CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In an effort to increase support and build an endowment for Lutheran Vespers, the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the program's speaker, the Rev. Walt Wangerin Jr., is in the final few weeks of preparation for a bicycle ride through seven states in the Upper Midwest. The journey, "OutSpoken for Lutheran Vespers," will cover some 2,600 miles during its Aug. 17-Oct. 20 run.
Wangerin is an ELCA pastor and award-winning author. Since 1991 he has been writer-in-residence and Emile and Elfriede Jochum University Professor at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind. In 1994 he assumed the role of speaker for Lutheran Vespers, a weekly 30-minute radio program of the ELCA.
Wangerin's trip includes 24 rallies, stops at more than 35 stations that carry the Lutheran Vespers program and meetings with supporters. It has three goals: increasing listener participation, thanking volunteers and station personnel who help keep the program on the air, and raising funds to sustain the ministry in future years, said Susan V. Greeley, director-producer for Lutheran Vespers, ELCA Department for Communication.
Lutheran Vespers airs on 235 stations, with most concentrated in the Upper Midwest. 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.
During the trip Wangerin will be accompanied by Lutheran Vespers staff and volunteers. Wangerin will bicycle through parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. OutSpoken for Lutheran Vespers will begin Aug. 17 with a formal send-off at the biennial ELCA Communicators Consultation at the ELCA churchwide offices here and conclude Oct. 20 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Schaumburg, Ill. Valparaiso University is planning ceremonies to recognize Wangerin when he leaves and returns.
Each rally will begin at 6:45 p.m. and include remarks by Wangerin, music, devotions and acknowledgment of Lutheran Vespers supporters. Valparaiso University will be represented as well.
Wangerin has been training regularly for the trip since May. Currently he rides 50 miles a day about four days a week, Wangerin said in a telephone interview.
"The more I've ridden, the more I've been aware of what I need on a bike for this trip," he said. "I'm learning how to be safe about it."
In addition to the physical training, Wangerin has been preparing for his meetings with supporters throughout the trip. That will come in the form of bicycle riders who will accompany him into different cities and towns, personal visits and the rallies -- the key public events during the bicycle journey.
"In every place I stop, there is someone who is responsible for keeping Lutheran Vespers on the air," Wangerin said. "I want to introduce that person to friends and neighbors who may want to join in supporting the program."
As more people become involved in the ministry, the financial foundation for Lutheran Vespers will be stronger, he said. "Ultimately, our goal is to strengthen this ministry, so it's not 'chasing itself.' We want to be out in front."
The rallies are important venues for recognizing key supporters of Lutheran Vespers, Wangerin said. "When I leave each rally, I hope the people will see it's the beginning of something, not the end. And I hope each person will realize how important each is to this radio ministry."
Wangerin sees the trip and its components as a "contemplative, meditative experience." He will be writing regular dispatches from the road, which will be posted at http://www.elca.org/lv/outspoken/ on the ELCA Web site.
Though the two-month trip will at times be rigorous, Wangerin, 58, said he has few worries about whether he will be able to complete the journey.
"There shall be a 'nomadic quality' about my trip," Wangerin said. "It really has made me think about the period of time when the people of God traveled and lived in tents. They had no land, but they had the promise of a place to live. In our world today, our sense of propriety and possession, among Christians and others, diminishes in us what it means to live in the promise."
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:
+ 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. 10, 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 will take place in the Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn., area. It will be held at Concordia College, an ELCA higher education institution in Moorhead.
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
