wfn.org | Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Awards $1,875,000 To The ELCA

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

May 23, 2005

Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Awards $1,875,000 To The ELCA
05-094-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a not-
for-profit financial services organization based in Minneapolis,
announced May 11 that it awarded $1,875,000 in grants to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).	The money will
help start new congregations, support several events and back
nine other initiatives of the ELCA.
     "We're very grateful to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans for
its generous gift to the ELCA churchwide organization," said the
Rev. Charles S. Miller, ELCA executive for administration and
executive assistant to the presiding bishop.
     "The gift permits us to expand our outreach through the
start of new congregations, provides vital support for a host of
churchwide events including the upcoming Churchwide Assembly, and
gives us the opportunity to try some innovative programs in
evangelism and leadership development.	The gift really increases
our capacity for essential ministries in behalf of this whole
church," Miller said.
     One million dollars of the total will assist the efforts of
the ELCA Division for Outreach, which works with the church's 65
synods, 10,657 congregations and other mission partners to
develop new congregations, renew congregations that have
plateaued or are in decline, and support congregations in
transition or with special needs.
     Thrivent Financial gave $561,000 to support 11 ELCA events:
Churchwide Assembly, Youth Gathering, Conference of Bishops,
"Mega" Consultations, Bishops' Assistants Gathering, Lutheran Men
in Mission events, Global Mission Events, Synod Communicators
Event, Women of the ELCA Triennial Convention, Outdoor Ministries
Conference, and the Lutheran Youth Organization, Multicultural
Youth Leadership Event and Definitely Abled Youth Leadership
Event.
     A block grant of $314,000 went toward nine ELCA initiatives:
"Mission Interpretation:  A Narrative Approach to Growing
Giving," "Cruzando:  Journeying with Jesus in Bosnia,"
Multicultural Gathering, "Interfaith Initiative," "Kidfaith:
Nurturing Children in Faith and Community," ELCA Small Town and
Rural Ministry Alliance, Legal Issues Forum, college reception at
Churchwide Assembly and strategic planning for the Decade for
Nonviolence.
     "Thrivent Financial has been privileged to serve the
Lutheran community for more than a century, and developing new
mission congregations is critical to the health, vitality and
growth of the Lutheran faith," said Tim Schwan, Thrivent
Financial vice president of church and community outreach.  "We
are delighted to assist the ELCA in its ministries that touch
people's lives both in the Lutheran church and in the broader
community," he said in a Thrivent Financial news release.
-- -- --
     The home page of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is at
http://www.thrivent.com/ on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news