by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service
Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), opened online
registration for its triennial gathering at
http://www.ELCA.org/lmm/ on the ELCA Web site, with early
registration through March 15. The 2008 "Coming of Age" Lutheran
Men's Gathering will be Aug. 1-3 at the Hilton Hotel and Qwest
Center, Omaha, Neb. Featured speakers include Tom Osborne,
interim athletic director, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Osborne was head football coach of the Cornhuskers for 25 years,
helping the school claim three national titles before he was
inducted in 1999 to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District elected him to three terms
during 2001-2007 in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The "Coming of Age" theme has a twofold meaning. LMM is marking
its 20th anniversary by becoming a financially self-reliant,
separately-incorporated ministry of the ELCA. The theme also
refers to a spirituality project LMM undertook to understand what
churches can do to engage young men between the ages of 18 and
34. As part of the project, 88 young men from across the United
States participated in extensive interviews. Sixteen of those
interviewed organized the LMM Young Men's Ministry Council. The
results of the project were presented in the book, "Coming of
Age: Exploring the Identity and Spirituality of Younger Men."
The gathering's purpose is to bring men of all ages into a deeper
relationship with God and assist younger and older men in
building intergenerational relationships. A 48,000-square-foot
interactive center will include room for building Habitat for
Humanity sheds, high-ropes courses and other games.
The gathering will be preceded by the 2008 LMM Assembly July 31-
Aug. 1. The organization's triennial business session will elect
a president to succeed Heber Rast, Cameron, S.C., and other
officers and board members. Rast will complete his second
three-year term. The assembly will adopt a budget for LMM and
celebrate the organization becoming an incorporated, self-funded
ministry of the ELCA with a full-time staff.
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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
