wfn.org | LWF Launches Assembly Website in Four Languages

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Get updated at http://www.lwf-assembly.org

Geneva, 12 August 2002 (LWI) -  Would you like to know more about
the upcoming Tenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF)?

Almost a year before the major international gathering of
Lutherans in Winnipeg, Canada, 21-31 July, the LWF has launched
its Assembly web site with comprehensive information in the four
LWF working languages - English, German, French and Spanish. The
address of the English entry portal is
http://www.lwf-assembly.org.

The site was prepared with assistance from the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Department for Communication,
which is also hosting the Assembly Web site.  ELCA Web Manager,
Rex Paisley, worked closely with the LWF German Language Editor,
Dirk-Michael Groetzsch, and the Assembly Coordinator, Rev. Arthur
Leichnitz, to design a site which is attractive and easy to use.
The site will be maintained by the LWF Office for Communication
Services (OCS) in Geneva.

LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, expressed great
appreciation for the assistance provided by the ELCA. "The
contributions made by the member churches make the work of the LWF
and the Assembly accessible to many people," said Noko. "I am very
pleased to acknowledge the contribution of the ELCA in helping to
provide an Assembly Web site which will be a resource throughout
the communion, and indeed, throughout the world."

Leichnitz hailed the launch as an important step in Assembly
preparations. "This dedicated Web site will provide timely and
comprehensive information for participants and the LWF member
churches as they prepare for the Assembly," said Leichnitz. "The
site will be updated frequently and it will be the focal point for
sharing information, and also for continuing to develop the theme
and issues for the Assembly."

All important Assembly documents will be available on the Assembly
web site. This includes the Assembly Study Book with theological
reflections on the Assembly theme "For the Healing of the World"
as well as bible studies, and the development of issues which will
be addressed by the Assembly. The website will also feature a
Six-Year Report with a comprehensive summary of work undertaken by
the LWF since the Ninth Assembly in 1997 in Hong Kong. Most
documents will be available later this year.

The "News and Media" section of the site includes current
Assembly-related news releases in English and German. During the
Assembly, it will provide news releases in four languages, the
Assembly newspaper, audio and video news reports as well as a
photo library.

The site also includes the Assembly logo in downloadable formats
for use by member churches and others to promote the Assembly; a
brief history of LWF Assemblies; an introduction to the LWF; and
information on the host church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada.

"The launch of the Assembly web site adds to the presence of the
LWF on the Internet," said OCS Director Ms Karin Achtelstetter,
referring also to the major revision of the English site for the
LWF (http://www.lutheranworld.org) which was introduced in March
2002. A parallel site in German is in the final stages of
preparation and will be available in September 2002. (515 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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