CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Thirty Lutherans came here from nine states for an intensive course designed for congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that have organized or reorganized in the past six months. The ELCA Division for Outreach sponsored the conference April 26-28.
Pastors and lay leaders from 14 new congregations attended the conference. Four mission developers who coordinate new ELCA ministries in Kansas, Minnesota, New York and North Carolina were present also.
"This group of 14 new congregations is an exciting view of today's and tomorrow's ELCA," said Susan A. Thompson, executive for newly organized congregations in the ELCA Division for Outreach.
"They worship in four primary languages -- English, Spanish, Ethiopian and Chinese. They are in suburban, rural and urban, and West Coast, Midwest and Northeast locations," she said.
"Amidst the diversity, the clear commonality was a commitment to Jesus Christ and the strong desire to continue to reach out to their communities with the gospel through both word and deed," said Thompson.
The conference provided instruction on communication, ministry planning, leadership development, insurance matters, post-organization needs and opportunities, conflict management, financial support, time management and church buildings. It also gave participants the opportunity to learn from the experiences of each other.
Participants represented: + Lord of Grace Lutheran Church, Tucson, Ariz.; + Spirit of Joy Community Church, Hemet, Calif.; + Life Lutheran Church, Pinole, Calif.; + Ethiopian Christian Fellowship, San Diego; + Iglesia Luterana de La Resurreccion, Garden City, Kan.; + Providence Lutheran Church, Georgetown, Ky.; + St. Mary Magdalene Lutheran Church, Savage, Minn.; + St. Martin Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn.; + Iglesia Luterana Paz y Esperanza, Willmar, Minn.; + Resurrection Lutheran Church, Woodbury, Minn.; + Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Wellsville, N.Y.; + Hosanna Lutheran Church, Charlotte, N.C.: + Community of Love Lutheran Church, New London, Pa.; and + Rejoice Lutheran Church, Frisco, Texas.
A similar conference in November is expected to draw representatives from at least 10 new ELCA congregations. Representatives from 22 new congregations attended conferences in 1998.
The ELCA has 5.2 million members. At the end of 1997 the church had 10,889 congregations across the United States and Caribbean.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.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
