wfn.org | New ELCA Mission Personnel Begin Service this Fall

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: New ELCA Mission Personnel Begin Service this Fall
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>September 25, 2008  

New ELCA Mission Personnel Begin Service this Fall
08-162-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- More than 270 mission personnel of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are serving in 48
countries, and about 30 more Lutherans -- plus 14 members of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (PCUSA) and three members of the
Reformed Church in America (RCA) -- will begin mission service
this fall in Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world.
PCUSA and RCA are two of five "full communion" partners of the
ELCA.

Lutherans from the United States have been serving around
the world for more than 160 years and have a history of working
alongside other people of faith. According to Sonya K.S.
Lindquist, associate director for global service, ELCA Global
Mission, the "human reason" why global mission remains essential
for Lutherans is for the building and development of
relationships worldwide.

"It's the enthusiasm and excitement of people throughout the
world when they've had a chance to get to know somebody else and
see the world through someone else's eyes.  We have a chance to
walk with other people and, in doing that, a chance to see God's
love reflected in one another," said Lindquist.

Before departing for service, new mission personnel gathered
at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) this summer
for an ecumenical orientation where questions about cross-
cultural living were explored.  Linquist said the orientation is
not about providing "survival tips," but an opportunity to talk
about the diversity in human experience and the call for mission
personnel to lead lives of service shaped by Christian faith and
the culture of their context.  LSTC is one of eight ELCA
seminaries.

Mission service opportunities or positions are the result of
requests made by international Lutheran churches or agencies to
the ELCA.  ELCA Global Mission staff review and approve
positions.  Opportunities range from social work and health care
to community development and administration, from serving as a
parish pastor to teaching English as a second language.

There are about 100 positions available that fall into four
categories of service:  long-term, four or more years of service;
short-term, around two years of service; volunteer, unspecified
length of service; and "Young Adults in Global Mission" -- a one-
year international service opportunity organized by the ELCA for
young adults.

Young Adults in Global Mission was established in 1999 with
10 participants.  Today 38 young adults volunteer in Argentina,
India, Jerusalem and the West Bank, Kenya, Mexico, Slovakia,
South Africa, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.  Service in each
area is designed to build leadership skills, spiritual growth,
and global awareness.

Current openings for international mission opportunities are
posted at http://www.ELCA.org/globalserve on the ELCA's Web site.
ELCA Global Mission manages the process of promoting
opportunities for service, recruiting, screening and appointment
of candidates.  Participants serving in international settings
with the ELCA are considered mission personnel regardless of the
length or type of service and operate under the "accompaniment"
methodology of mission.  ELCA Global Mission defines
accompaniment as "walking together in solidarity that practices
interdependence and mutuality."

According to the Rev. Stephen J. Nelson, director for global
service, ELCA Global Mission, the work of ELCA mission personnel
is "biblical, part and parcel of what it means to be the church.
We are in relationships with people across cultures, languages
and faith, and we cannot live in isolation from one another."

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