by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is hosting
"Hope for the Prairie: Vital Congregations and Leaders for the
21st Century" Nov. 5-6 in Aberdeen, S.D. The event will focus on
the future of Lutheran congregations and ministries in North and
South Dakota with emphases on what the church has accomplished
there and congregational resources designed to keep ministries
renewed and vitalized. Keynote presentations will be delivered
by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, and
Ryan Taylor, a rancher, freelance writer and public relations
professional for a beef co-op, Towner, N.D. The event will
feature workshops on topics ranging from new models for
collaborative ministries to natural church development and
worship from the ELCA's new primary book of worship --
"Evangelical Lutheran Worship." A variety of musicians from
North and South Dakota will lead worship and provide
entertainment throughout the conference.
The Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl, bishop of the ELCA South Dakota
Synod, Sioux Falls, will close the event with a "challenge" to
participants. The event is sponsored by the ELCA South Dakota
Synod, the ELCA Western North Dakota Synod, Bismarck, and the
ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod, Fargo.
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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
