DENVER (ELCA) -- In Philadelphia the 1997 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) established a program to transform the lives of people inhabiting the hearts of U.S. cities and, in turn, transform their congregations and communities. The ELCA's 1999 Churchwide Assembly received a progress report Aug. 21 on "In the City for Good."
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting Aug. 16-22 here at the Colorado Convention Center. There are more than 2,500 people participating, including 1,038 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: Hope for a New Century."
"We are ministering in places of great opportunity," Dr. Addie J. Butler, vice president of the ELCA, Philadelphia, told the assembly as she introduced the Rev. Jerrett L. Hansen, mission director, ELCA Division for Outreach, Baltimore. Hansen chairs a seven-member "urban team" that oversees the "In the City for Good" project.
Hansen told the assembly that the document outlining the project for the 1997 assembly has been well received, even by those outside of urban areas. He added that, as the project's purpose is to transform, the project has been transformed as its shortcomings have been identified.
The criteria and process for funding projects have evolved, he said. The project is gathering a fund that will allow a 14-member "funding team" to award up to $500,000 in grants each year from 1999 to 2008, under the coordination of the ELCA Division for Outreach.
In 1999 the ELCA awarded $357,179 in grants to 23 new urban ministry programs that illustrate a potential for transforming lives, congregations and communities in U.S. cities. Nearly 140 program proposals were submitted.
Lutheran Brotherhood, a fraternal benefits society based in Minneapolis, has committed $1 million for "In the City for Good." The ELCA Upstate New York Synod gave another $260,000 to the project from the sale of property.
"In the City for Good" is not meant to be a "quick fix," Hansen said. The fund is being developed in such a way that it may exist beyond the project's 10-year blueprint.
Those ministering in U.S. cities have often had their "energy sapped by the weight of the task," said Hansen. "'In the City for Good' is a call to have our spirits renewed."
"We have said that we are a mission church," Hansen said. He said the church's mission is not to bring people to a "brand" of Christianity but to bring good news to a world full of bad news.
Hansen told the assembly the ELCA Division for Outreach has held three "urban convocations" -- in Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., and New York -- and has plans for three more -- in Chicago, Detroit and Reading, Pa. The division is also leading consultations in each of the ELCA's 65 synods.
The urban team has produced a "resource binder" for use by city congregations, Hansen said. Rick Steves of public television's "Travels in Europe" hosted the project's videotape, describing the unique challenges and opportunities of ministering in U.S. cities.
The value of these resources, Hansen said, is that they will be used "in the local setting" and "that the ELCA will be 'in the city for good' well beyond this first decade."
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
