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News ELCA Malaria Campaign goal met Faith and politics


In an effort to deepen relationships and strengthen the intersection of faith and social issues, ELCA and Episcopal Church leaders met with more than 60 congressional offices in Washington, D.C., to advocate for federal funding to protect the envi- ronment and to highlight the impact climate change has on people living in poverty. The meetings followed Pope Francis’ Sept. 24 address to Congress on global hunger, poverty and caring for creation.


Megachurch growing


A satellite site of Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines, Iowa, moved this October to a new build- ing in Waukee, Iowa. The ELCA con- gregation continues to experience rapid growth with more than 10,000 members attending its five sites in northwestern Iowa. The Christian Post reported that the megachurch estimated that more than 30,000 peo- ple attended Easter services in 2015. Hope will be leasing the new worship space from Point of Grace, a nonde- nominational megachurch in Wau- kee, for a year and plans to purchase the facility for about $4 million.


ELCA at papal mass


When throngs of the faithful gath- ered in Washington, D.C., for the papal mass Sept. 23 during Pope Francis’ U.S. visit, an ELCA organ- ist was one of the participants. Joy- Leilani Garbutt is minister of music for St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rockville, Md., and a doc- torate of music student at the Catho- lic University of America, Washing- ton, D.C., which is why she was one 10


8 www.thelutheran.org 7


he ELCA reached a milestone this fall by raising $15 million through the ELCA Malaria


Campaign. Since the start of the campaign


five years ago, ELCA members and others have joined with Lutheran companion churches and partners in African countries to support pro- grams to save people’s lives from malaria, a preventable and treatable disease. The programs provide mos- quito nets, insecticides, medication, health care services, education and more. As a result of campaign contri- butions, malaria programs in 13 Afri- can countries are fully funded. “We began the ELCA Malaria


Campaign in the depths of the Great Recession and at a time of consid- erable turmoil in this church,” said


ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton. “The goal of raising $15 mil- lion might have sounded improbable at the time, but our people responded generously. We are honored to accompany our global companions in the Lutheran churches in Africa in their work to make malaria history.” Shoni Ngobeni, a regional malaria


coordinator with the Lutheran Com- munion in South Africa, said, “I really thank God Almighty for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Commu- nion in South Africa. They gave me an opportunity to be the feet of Jesus in the southern African region.” Although the campaign’s finan-


cial goal has been met, the ELCA will continue its anti-malaria work after 2015 through ELCA World Hunger.


ANDREA WALKER Eaton in Madagascar


In her first trip to Madagascar, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton visits with teachers at a school for deaf students in Antananarivo, Madagascar. She also met with Rakota Endor Modeste, president of the Malagasy Lutheran Church. Eaton and ELCA leaders this fall learned more about the ministries of the Malagasy church, met with participants of the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program there, visited with women theologians of the Malagasy church and more.


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