by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
The 2006 Global Mission Event (GME) of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America offered four all-day workshops -- known as
"global tracks" -- July 28 on the topics of asset mapping, cross
cultural relationships, hunger and sustainable development. The
workshops, designed to equip church members for domestic and
global ministry, featured lectures, small group discussions and
simulation games. Co-sponsored by the Episcopal Church and
endorsed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the GME
brings together participants of all ages from across the United
States and around the world July 27-30 to the University of
Massachusetts in Amherst.
As defined by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), sustainable
development "is a process of changes by which the basic needs and
human rights of individuals and communities in any given society
are realized while at the same time protecting the basic needs
and human rights of other communities and future generations,"
said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, program coordinator, LWF Department
for World Service, who led a track on sustainable development.
At the workshop participants shared their thoughts and personal
experiences of how sustainable development projects can either
enhance a community or create harmful dependency.
"The ultimate understanding of human diversity is that everyone
is unique, yet interconnected with everyone else in the human
community," according to Roberto Chene, who led a track on cross-
cultural relationships. Chene is director of the Southwest
Center for Intercultural Leadership in Albuquerque, N.M.
Luther K. Snow, author of the book "The Power of Asset Mapping:
How Your Congregation Can Act on its Gifts" led a track that
guided participants on identifying God-given gifts in themselves
and others. Robert Sitze, director for world hunger education,
ELCA Church in Society, Chicago, led an interactive track on
hunger that engaged participants in life-and-death matters that
occur when globalization has "literally hit home."
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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
