Lutherans Continue to 'Stand With Africa' in Unique Ways

Chicago (ELCA)-MR — Lutherans give special emphasis to relief and development work in Africa, an often forgotten continent. Working with churches and communities to overcome AIDS, producing enough food to eat and sell, and building peace are goals Lutherans in the United States are striving to achieve as they "Stand With Africa."

"With 54 countries and probably more than 1,000 different ethnic groups and languages, Africa is a very complex, mysterious and magical place," according to Gaylord M. Thomas, director for east Africa and Africa continental desk, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Global Mission.

Thomas said Africa is the "only remaining abundant" continent of "natural resources such as diamonds, gold, tanzanite, coffee and so on. Africa has been a ripe place for exploitation for more than 100 years, and therefore remains one of the most vulnerable victims of capitalism."

Africa has been subjected to a number of acts that have caused it not to grow and prosper, Thomas said. "There is guilt in this world for the colonization movement there, and for the many genocides and exploitive acts by some world corporations. Outside influences definitely have had an influence on the African scene," he said.

Stand With Africa, a Lutheran campaign designed to focus on issues significant to Africa, including HIV/AIDS, food security, and peace and reconciliation, has been and continues to be a unique opportunity to "walk with our African companions, to lift up awareness and generate resources both financial and human," Thomas said.

What began as a three-year campaign in 2000 has now been extended. At its meeting here April 17-18, the ELCA Church Council affirmed the continuation of Stand With Africa as a "second mile" giving opportunity and reaffirmed the ELCA's commitment to accompany companion churches and partner agencies in Africa.

ELCA churches like Bethel Lutheran Church, Lyford, Texas, continue to give generously to Stand With Africa. At its annual congregation meeting held in February, the congregation voted to contribute $15,000 to the campaign.

As a result of this kind of generosity, "Stand With Africa has been profound in its effort to deal with AIDS/HIV in terms of the level of awareness" and education that takes place there, Thomas said. "It's been incredible. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that east Africa may see a radical decline in the amount of new AIDS incidents. That's about to be a reality there," he said.

The campaign has also created attention to other realities in Africa, Thomas said.

"Homeless children are an enormous problem in Nairobi. Most of the government's approach to children has been to rescue street boys, not girls," Thomas said.

To help bring awareness to the plight of homeless children, Thomas invited actor Danny Glover to share a meal with children of the Pangani Lutheran Children's Center in Eastleigh, Nairobi, Kenya. Glover and Thomas were in Nairobi, Feb. 21-28, at a fair- trade coffee conference.

The purpose of the invitation was to illustrate how U.S. Lutherans are "accompanying our brothers and sisters in Africa," said Thomas.

Pangani Lutheran Children's Center is a ministry supported by Women of the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church. The center offers children food, literacy classes, counseling, health care, singing and games. The goal is to reunite the children with their families or guardians, and to find schools that meet the needs of the children. The program receives funds from Stand With Africa.

"Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church is a new church — 10 years old with about 30,000 members. [Offices] are located in a very remote, poor section of town, so the visibility of the church and its incredible work are not known throughout the country," Thomas said.

He said Glover's visit to the church and the Pangani Lutheran Children's Center "was a victory. The visit brought awareness to a very unique and holistic program," he said. "The children did not know Danny Glover, but the adult staff did and found his visit to the center inspirational."

"It is evident that as soon as one arrives on the African continent, one starts to transform mentally and begin to feel touched by the strength, will, hope and faith of the African people," Thomas said.

The Lutheran church in Kenya and the ELCA are members of the Lutheran World Federation, a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947, the LWF now has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing 61.7 million of the worlds nearly 65.4 million Lutherans.