CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Women from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have responded to "Katie's Fund" with gifts totaling more than $200,000. The first allocation from the fund will be used for "Young Women See Visions" and "Feasting at Katie's Table: A Theological Retreat" developed by Women of the ELCA, the women's organization of the church.
Katie's Fund is a permanent endowment fund named after Katharina "Katie" von Bora, wife of Martin Luther, the 16th century German church reformer. Interest from the endowment supports Women of the ELCA programs, resources and opportunities for women in the areas of global sharing, leadership development and "living theology."
"Young Women See Visions" is an "exploratory project designed to expand ministry with young women and girls," said Catherine I.H. Braasch, executive director for Women of the ELCA. The project will "seek best practices and explore new avenues for ministry with our new generation of sisters in Christ," Braasch said.
The project was announced at the Fourth Triennial Convention of Women of the ELCA, July 8-11, 1999, in St. Louis. A workshop called "Young Women See Visions" was held at the convention and a "young women's track" is proposed for the Fifth Triennial Convention July 11-14, = 2002,=20 in Philadelphia, said Braasch.
"A special consultation with women ranging in age from teens to early 40s will take place Oct. 15-17 in Chicago," Braasch said. About $6,000 in interest from Katie's Fund will support "Young Women See Visions."
In the next year 50 congregations of the ELCA will receive a new resource called "Feasting at Katie's Table: A Theological Retreat." The resource will equip women, men and youth for daily living from a Lutheran perspective. About $2,000 has been set aside to purchase the resource for congregations, Braasch said.
"Feasting at Katie's Table" includes a video featuring the Rev. Norma J. Cook Everist, professor of church administration and educational ministry, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. The resource also includes a leader's guide and participant materials for small group settings and larger retreats, said Braasch.
"These projects speak to the hearts and hopes of women in this church. Like Katie before us, women of the ELCA today gather in community as sisters in Christ, grow in awe and love of God, and go out to witness and serve in Jesus' name," Braasch said.
"Women's gifts, offerings and bequests have created a fund that will go on giving, just as Katie's legacy strengthens us now," she said.
Katie's Fund was established in 1997 to mark the 10th anniversary of the women's organization. Women of the ELCA became an official organization when 2,500 women from three former Lutheran church bodies gathered in a constituting convention in Milwaukee, July 11-14, 1987.
"Today, 8,596 congregation and inter-congregational units in 64 geographic synodical women's organizations make up the Women of the ELCA," said Braasch.
[Editor's Note: "Young Women See Visions" and "Feasting at Katie's Table:
A Theological Retreat" are available through Augsburg Fortress,
Minneapolis, the publishing house of the ELCA.]
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
