CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Walt Wangerin Jr., speaker for Lutheran Vespers, the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), plans to resume the "OutSpoken for Lutheran Vespers" tour through the Upper Midwest Sept. 19 -- but not on a bicycle. Wangerin has been hospitalized in Alexandria, Minn., since Sept. 9 after he fractured his left hip when he fell off his bike.
Wangerin, 58, underwent surgery to repair his damaged hip at Douglas County Hospital in Alexandria. Wangerin had completed three-and- one-half weeks of the nine-week bike tour when the accident occurred.
"Walt is scheduled to be released from the hospital Sept. 13, and will be able to continue," said the Rev. Eric C. Shafer, director of the ELCA Department for Communication, in an announcement to the ELCA. The tour will resume its original schedule Sept. 19, with a rally in Marshall, Minn. Wangerin will travel to the rallies by motor home, Shafer said. "We thank everyone who has prayed for Walt this week and contacted us with wishes for his speedy recovery," said Shafer. "And, we thank you all for your continued support of the Lutheran Vespers radio outreach ministry." 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. From his hospital bed, Wangerin told the ELCA News Service that his good physical fitness, a benefit from preparing for the multi-state bike tour, "was a blessing." He said he has received many cards and letters, delivered to the hospital and his home in Indiana, and is grateful for the outpouring of support. He said he will use crutches and a walker to help him move around until he fully recovers. Following the bicycle accident, Wangerin's scheduled appearances at rallies were canceled in Alexandria, Fergus Falls, and Moorhead, Minn. He will also miss a scheduled rally in Grand Forks, N.D., and a visit to a radio station in Madison, Minn., next week before resuming Sept. 19. Wangerin said he does not know if the missed appearances will be rescheduled. Before the accident, Wangerin had bicycled through parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota and participated in several Lutheran Vespers rallies and appearances. The tour schedule also includes planned visits to South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. The 2,600-mile trip, scheduled through Oct. 20, has three goals for Lutheran Vespers: increasing listener involvement, raising an endowment to help keep the program on the air, and seeking endorsement of the program from ELCA leaders and others. -- -- -- Information about the tour, including scheduled rallies and other appearances can be found at http://www.elca.org/lv/OutSpoken/ on the ELCA 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
