CHICAGO (ELCA) -- An Internet "virtual conference" is expected to bring together people from many faith backgrounds during February 2000 to discuss the question, "How do I live faithfully in the midst of plenty?"
The pilot virtual conference, "For the Love of Money: Living Faithfully in the Midst of Plenty" is sponsored by the Faith and Life Forum, an organization supported by the Division for Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits society based in Appleton, Wis., provided a grant to help fund the conference.
The online conference will feature at least five people from various backgrounds and occupations who will address participants online, said Sally A. Simmel, director for Daily Life Ministry, ELCA Division for Ministry. The main resource to be used in the conference is "Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All," a social statement on economic life adopted at the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Denver. The social statement is available on the conference Web site, www.faithandlifeforum.org.
"I am very pleased that you are interested in joining the conversation on 'Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All,'" said the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, in his greeting on the Web site. "It has the potential of becoming one of the most important foundational statements of this church -- but only if its assumptions are tested and its implications taken seriously. Thank you for your part in literally 'bringing it to life.'"
Participants are asked to read the economic life statement, and presenters will post their ideas on the conference Web site based on issues discussed in the statement. Participants will be invited to respond online, and responses will be posted on the site, Simmel said.
During the month-long online conference, each presenter will be available at specific times for live chats with participants, Simmel said.
Scheduled presenters include:
+ Danielle Welliever, director, Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State, Tacoma, Wash.
+ Laura McKnight, homemaker, Oswego, Ill., working as a freelance grant writer and editor to spend time with Jeremy, her two-year-old son.
+ Gary Moore, counsel to Ethical and Religious Investors, Sarasota, Fla.
+ Dr. Larry L. Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He is an ELCA lay theologian. His current work in Christian ethics includes analysis of power, methodological issues in Bible, and ethics, technology and ecology.
+ Steve Slice, farm loan specialist, South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Columbia, S.C. Slice is a member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Columbia, and is also the son of a retired Lutheran pastor.
The online conference will begin Feb. 1, and continue throughout the month. A conference evaluation will be done online at the conference's conclusion.
The conference is open to anyone who wants to participate, including groups such as adult Sunday School classes, youth groups and others in local congregations.
Participants can now register online by visiting the Web site (www.faithandlifeforum.org). Registration and participation is free.
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
