CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The primary business computer systems of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are Year 2000 (Y2K) date compliant, said Ken F. Aicher, director of the ELCA's Department for Information Technology, in his report Nov. 15 to the ELCA's Church = Council.=20 The primary business systems include finance reports, clergy and congregation rosters, endowment and gift donor data.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between meetings of the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly. The council is meeting here Nov. 13-16. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is August 16-22 in Denver.
A computer application "system-readiness test," using a January 2000 test date, was completed Aug. 15. All applications were date and calculation tested. A second test will be done in May 1999.
"Every office in our system is confronted with the Y2K problem," said Aicher. Our cost will be minimal, since most of our purchased software is 2000 compliant. Aicher anticipates a cost of $70,000, not including staff time, for continued system upgrades.
Software upgrades to the ELCA's local and wide area networks are 95 percent complete and will be compliant by the end of this month. Desktop computer Y2K upgrades to 406 personal computers represent the most = time-consuming task but the least business risk in the project, said = Aicher.=20 Those systems are scheduled for completion in March 1999.
"The church's role is to inform and advise," said Aicher. The ELCA's Internet web page -- http://www.elca.org/it/y2k.html -- provides information for congregations about the Y2K problem.
"Internally, we're in great shape," said Forrest Bedke, ELCA director for management services, in his report to the Church Council. Heating and air conditioning systems were brought up to compliance at the Lutheran Center, the ELCA's churchwide office building here.
Building services include an upgrade to the 911 emergency and telephone voice mail systems by February 1999. The elevators at the Lutheran Center use a computer system that does not rely on dates.
All systems at the Lutheran Center are supported by electricity, said Bedke. His primary concern is the distribution of power. Outside vendors that provide electrical power to the Lutheran Center will be in compliance late next year, which does not leave a large margin of time for error.
For information contact:
Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director (773) 380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.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
