CHICAGO (ELCA) -- New resources are available on the World Wide Web site of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to help members respond in faith to Y2K concerns and the start of the new century in 2001.
The updates are on the "AD2K" Project Web site at www.elca.org/dcs/ad2k. AD2K stands for "In the Year of Our Lord, 2000." The project is directed by Raymond Mueller, Abiding Peace Lutheran Church, Budd Lake, N.J., through the ELCA New Jersey Synod and the ELCA Division for Church in Society.
New items on the Web site include a reproducible bulletin insert for congregational use; reflections on how the ELCA can be of service to others as the new century arrives; and links to new resources about Y2K, Mueller said.
The newest bulletin insert, "Preparing for the Year of Our Lord 2000" emphasizes spiritual preparation and also refers to the ELCA bishops' pastoral letter, "The Year of Our Lord 2000," issued in October 1998. Two previous bulletin inserts, also on the Web site, provide introductory information about the Y2K issue and ways to address concerns about it.
The Web site includes a number of Bible references. The new resources include links to ELCA materials on Y2K, links to other Web sites, on-line articles about Y2K and basic resource preparations for Y2K. A Y2K sermon, delivered Nov. 21 by the Rev. Amandus J. Derr, St. Peter Lutheran Church, New York, is available from the Web site.
"The mission of AD2K is to provide assistance so that, trusting in God's promise to be with us, we may be peacemakers as we respond to Y2K, loving our neighbors as ourselves and serving those most in need," Mueller said. AD2K supports education and spiritual and physical preparedness for the anxieties and possible disruptions of Y2K, he said.
According to Mueller, AD2K calls on ELCA members to trust in God, not in material things; to consider ongoing emergency preparedness as congregations and as individuals; and consider how ELCA members can serve people in need, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Meanwhile, Monday, Jan. 3, the ELCA's churchwide offices in Chicago will be closed for Y2K evaluations. Personnel from the ELCA Department for Information Technology will check computer and information systems throughout the building. Other systems to be checked are elevators, electrical, air conditioning, water and phone systems, plus all copiers and postage meters, said Else Thompson, director for the ELCA Department for Human Resources and Management Services.
ELCA churchwide offices reopen Jan. 4.
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
