Fill… Spill… Thrill…

Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

The time has come for immigration reform in the United States. Yes, the issues are complex and not easily resolved. It is understandable that people are wary of engaging this politically and emotionally charged issue.

Yet it would be tragic if we withdrew as people of faith and our voices fell silent. We have an opportunity for evangelical witness to our faith in God who is present in the stranger and calls us to extend hospitality. “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7 NRSV).

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Food shortage in Zimbabwe. Earthquakes in Haiti. Empty pantries in the United States. ELCA World Hunger is present - YOU are present - in these crises around the globe. You are helping to mend lives and offer hope where it is needed most.

This church has been remarkably faithful during a year of economic challenges. In 2009, the number of individual gifts to World Hunger rose 30 percent, with significant growth in total giving through ELCA Good Gifts and God’s Global Barnyard. In total, your gifts put over $19 million to work for poor and hungry people during 2009.

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The ELCA has developed a two-minute video featuring a school for orphans in Mozambique where a clinic is being built.

The clinic is being built in partnership with the Lutheran Church in Mozambique and the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. It will test for malaria, provide life-saving drugs and stop the deadly disease.

To view the video, click on the left or go to the Lutheran Malaria Initiative page on the ELCA’s web site.