CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two international Lutheran ministries, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), have moved their international headquarters to a new six-story facility in downtown Baltimore, near the redeveloped Inner Harbor. The facility is called "The Lutheran Center."
In addition to LIRS and LWR, the new building will house the offices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Delaware-Maryland= =20 Synod, one of 65 synods of the ELCA. The Rev. George P. Mocko is bishop of the synod. The facility will also be home to the Baltimore operations of Tressler Lutheran Services, Mechanicsburg, Pa., one of the largest Lutheran social ministry organizations in the United States, and the Eastern Regional Office of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Foundation. SERRV Self-Help Handcrafts, with headquarters in New Windsor, Md., will sell handcrafts made by artisans in developing countries at a store in the lobby.
LIRS and LWR moved into the new facility Sept. 20, and the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod is expected to move Oct. 2.
LWR is the overseas relief and development ministry of the ELCA and the LCMS. LIRS is a cooperative agency of the ELCA, LCMS and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was established by Lutheran churches in the United States to carry out the churches' ministry with immigrants and refugees. This year LIRS is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
LWR and LIRS both moved to Baltimore from offices they shared in New York City. The new building is located on land owned by Christ Lutheran Church, a 1,300-member ELCA congregation located adjacent to The Lutheran Center. The congregation agreed to lease the land on which the building sits for $1 per year, said the Rev. Elizabeth S. Risch, Christ Lutheran Church.
"We're looking forward to a friendly, long-lasting relationship with all of the agencies," she said. "This is a unique opportunity for any congregation."
In its downtown setting, Christ Lutheran Church maintains active outreach programs to homeless women and children, and it assists refugees, she said. The congregation also works in partnership with a local elementary school.
"It is wonderful to be here after so much planning and hard work," said Kathryn F. Wolford, LWR president. The move to Baltimore will help the agency in its collaborative work with other relief agencies such as Catholic Relief Services, also located in Baltimore, she said. The people of Baltimore also have "affirmed" LWR's mission as a nonprofit religious organization, Wolford added.
Attracting attention for the international ministry of LIRS and being able to attract future LIRS personnel were among the reasons the agency chose to move to Baltimore, said Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr., president. LIRS had been headquartered in New York because the city was home to many international organizations, and for much of this century it was the place where most immigrants first entered the United States, he said. "New York is not the only gateway to the country anymore," Deffenbaugh said.
The new office space is expected to save funds for the agencies. Deffenbaugh and Wolford said their organizations will benefit by being closer to government agencies and organizations located in nearby Washington, D.C. Both praised Christ Lutheran Church for its work in making The Lutheran Center a reality.
LIRS announced a new management plan as part of the move. The plan is a reflection of LIRS' growth, Deffenbaugh said. The number of refugees the agency resettled annually has grown to nearly 15,000, up from 9,000 a few years ago, Deffenbaugh said. The agency's other programs have grown, too, requiring a shift in administrative responsibilities, he explained.
Deffenbaugh, formerly executive director of LIRS, remains as president. Four vice presidents were named: Annie Wilson, vice president for programs; Timmi Pierce, vice president for agency advancement; Barbara Day, vice president for resettlement; and George N. Letsa, vice president for finance and administration.
[Editors: The Lutheran Center will be dedicated Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. in a
worship service at Christ Lutheran Church, 701 S. Charles St.,
Baltimore. Many special guests have been invited, including the Rev. H.
George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, who will preach.]
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
