ELCA News Blog
June 22, 2006
Women of the ELCA to offer 'Healthy Hearts' events
by Katherine Hinck*, ELCA News Service
Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will offer two "Healthy Hearts" events this fall as part of its 2005- 2008 health initiative, "Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls." The two events will take place Sept. 29-Oct. 1, Chicago, and Oct. 27-29, Greensboro, N.C. The goals of the initiative are to educate women and girls to care for themselves physically, spiritually and emotionally, to help prevent health risks from continuing, and to advocate for more research and the elimination of heart disease and stroke. The weekend seminars will feature professional speakers discussing ways to create a better quality of life, self-assessment exercises, Bible studies and meditation techniques.
The keynote speakers for the Chicago event are the Rev. Mary Stein-Webber, Trinity Lutheran Church, Oakland, Calif., and Dr. Gwen Wagstrom Halaas, a family physician in St. Paul, Minn., who has authored numerous books on ministerial health and wellness. In Greensboro the speakers are diaconal minister Tammy Devine, wellness coordinator, ELCA Board of Pensions, and the Rev. Ginger Anderson-Larson, associate director of contextual education and director of spiritual formation, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. Wartburg is one of eight ELCA seminaries.
The seminars run Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. On Sunday participants will receive training on how to replicate health events in their own community, church or women's group.
*Katherine R. Hinck is a senior journalism and religion major at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog