CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Beth A. Lewis, the newly elected president and chief executive officer of Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will begin a 19- day journey Sept. 29, in which she will travel by car to meet with ELCA leaders, members and Augsburg Fortress employees.
The "2002 Asking for Directions Tour" will give Lewis an opportunity to demonstrate that Augsburg Fortress is committed to listening to and communicating with customers, she said in an interview. Lewis also hopes to learn about issues confronting the church, she said.
Lewis' tour will begin in Boca Raton, Fla., her home before she started in her new role Sept. 3, and will conclude Oct. 17 in Minneapolis, the home of Augsburg Fortress.
"The trip will allow me to hear concerns and ideas, and will give us the opportunity to explore how we might reach out to help customers with their ministries," Lewis said. "I also hope to pick up some sales ideas along the way."
It's no secret that Augsburg Fortress has had financial challenges, especially in the past few years, she said. "I hear a lot of stories about Augsburg Fortress. As I dig into those stories, I often find it's old news," Lewis said. "I can't fix what happened eight years ago. I'm very sorry it happened, but I can only fix what happens today and tomorrow."
In conversations with people interested in the ELCA publisher's work, Lewis said nearly everyone says they want Augsburg Fortress to be successful.
"We need to go more than halfway with our customers and extend the right hand of friendship," she said.
Lewis, who left as president of a computer teaching school to head Augsburg Fortress, said she wants people to know that the company will deliver more products through "new media," including online delivery and compact discs as well as printed materials. She also wants to communicate that Augsburg Fortress is more than a publisher. For example, it operates an ecclesiastical arts studio that provides worship materials and hand-crafted paraments and vestments, she said.
"The quality of our work is very good," Lewis said. "I hope our customers will give us a fair shake."
Ultimately, Lewis hopes the company's customers will embrace Augsburg Fortress as the publishing house of the ELCA, she said.
"We're not just a vendor; we're a partner in ministry," Lewis said. Lewis will meet regularly with leaders at the ELCA churchwide offices in Chicago to emphasize her commitment to partnership, she said.
During the Asking for Directions Tour, Lewis will write reflections about and provide photos of the trip at http://www.augsburgfortress.org/ceo on the Web. The site will also have details of her travel schedule.
"One of my hopes has been to bring joy to Augsburg Fortress," Lewis said. "Part of joy is laughter and having fun. The staff is having fun with this."
Lewis' schedule is as follows:
+ Sept. 29: Advent Lutheran Church, Boca Raton.
+ Sept. 30: ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod, Tampa; Tampa Christian Supply store, Tampa; LVS Church Supplies, Lakeland, Fla.
+ Oct. 1: ELCA South Carolina Synod, Columbia, S.C.
+ Oct. 2: Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and Augsburg Fortress bookstore, Columbia.
+ Oct. 3: Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church, West Columbia, S.C., and Carolina Catholic Bookstore, Charlotte, N.C.
+ Oct. 4: St. John's Lutheran Church and Heilig Resource Center, Salisbury, N.C.
+ Oct. 6: Faith Lutheran Church, Lexington, Ky.
+ Oct. 7: ELCA Resource Center, Dayton, Ohio.
+ Oct. 8: Augsburg Fortress Distribution Center, Grove City, Ohio.
+ Oct. 9: David Lutheran Church, Canal Winchester, Ohio, and Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio.
+ Oct. 10: Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus.
+ Oct. 11: ELCA Indiana-Kentucky Synod staff, Indianapolis.
+ Oct. 12: Augsburg Fortress bookstore and ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries board meeting, Lutheran Center, Chicago.
+ Oct. 13: Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Naperville, Ill., and advisory committee meeting for The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA, Chicago.
+ Oct. 14-15: Media training session, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and ELCA East-Central Synod of Wisconsin, all in Appleton, Wis.
+ Oct. 16: Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, and First Lutheran Church, Eau Claire, Wis.
+ Oct. 17: Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., and Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis.
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
