Lutherans in Puerto Rico Celebrate 100th Anniversary

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutherans in Puerto Rico will communicate a message of hope to the world as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lutheran presence there.  The anniversary will be celebrated at a Global Mission Event to be held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in San Juan.
     "Communicate Hope" will be the theme when more than 400 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gather at the event organized by the ELCA's Division for Global Mission.
     "The Global Mission Event is about mission and mission is about sharing Christ," wrote the Rev. Margarita Martinez in "Global Contact," a newsletter produced by the ELCA's Division for Global Mission.  Mission- minded Lutherans "seeking cross-cultural experiences will find a unique opportunity to do so this year at the first Global Mission Event hosted by Lutherans in Puerto Rico."  Martinez is ELCA associate director for global events.
     For members of the ELCA's Caribbean Synod, the event will offer the opportunity to celebrate with brothers and sisters from the United States. They will learn about mission in the world and translate it into a renewed missionary zeal for work in local communities, said Martinez.
     The theme text for the event is from the Christian Bible:  "We cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard."  ELCA members will come together to "celebrate, deepen our commitment to mission, grow in love and care for each other and all God's creation," Martinez said.
     Emphasis will be on recognizing daily events as opportunities to testify to Jesus, advocating a message of hope, declaring Christian identity and equipping people to use today's technology as a tool for Christian communication, according to Martinez.
     "Lutherans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands face many challenges -- societal issues such as consumerism and secularism, and identity issues about what it means to be Lutheran in Caribbean and Latin American contexts," said Martinez.  "Our younger generations want to be more involved in facing these challenges and help communicate the hope we have in Jesus Christ."
     The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, will speak at the event's opening celebration.  Dr. Jose Miguel Bonino will lead Bible studies.  Miguel teaches liberation theology at the Evangelical Institute for Higher Theological Studies (ISEDET) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
     The Rev. Francisco L. Sosa, bishop of the ELCA's Caribbean Synod, will speak at GlobalFest.  "GlobalFest is an interactive festival of sounds, dance and discovery," said Martinez.  "It will feature eight geographic areas -- Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and North America."
     About 40 courses will be offered in four "global university" sessions. Topics range from Lutheran domestic disaster response to the beginning of Lutheran churches in Puerto Rico.  The ELCA's Caribbean Synod will organize a special component celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Lutheran church in Puerto Rico.
     ELCA missionary staff working in many countries will take part along with international guests from partner churches around the world.  Music will come from the Caribbean and Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, North America and Europe.
     Three similar Global Mission Events were held last summer at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, July 9-12; Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute, Troy, N.Y., July 16-19; and at San Jose State University, San Jose, Calif., July 23-26.

For information contact:
Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director 1-773-380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html