Arusha, Tanzania, 25-30 June 2008
Day 1 - Wednesday 25 June
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Festive Opening of LWF Council in Arusha, Tanzania
 Bishop Thomas O. Laiser. © LWF/D.-M. Grötzsch |
A festive worship service marked the opening of the meeting of the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) on Wednesday morning, 25 June. In his sermon, Tanzanian Bishop Thomas O. Laiser called upon the Lutheran communion to be the salt and light of the earth. Laiser, from the Arusha diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), said it was the urgent obligation of all human beings to take responsibility for the environment.
The gathering, attended by around 170 participants and hosted by the ELCT, is being held from 25–30 June at Arusha. The theme of the meeting is “Melting Snow on Mount Kilimanjaro—A Witness of a Suffering Creation”. More...
LWF President Says Global Climate Change Consequences are Inescapable
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The exploitation and neglect of creation and the consequences of the resulting climate change have brought humanity to a crossroads, said the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Bishop Mark S. Hanson, at the LWF Council meeting in the northern town of Arusha, Tanzania.
In his address to the LWF governing body on 25 June, the president said humanity was not only faced with the question of where it would go in the future, but where it truly was at present and “who is with us at this crossroads.” Hanson is presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Referring to the meeting’s theme, “Melting Snow on Mount Kilimanjaro—A Witness of a Suffering Creation,” Hanson cautioned it was not only the mountain’s snows that were melting—its waters were diminishing as the glacier receded, the air was changing and God-created creatures were disappearing, and human families were dying of starvation. “Global climate change is an undeniable reality. More...
Click here for the full text of the Address of the LWF President in PDF format. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) 
Church Representatives Express Appreciation for Focus on Environmental Issues
Participants in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council expressed appreciation for environmental concern issues presented in the LWF President’s address. Questions and remarks during the report’s plenary discussion revolved around how the LWF member churches might turn these concerns into action.
In his address LWF President Bishop Mark S. Hanson called on member churches to advocate for changes in policy and practice, saying that “hope compels us to be disciplined, courageous, faithful stewards of the whole creation.” More...
LWF 2006 and 2007 Budgets Register Surplus
 LWF Treasurer Peter Stoll. © LWF/D.-M. Grötzsch |
Because of exchange-rate gains, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) ended the 2006 and 2007 financial years with a surplus for its Geneva Coordination budget. Presenting his report to the LWF Council on 25 June, Treasurer Peter Stoll said the LWF had a surplus of USD 1.2 million for 2006 and USD 2.2 million for 2007.
After 2006, “in 2007 we had another positive year,” Stoll reported. All departments had a surplus—the General Secretariat, USD 432,193; the Departments for Theology and Studies (DTS), USD 294,504; Mission and Development (DMD), USD 614,607; and World Service (DWS), USD 840,387, the treasurer told participants in this year’s Council meeting. Since the accounts for 2006 presented at the March 2007 Council in Lund, Sweden had not been audited yet, Stoll proposed that the governing body review and approve both the 2006 and 2007 financial statements. More...
Click here for the full text of the Report of the LWF Treasurer in PDF format. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
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