Lutheran Vespers Makes Plans to Solidify Radio Ministry

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Vespers, the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is putting plans in place aimed at increasing listener participation and building an endowment that will assure adequate finances for the ministry's future.
The Rev. Walt Wangerin Jr., an ELCA pastor and Lutheran Vespers speaker, announced the plans to the ELCA Department for Communication advisory committee here Jan. 25-26, and in a Jan. 23 letter to ELCA communicators. Wangerin is also Jochum professor of English and theology at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., author of numerous books, articles and essays, and a lecturer.
Lutheran Vespers is a 30-minute program that is broadcast on 238 radio stations. It reaches an estimated 3- to 4-million listeners each week. In addition to listeners in the United States, it reaches audiences in Africa, Australia, Europe, Guam, Puerto Rico, and ELCA missionaries throughout the world. The program was founded in 1947.
This month, the ministry added new stations in North Pole, Alaska; Champaign, Ill.; Pittsfield, Mass.; Santurce, Puerto Rico; and Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Wangerin, 57, said he had already decided to leave as Lutheran Vespers speaker in the near future, but changed his mind following a video presentation and his introduction at the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Indianapolis.
"I was really surprised and overwhelmed by the sustained applause at the assembly," Wangerin told the advisory committee. Wangerin said he was grateful for the recognition but felt uneasy because he knew he was going to leave the radio ministry.
"All of those feelings transferred into a sense of call," said Wangerin, who will remain as speaker for the foreseeable future. Wangerin also announced a three-point plan "to move the ministry to the next level," he said. The plan involves "endowment, enlistment and endorsement," Wangerin said.
+ Endowment: Wangerin said he and the Lutheran Vespers staff will attempt to raise a substantial financial endowment, perhaps as high as $10 million, over the next several years. Large gifts will be sought from individuals and families with an interest in the radio ministry, he said. The endowment fund will be used to finance the ministry's expenses. Such funding will also give the Lutheran Vespers staff the freedom seek out radio stations it wants to air the programs, Wangerin said.
+ Enlistment: Wangerin wants to build a network of Lutheran Vespers listeners and supporters who will invest energy into the ministry and carry it on to future generations.
In September and October, Wangerin is planning a bicycle journey through several states in the Upper Midwest to raise funds by the mile and to call attention to the ministry. He plans to visit radio stations that carry the weekly broadcasts, hold rallies at several locations and report on the journey at http://www.elca.org/lv/ -- the Web site for Lutheran Vespers. A ceremonial kickoff for the trip is planned at the 2002 ELCA Communicators Consultation, Aug. 15-18, 2002, in Chicago. Tentative plans call for the bicycle trip to begin on Sept. 2, 2002, at Valparaiso University, Wangerin said. It will end before Oct. 23, 2002.
A Lutheran Vespers rally is being planned for next year, Wangerin said. It will be held March 28-30, 2003, at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Charleston, S.C. The rally's purpose is to provide a spiritual experience for participants and to help people interested in the ministry to establish a network of Lutheran Vespers contacts.
+ Endorsement: Through greater visibility and network building, Wangerin hopes the ELCA as a whole will recognize the radio ministry's service on behalf of the church and "own it," he said. "This is a missionary outreach on behalf of the ELCA," Wangerin said, noting that listeners are Christians, non-Christians and people with no church.
A donor has given Lutheran Vespers a $75,000 gift to help finance the plan, especially costs for preparing for the bicycle trip, Wangerin said.
During the meeting, the advisory committee and staff of the ELCA Department for Communication honored Wangerin in recognition of the 25th anniversary of his ordination. He was ordained in February 1977.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html

Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 11:31:51 -0600
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<ELCANEWS@LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG> From: News News <NEWS@elca.org> Subject: Spring 2002 MOSAIC on 'Lutheran Roots in America' Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Title: Spring 2002 MOSAIC on 'Lutheran Roots in America'
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

February 1, 2002

SPRING 2002 MOSAIC ON 'LUTHERAN ROOTS IN AMERICA'
02-019-JB

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The spring 2002 edition of MOSAIC, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), focuses on the story of how Lutherans came to colonial America from Europe and where different groups of Lutherans settled.
The 30-minute program, "Lutheran Roots in America" is hosted by the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary.
Lutheran Roots in America will be available March 1, but can be ordered in advance. The program explores how Lutherans from Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden and other countries came to North America. It explores the influence of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the Saxons, Hans Neilson Hauge, the Salzbergers and others on Lutheranism in America.
The program is intended for groups such as new church members and confirmation classes to understand Lutheran history, said Tim Frakes, MOSAIC producer and associate director for internal church communication, ELCA Department for Communication.
The program is a follow-up to a MOSAIC program released in 2001, "Opening the Door to Luther," which retold the story of Martin Luther, a German monk whose writings led to the Protestant Reformation. A companion video, "Morning Star of Wittenberg," chronicled the life of Luther's wife, Katherine.
Video segments from MOSAIC issues can be viewed at http://www.elca.org/mosaic/ on the Web. The pilot project to enable video segments to be viewed on the Web was made possible by grants from Aid Association for Lutherans and Lutheran Brotherhood. The fraternal benefit organizations recently merged.
MOSAIC is produced and distributed by the 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 guide with a synopsis of each segment and discussion questions. MOSAIC is issued quarterly. Annual subscriptions are available through the Department for Communication.
MOSAIC announced its first price increase since the formation of the ELCA in 1988, Frakes said. On Jan. 31, prices for individual copies of MOSAIC -- including Lutheran Roots in America -- increased to $19.95. A one-year subscription, which includes four issues of MOSAIC, will be $50. -- -- --
Specific information about MOSAIC subscriptions and the contents of each issue are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.elca.org/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