ELCA News Blog
July 29, 2006
Lutherans, Episcopalians prepare for global mission work
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
The 2006 Global Mission Event (GME) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America offered four all-day workshops -- known as "global tracks" -- July 28 on the topics of asset mapping, cross cultural relationships, hunger and sustainable development. The workshops, designed to equip church members for domestic and global ministry, featured lectures, small group discussions and simulation games. Co-sponsored by the Episcopal Church and endorsed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the GME brings together participants of all ages from across the United States and around the world July 27-30 to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
As defined by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), sustainable development "is a process of changes by which the basic needs and human rights of individuals and communities in any given society are realized while at the same time protecting the basic needs and human rights of other communities and future generations," said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, program coordinator, LWF Department for World Service, who led a track on sustainable development. At the workshop participants shared their thoughts and personal experiences of how sustainable development projects can either enhance a community or create harmful dependency.
"The ultimate understanding of human diversity is that everyone is unique, yet interconnected with everyone else in the human community," according to Roberto Chene, who led a track on cross- cultural relationships. Chene is director of the Southwest Center for Intercultural Leadership in Albuquerque, N.M.
Luther K. Snow, author of the book "The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act on its Gifts" led a track that guided participants on identifying God-given gifts in themselves and others. Robert Sitze, director for world hunger education, ELCA Church in Society, Chicago, led an interactive track on hunger that engaged participants in life-and-death matters that occur when globalization has "literally hit home."
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