CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The staff of Lutheran Vespers, the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has announced details of a journey that will take the program's speaker on a bicycle trip through seven states beginning in August.
The Rev. Walt Wangerin Jr.'s bike trip, "OutSpoken for Lutheran Vespers," is aimed at increasing listener participation, thanking volunteers and station personnel who help keep the program on the air, and raising funds for the ministry, said Susan V. Greeley, director/producer for Lutheran Vespers, ELCA Department for Communication.
Lutheran Vespers is a 30-minute weekly radio program featuring Wangerin, which airs on 235 stations. It reaches an estimated 3 million to 4 million listeners a year in the United States, Africa, Australia, Europe, Guam and Puerto Rico. ELCA missionaries also receive copies of the program.
OutSpoken for Lutheran Vespers will take Wangerin and his bicycle through parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. It will begin with a formal send-off at the biennial ELCA Communicators Consultation here Aug. 18 and conclude Oct. 20 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Schaumburg, Ill. Along the way Wangerin will participate in 24 planned rallies and several photo opportunities at radio stations that air Lutheran Vespers.
Each rally will include remarks by Wangerin, music, devotions and acknowledgment of Lutheran Vespers supporters.
"The wonderful part of radio ministry is that Walt is able to reach so many people at once," Greeley said. "But for him it can also be somewhat lonely, because he never sees his listeners. The bike ride gives both him and Lutheran Vespers listeners some personal time together, which is good for everyone."
It's important for Wangerin and the staff to make "personal connections" with listeners and donors, Greeley said.
"These people are not only our audience, they are the ones who keep the program on the air," she said. "In a very real sense, this is their ministry because Lutheran Vespers is listener-funded. We look forward to thanking many of them in person."
Wangerin receives numerous invitations to speak and lecture each year and has to turn down many of them because of his writing and teaching schedule. The rallies throughout the bike trip will give people an opportunity to hear and meet Wangerin, Greeley said.
Much of the funding for the trip came from a significant financial gift to the ministry, Greeley said. All regular contributions are used to produce and distribute the program, she said.
Outspoken for Lutheran Vespers rallies are scheduled as follows:
+ Wisconsin: Aug. 18, Kenosha; Aug. 21, Hartford; Aug. 22, Green Bay; Aug. 24, Appleton; Aug. 27, Mauston; Aug. 29, Viroqua; and Aug. 31, Rice Lake.
+ Minnesota: Sept. 4, Minneapolis; Sept. 7, Willmar; Sept. 3, Fergus Falls; Sept. 11, Moorhead; and Sept. 19, Marshall.
+ North Dakota: Sept. 16, Grand Forks.
+ South Dakota: Sept. 21, Sioux Falls.
+ Nebraska: Sept. 23, Fremont; and Sept. 25, Omaha.
+ Iowa: Sept. 30, Des Moines; Oct. 2, Grinnell; Oct. 5, Ottumwa; and Oct. 9, Cedar Rapids.
+ Illinois: Oct. 13, Princeton; Oct. 16, Peoria; Oct. 18, Rockford; and Oct. 20, Schaumburg.
On the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, Sept. 11, a special program and rally will take place in the Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn, area. It will be held at held at Concordia College, an ELCA higher education institution in Moorhead. -- -- --
Information about OutSpoken for Lutheran Vespers will be available at http://www.elca.org/lv/OutSpoken/index.html on the ELCA's Web site.
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
