ELCA News Blog
January 2, 2008
Registration opens for the 2008 'Coming of Age' Lutheran Men's Gathering
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service
Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), opened online registration for its triennial gathering at http://www.ELCA.org/lmm/ on the ELCA Web site, with early registration through March 15. The 2008 "Coming of Age" Lutheran Men's Gathering will be Aug. 1-3 at the Hilton Hotel and Qwest Center, Omaha, Neb. Featured speakers include Tom Osborne, interim athletic director, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Osborne was head football coach of the Cornhuskers for 25 years, helping the school claim three national titles before he was inducted in 1999 to the College Football Hall of Fame. Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District elected him to three terms during 2001-2007 in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The "Coming of Age" theme has a twofold meaning. LMM is marking its 20th anniversary by becoming a financially self-reliant, separately-incorporated ministry of the ELCA. The theme also refers to a spirituality project LMM undertook to understand what churches can do to engage young men between the ages of 18 and 34. As part of the project, 88 young men from across the United States participated in extensive interviews. Sixteen of those interviewed organized the LMM Young Men's Ministry Council. The results of the project were presented in the book, "Coming of Age: Exploring the Identity and Spirituality of Younger Men." The gathering's purpose is to bring men of all ages into a deeper relationship with God and assist younger and older men in building intergenerational relationships. A 48,000-square-foot interactive center will include room for building Habitat for Humanity sheds, high-ropes courses and other games.
The gathering will be preceded by the 2008 LMM Assembly July 31- Aug. 1. The organization's triennial business session will elect a president to succeed Heber Rast, Cameron, S.C., and other officers and board members. Rast will complete his second three-year term. The assembly will adopt a budget for LMM and celebrate the organization becoming an incorporated, self-funded ministry of the ELCA with a full-time staff.
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