CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has taken a close look at the various facets of its ministries among persons with disabilities. The ELCA Church Council approved "The Final Report of the Comprehensive Study of Ministry With and Among Persons Who Are Deaf and Persons with Disabilities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America" and its recommendations.
The 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 met here Nov. 13-16. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is August 16-22, 1999, in Denver.
The 72-page report included recommendations for the work of the ELCA's Division for Church in Society, such as hiring a full-time director for disability ministries, ensuring that Christian education materials are inclusive of persons with disabilities and training church leaders in inclusive ministry "as an holistic approach to mission."
Laura Lundsgaard, ELCA coordinator for social justice education, put the report together for the Division for Church in Society. She said the division's board raised questions about the report's name. Why "persons with disabilities" and why are they separate from "persons who are deaf?"
"Persons with disabilities" is preferred, so people are identified as "persons" first and not defined by their disabilities, said Lundsgaard.= =20 "Persons who are deaf" do not consider themselves to have a disability, she said. "Culturally deaf people use American Sign Language to communicate rather than English or some other language."
The report was prompted by a number of requests: + Sunshine B. Keiser of the ELCA's Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod asked for representation of persons with disabilities on church boards and commissions; + Jeffrey L. Kane of the ELCA's New England Synod asked that the church look into the possibility of establishing a commission for persons with disabilities; + the ELCA's Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod passed a resolution on protecting the rights of persons with disabilities; and + the ELCA's Metropolitan New York, Southeastern Minnesota and Virginia Synods sent resolutions to the 1997 Churchwide Assembly asking that the deaf community be recognized as a unique culture.
The Church Council action will transmit the report to the sources of those requests and as information to the 1999 Churchwide Assembly.
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
