wfn.org | Women of the ELCA Director Says Goodbye

[ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 14, 1996

CHARLOTTE FIECHTER: VISION FOR WOMEN OF THE ELCA
96-WO-21-AH

     MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Dr. Charlotte E. Fiechter, executive
director of Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said
goodbye to the organization's Triennial Convention.  She has resigned
effective July 31.  Fiechter said she kept her promise to outgoing
president Jan Peterson and stayed in her position through the
triennium.  "Now we stand at the beginning of a new triennium and I am
here to say goodbye."
     Fiechter said, "My six and a half years as executive director of
this great organization have been productive years.  We have had many
dreams and we have had many achievements.  I believe that I brought
stability to the organization, that I helped the board in setting a
vision and goals."
     She said, "I believe it is time for me to move on to new tasks
and new responsibilities, and I believe it is time for the
organization to bring in new leadership."
     Fiechter said, "The work of these past six and one half years has
been to build (our)house ... to establish financial policies, to
reorganize the grants and scholarship programs, and to provide support
for synodical organizations and congregational units.
     "Other achievements include our work to establish a
cross-cultural and anti-racism strategy, the beginning of a
comprehensive research program, our collaborative work with other
ELCA units, and our work with the church ecumenically," she said.
     Fiechter said she has worked to develop a vision for Women of the
ELCA as "an organization that helps its participants grow in ministry,
which helps them develop in faith and theological understanding, in
leadership, in service to God and to their sisters and brothers."
     She sees the organization as one which "not only helps to feed
the hungry and stop the hand of the abuser, but which helps change
systems, structures and perceptions which hurt, abuse and oppress
women and children everywhere, an organization called to service not
only in shelters ... but also in board rooms and legislatures where
decisions are made which affect the lives of women."
     The charge of Women of the ELCA must be "improvement in the
status of women worldwide, said Fiechter."  It must be an organization
"which understands that, ultimately, women bear most of the burdens of
war and poverty, of violence and abuse, of economic and family
dislocation ... an organization which seeks full partnership for women
in this church and works to make the church a safe place for women.
It must always endeavor to create wider opportunities for women in
this church and society, and to empower women to meet these
opportunities."

     For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service,
(312) 380-2958; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312) 380-2955; Lia
Christiansen, Asst. Dir., (312) 380-2956