CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The summer 2000 edition of MOSAIC, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), focuses on issues related to race and class in the church. Video tapes will be available June 1.
When it was formed in 1988, the ELCA established a goal that before 2000, 10 percent of its members would be people of color or people whose primary language is other than English. While the church did not meet the goal, it continues its efforts to be a multicultural church.
The summer MOSAIC will explore how race and class issues impact ELCA congregations. The program includes three segments:
+ "The Lost Mission" is the story of a Hispanic congregation in New Orleans that disbanded despite good intentions on the part of the mostly White congregation that provided worship space for them.
+ "Bridging the Leadership Gap" is the story of two congregations in Saginaw, Mich. One congregation's members are mostly White and the others' members are mostly African American. Both are reaching out to their African American neighbors.
+ "Reshaping the Vision" includes comments and reflections on issues of race and class from ELCA leaders and others throughout the United States.
MOSAIC is produced by the ELCA Department for Communication. It is intended for educational use in a variety of congregational settings including Sunday School classes, adult forums, youth groups, women's and men's groups, new member classes, church council meetings, committee meetings and other organizational meetings. Each issue includes a user's guide, with a synopsis of each segment and discussion questions. MOSAIC is issued quarterly. Annual subscriptions are available through the ELCA Department for Communication.
[Editors: Specific information about MOSAIC subscriptions and the contents of each issue are available on the World Wide Web at www.elca.org/co/mosaic or by contacting the ELCA Department for Communication by phone at 800/638-3522 ext. 6009. Digital photographs that accompany each story can be requested by e-mail to mosaic@elca.org or by phone.]
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
