This award is given annually to one or more congregations of the ELCA that demonstrate outstanding care and concern for people who are physically and mentally disabled. Applicants are judged on the basis of three criteria: the physical accessibility of the church building, how the congregation reaches out to individuals with disabilities in the community, and how individuals with disabilities are included in the worship life and the leadership of the congregation.

As winners of the 2008 ELCA Accessibility Award, Bethlehem Lutheran and Hope Lutheran will each receive:

• A $1,000 grant from the ELCA Mission Investment Fund in recognition of their accessibility efforts and to use towards their projects,
• A certificate commemorating their efforts to care for those who are physically and mentally disabled,
• Photographs of the congregation for their use locally and on the ELCA Web site, and
• An article written about the congregation's effort in the ELCA's monthly resource newsletter, Seeds for the Parish.

In addition to Bethlehem Lutheran and Hope Lutheran, two other congregations were awarded honorable mention in the annual contest. They are Grace Lutheran church in Springfield, Ohio, and Calvary Lutheran Church in Belleville, Illinois.