SAN ANTONIO (ELCA) - Women and men should join together to
"anoint" others, just as Mary anointed the feet of Jesus Christ,
said the Rev. Susan L. Gamelin, in a sermon at opening worship
July 6 at the Triennial Gathering of the Women of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Gamelin serves as co-pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church,
High Point, N.C.
Women of the ELCA's Sixth Triennial Gathering is meeting
here July 5-10 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The
organization's three-year theme, "Act Boldly" is being unveiled
at the convention amid Bible study, keynote presentations,
workshops, community service, business sessions and elections.
More than 2,100 women from across the United States and around
the world are participating.
"How I would have loved to have been there," Gamelin said,
reflecting on Mary's act of anointing Jesus' feet. She told the
women and men in the congregation that they "can still anoint
others" throughout the world. Anointing can include simple acts
such as serving soup to people who are sick and bringing lotion
to people living in nursing homes, or reaching out to people in
poverty and standing up for refugees in the Darfur region of
Sudan.
"We can kneel until our knees are raw and pray for peace,"
she said, including praying for peace among families, in the
nation, in the world and in the ELCA.
During the Triennial Gathering, Gamelin said women will be
talking to each other about the bold acts each has done in Jesus'
name.
"We encourage each other," she said. "In Jesus we are so
deeply concerned about justice, about peace, that nothing can
stop us."
To the applause of the congregation, she described the
boldness of the ELCA's women pastors, noting that this is the
35th anniversary year of the ordination of the first female
Lutheran pastor in North America.
Gamelin also described the boldness of Mary Ellen Kitundu, a
friend who serves as medical director of the Central Diocese of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Medical workers
there persevere with limited resources, she said, such as
electricity supplies limited to as little as four hours a week.
"Nothing can stop her," Gamelin said.
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Information about the Women of the ELCA's Sixth Triennial
Gathering is at http://www.womenoftheELCA.org on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
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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
