CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Four-time Grammy award winner Russ Taff will be one of the featured musicians July 26-28 at the "Blueprints for Living" Lutheran Men's Gathering in San Antonio. Lutheran Men in Mission, the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will sponsor the gathering at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel along the San Antonio Riverwalk.
Taff, who has been an important figure in contemporary Christian music for the past 20 years, recently performed with the Gaither Vocal Band and the Imperials. He will join Tony Melendez and Richard Webb in presenting music at the gathering.
Melendez was born without arms. Playing the guitar with his feet, he came to the world's attention when he played for Pope John Paul II. Webb, who has taught and led conferences across the country on evangelism and discipleship in the postmodern culture, will be leading the gathering worship/music team.
"The purpose of the Blueprints for Living Lutheran Men's Gathering will be for men of all ages to gather and be 'rooted and established in love so that they might have the power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,' as the Bible says, and leave empowered to serve Christ in their family, church and community," said Douglas Haugen, LMM director.
Featured speakers at the gathering will include:
* Tony Campolo, one of the most sought after, dynamic Christian speakers;
* Dick Hardel, executive director of the Youth and Family Institute of Augsburg College; and
* Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International, who has overseen volunteers who have built homes for more than 100,000 families in need in the U.S. and 76 other countries.
Charlie Schwartz, a member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg, Texas, attended his first LMM gathering in 1990. "Each gathering since that time has brought me to a closer relationship with God and other men," he said.
Schwartz is president of LMM. "At the beginning of my LMM experience, my faith and relationship with God was not of sufficient strength to allow me to speak freely to other men about God and his awesome love for me. Now I boldly proclaim this fact," he said.
"We are calling grandfathers, fathers and sons to discover a fresh relationship with God and with other men of all ages, from around the country and around the world, who are on the same journey," said Haugen. "Together, we will receive blueprints of faith and life that will make a difference in our lives and families today, and for generations to come."
An LMM assembly will precede the gathering, July 25-26, to conduct the business of the men's organization. LMM is a ministry of ELCA congregations across the United States and Caribbean. -- -- --
Information about the LMM gathering is at http://www.elca.org/lmm/2002gathering/lmmgathr.html on the ELCA Web site.
Editors: TIFF images of each speaker and musician for the churchwide
men's gathering are available at the above Web page.
*John E. Dellis is an associate in ministry of the ELCA. He is editor
of The Vista, a monthly publication of the ELCA Southwestern Texas
Synod, based in Seguin.
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
