DENVER (ELCA) -- On an average Sunday in the United States, 33 percent of worshipers are adult men, down from 47 percent in the 1950s, said Charlie Schwartz, president of Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), in greetings to the 1999 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly. LMM is the men's organization of the ELCA.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is met Aug. 16-22 here at the Colorado Convention Center. There were more than 2,500 people participating, including 1,038 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly was "Making Christ Known: Hope for a New Century."
"The focus of LMM is to help every man in our congregations develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. The goal is to build faith through relationships and ministry," said Schwartz, Fredericksburg, Texas.
LMM gathered in Breckenridge, Colo., Aug. 13-15, "to discover what it means to build a legacy of faith and life," Schwartz said. Men from ages 15-84 attended the gathering that Schwartz called "a turning point for men's ministry in the church."
Malcolm Carroll, a student at Trinity Lutheran College, Issaquah, Wash., and emcee for the gathering, also greeted the assembly. "I believe that God's spirit is moving in a way that goes across generation lines and race lines," Carroll said, adding that LMM is a "place for all men."
LMM personnel have held leadership events in many regions, Schwartz said. In addition, the organization is "looking forward to the day when LMM will contribute toward the larger church instead of being subsidized by it," he said.
Schwartz said "in order to bring about hope for all," LMM will promote "healthy female-male relationships. We must work together. When we work to serve together, it is a witness to the world and the church," he said.
"Amen for Lutheran men," Schwartz said.
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
