CHICAGO (ELCA) -- About 2,600 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America gathered from around the world for two Global Mission = Events with the theme =22Look to Jesus -- Run the Race.=22 Similar events = took place July 10-13 at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill., and July 17-20 at = Texas Lutheran University, Seguin, Texas. About 2,000 participants = gathered in Wheaton and about 600 in Seguin.
=22Jesus is the human face of God,=22 said Dr. Elsa T=E1mez, = president of the Latin American Biblical Seminary, San Jos=E9, Costa Rica. = =22To look at Jesus is to feel sure and confident about ourselves because = we know God is there; to put our eye on Jesus is to discover the will of = God for our day.=22 T=E1mez was the keynote speaker at both events.
=22Instead of running a race to strengthen our body and spirit, we dehumanize ourselves and others through competition,=22 said T=E1mez. For Christians, our race in life is not the one set by American society, she = said. =22The race is a struggle=22 not a competition where =22a neighbor = becomes an obstacle to overcome. When our eyes are on Jesus, this type of = competition does not exist.=22 Patience and perseverance are more = important than =22being number one,=22 T=E1mez said. =22God will give us = the strength to run the race of life.=22
The Rev. Bonnie L. Jensen, executive director of the ELCA=27s = Division for Global Mission, Chicago, spoke at the events=27 opening = celebrations. =22We, who are members of the most powerful nation in the = world, dare not speak of mission as conquest; but mission is walking with = the outcast, the humble,=22 said Jensen. Americans can learn from other = Christians around the world to pray from their hearts, to talk boldly = about Christ, to be less preoccupied with material things and to dismantle = racism, she said.=20
Dr. He Qi, art instructor at Nanjing Theological Seminary and Nanjing = University in China, said he was introduced to the =22imported religion=22 = of Christianity through art. He spoke to participants via videotape and a = live telephone conference from China.
=22I have a dream,=22 he told them, =22to use Christian art to let = the Chinese people know that Christianity is not just a Western religion. It = belongs to our Chinese people, too.=22 Dr. He said his dream =22shares a = message of love and peace.=22
ELCA missionary staff came from many countries to take part in the = Global Mission Events, along with international guests from partner = churches around the world. Worship included music from Africa, Asia, = Latin America, North America and Europe.
=22Jesus was once a refugee. As a child, he and his parents escaped = Herod=27s death squads and fled to Africa,=22 said the Rev. Stephen = Larson, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Geneva, Switzerland, = during the events=27 Sunday worship service. =22Look to Jesus and you may = find yourself looking into the face of a Rwandan refugee child.=22
The events=27 theme served as the focus of a =22Global University=22 = that offered 130 courses in more than 400 seminars and another 100 = sessions of videotapes or conversation. Topics ranged from the current = peace process in Liberia to HIV/AIDS, from promoting gender equity to = Christian outreach in Chinese Hong Kong. A special =22track=22 of courses = offered in Seguin concentrated on Latino ministry while courses in Wheaton = gave insight into Islam. Youth participated in global programs designed = for junior high and senior high school ages at each event.
An offering given at the opening worship service in Seguin -- = =242,400 -- was divided among the Oaks Indian Center, Oaks, Oklahoma; the = =22Z=22 Place, Zion Lutheran Church, San Antonio, Texas; and the ELCA=27s = Corridor Ministry on the border between the United States and Mexico. The = offering from the opening worship service in Wheaton -- =246,300 -- was = divided between Lutheran Family Mission of Chicago and the Southwest Asian = Outreach ministry of Central Lutheran Church, Des Moines, Iowa. A second = offering at each event was given to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.
For information contact:=20
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS=40ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
