News
By the staff of The Lutheran, ELCA News Service and Religion News Service
Sept. 7 service day For the second year, ELCA members from across the country are being called into service on Sept. 7 as part of “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. “Whether we plant gardens in urban communities, write letters to soldiers and veterans or serve meals to people and families who are food insecure, we dedicate this day to be church together … for the sake of the world,” said Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop. Information about “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday is available at
www.elca.org/dayofservice.
Colleges aid campaign Thirty-five ELCA colleges, universi- ties and campus ministries have sur- passed their goal of raising $125,000 for the ELCA Malaria Campaign—by more than $6,600 and counting. And those funds will double to a total of $250,000 thanks to a matching chal- lenge from Arne and Ruth Sorenson of Chevy Chase, Md. In Waverly, Iowa, Wartburg College students alone raised more than $43,000. The ELCA Malaria Campaign has so far raised $12.5 million of its $15 million goal for the end of 2015 (www.elca. org/malaria).
T
ELCA responds to Ebola outbreak Seyenkulo said patients at Phebe
he ELCA in August provided $10,000 in humanitarian assis- tance in response to the Ebola
outbreak in Liberia. “The Ebola virus disease has been
deadly unmerciful,” said Jensen Seyenkulo, bishop of the Lutheran Church in Liberia. “It has especially taken a toll on our health workers. This had led to the closure of most of our hospitals.” At presstime, the Ebola epidemic
in the West African nations of Libe- ria, Sierra Leone and Guinea had killed more than 900 people and infected more than 1,000, according to the World Health Organization. Ebola, with a fatality rate of up to 90 percent, is transmitted by direct con- tact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. Experts fear the worst is yet to come. Funds from the ELCA, dispersed
through Lutheran Disaster Response to Global Health Ministries, will help cover air-freight costs to deliver supplies to Liberia. That includes personal protection equipment and urgently needed medical supplies and equipment sent to Phebe and Currran, Lutheran hospitals.
have “fled the hospital for fear of the disease” and nurses have “aban- doned the wards after seeing four of their colleagues and a doctor suc- cumb to the virus.” Some nurses have now returned for training on how to protect themselves. There is a mass awareness campaign underway and isolation units are being built. In an email to the ELCA Global
Mission unit, Seyenkulo asked that the ELCA not deploy any new mis- sionaries to Liberia because of the virus. ELCA missionary personnel in Liberia are currently on leave in the U.S. and will not go back until the spread of the virus is contained. A missionary in Sierra Leone is return- ing home as soon as possible, accord- ing to Global Mission.
What can we do? Pray for the people affected by, and in danger of, the Ebola virus. Give to Lutheran Disaster Response, 39330 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694- 9300 (write “Ebola prevention” on the check’s memo line); or give by credit card at 800-638-2533 or www.
elca.org/disaster.
Familiar quilt If something looks familiar about the wor- ship backdrop at the Episcopal Youth Event 2014, a national gathering held July 9-13 at Villanova [Pa.] University, that’s because this 22-by-24-foot quilt was on loan from the ELCA. Based on a painting by Chinese Christian artist He Qi, the quilt was con- structed by 13 Nigerian women who are HIV-positive. It has served as a worship backdrop at various ELCA churchwide and synod events, beginning with the 2008 ELCA Global Mission Event.
EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE/MARY FRANCES SCHJONBERG 8
www.thelutheran.org
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