ELCA Joins Global Debt Reduction Effort

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will participate in the "Jubilee/USA Campaign" based on action taken the ELCA Church Council at its meeting here Nov. 14-16.  "Jubilee 2000 is a worldwide grassroots movement aimed at creating a fresh start for impoverished nations as our world enters a new millennium," the council was told.
     The Rev. Charles S. Miller, director of the ELCA's Division for Church in Society, said, "The vision of the international religious campaign known as Jubilee 2000 is the positioning of developing countries to be able to address in a sustainable way the health, education and welfare needs of their citizens by eliminating the burden of debt currently carried by these countries."
     In August the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly affirmed the concern regarding debt in the developing world originally expressed by the Minneapolis Area Synod and referred the matter to Church in Society.
     Miller said, "We know that the very basic physical existence of people in many developing countries is on the precipice and is precarious at best.  And few dispute that global debt is a major contributing factor to the national instability and individual jeopardy in many countries."
     The ELCA can make a distinct contribution, Miller said.  "We have the extensive experience of the division for Global Mission ... we have the body of economic scholars identified in the course of our study on economic life; we have concrete knowledge in wedding vision, values, mission and strategies."
     Jubilee 2000 has been endorsed by the Lutheran World Federation, U.S. Catholic Conference, Lutheran World Relief and Bread for the World.
     ELCA involvement in the coming months will mean continuing service by staff of the Lutheran Office on Governmental Affairs on the Jubilee 2000/USA working group in Washington, D.C.  The church will work to educate its members about the effects of indebtedness of people living in poverty and encourage grassroots advocacy.
     "In spite of previous efforts to restructure loans and interest schedules, many of the world's poorest debtor nations face continuing, massive repayment efforts which drain scarce resources and assets," the council was told.  "The debt burden diverts funds which are needed for health care, education and clean water."
     In another action the Church Council affirmed the Division for Church in Society's recent decision "to develop a message on immigrants and immigration policy."  That message is set to come before the council at its November 1998 meeting.
     The council referred to Church in Society an assembly action related to persons with disabilities.  That action calls for a review of the church's ministry with people with disabilities and study of the possibility of establishing a churchwide commission for people with disabilities.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or
NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html