the lawmakers are working to close a $3.6 billion budget shortfall, which will likely result in a variety of budget reductions.

In Wisconsin, the state Legislature adopts a budget for a two-year period. The new budget period is from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2013.

"We ask that you act with compassion in your decisions allocating state funding for childhood nutrition programs, low-income housing, affordable health care and tools that help the working poor finally gain self-sufficiency," the ELCA synod bishops wrote.

The bishops said they are called to join together and be a voice for the voiceless, the most vulnerable in Wisconsin.

"Many of our congregations faithfully serve the needs of those in their towns and neighborhoods through food pantries, emergency shelters and educational programs. As we have witnessed, the needs of the poor greatly outweigh the ability of our congregations to provide. We know that the most effective means of lifting a family out of poverty is not through handouts, but through policies which provide hope for the future for everyone in our state who goes to bed hungry or worries about homelessness," the bishops wrote.

The ELCA synod bishops specifically mentioned proposed reductions to the Earned Income Tax Credit, which they said "would dramatically impact low-income working families by cutting one of the most successful tools available to escape from poverty." They also expressed concern about cuts to Medicaid that would reduce eligibility, cap enrollment and create waiting lists for programs in Wisconsin such as Family Care, which serves vulnerable adults by providing access to critical health-care services and support.

Wisconsin ELCA members continue to pray for their elected leaders in the Wisconsin Legislature, the bishops wrote.

"We give thanks for your service to the people of Wisconsin and we pray that God may give you the wisdom and compassion to meet the pressing needs of our state," the bishops added.

Earlier this year, the six Wisconsin ELCA bishops wrote to Walker and the lawmakers. They urged the lawmakers to pay particular attention to people who may be economically vulnerable while the lawmakers worked through controversial legislation regarding shortfalls in the current state budget.

The bishops who signed the letter were the Rev. James A. Arends, ELCA La Crosse Area Synod; the Rev. Jeffrey S. Barrow, ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod; the Rev. Bruce H. Burnside, ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, Madison; the Rev. James A. Justman, ELCA East-Central Synod of Wisconsin, Appleton; the Rev. Duane C. Pederson, ELCA Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, Chetek; and the Rev. Thomas A. Skrenes, ELCA Northern Great Lakes Synod, Marquette, Mich.

The full text of the Wisconsin ELCA synod bishops' letter is at http://loppw.org/news/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service