CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) plan to host a conference for the religion and disability program of the National Organization on Disability (NOD) Sept. 28 at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, Mill Run Campus, Hilliard, Ohio. The "That All May Worship" conference is designed to promote the full participation of people with disabilities in the worship, study, service and leadership of congregations.
"That All May Worship" is the title of one of three guides the NOD's religion and disability program has published. Others are "Loving Justice" and "From Barriers to Bridges." The guides look at barriers in church buildings and in congregations, the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on religious institutions, and how to coordinate a conference promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities.
The Abled/Disabled Awareness Ministry (ADAM) task force of the ELCA's Northwestern Ohio Synod will host the conference with the Southern Ohio Synod. Congregations of the ELCA are organized into 65 synods across the United States and Caribbean.
The Rev. Ray G. Gottschling, assistant to the bishop, ELCA Northwestern Ohio Synod, Findlay, said putting an elevator or a ramp into a church building is only part of making a congregation accessible. Accessibility includes adjusting "the mindset of congregations who don't 'see' people with disabilities in their midst," he said.
The ADAM task force sponsored a similar conference two years ago in northern Ohio, said Gottschling. This year's conference is near Columbus in the Southern Ohio Synod.
Gottschling said the conference should attract people who make decisions in congregations and who are concerned about their ministries being open to everyone.
Since 1993, NOD has conducted That All May Worship conferences in more than 150 locations, including churches, synagogues, community colleges, rehabilitation hospitals, senior citizens' centers and seminaries. The conferences bring together people of every faith to identify and remove physical and spiritual barriers, and to promote dialogue between people with disabilities and religious leaders.
Ginny Thornburgh will be the conference keynote speaker. Thornburgh is coordinator for the NOD's religion and disability program. She authored and edited the "That All May Worship" guide. She has coordinated programs for people with disabilities at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., and currently serves on the board of trustees for Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, N.J.
Thornburgh is married to Richard L. Thornburgh, former governor of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney General and Undersecretary-General of the United Nations. As parents of a son with mental retardation, they have worked worldwide to maximize opportunities for people with disabilities.
The conference will include five workshops: + Perspectives of Disability -- the Rev. Lisa Thogmartin-Cleaver, director for disability ministries and deaf ministry, ELCA Division for Church in Society + Building Accessibility -- Art Hoffman, Church Building Consultant, ELCA Mission Investment Fund, Cincinnati, and the Rev. Richard A. Moe, Trinity Lutheran Church, Fremont, Ohio + Beautiful Mind -- Juanita Hollis, minority outreach coordinator of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Toledo, Ohio + Sunday School and the Difficult Child -- Sharon Nelson, a youth outreach coordinator with the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Toledo + Jesus and Disability -- the Rev. James C. Ritchey II, Arcadia United Methodist Church, Arcadia, Ohio
In 1989 NOD founded its religion and disability program to work with congregations, national faith groups and seminaries to remove barriers of architecture, communications and attitudes that prevent people with disabilities from full and active religious participation.
NOD launched its Accessible Congregations Campaign in 1998. When the campaign reached its initial goal of enrolling 2,000 congregations of all faiths that commit to removing their barriers and welcoming people with all types of disabilities, about 400 of those congregations were Lutheran. -- -- --
Information on accessibility, resources and the ELCA Accessibility Award is available at http://www.elca.org/dCS/accessibility.html on the Web.
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
