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[ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE NEWSBRIEF

August 21, 1996

ELCA UNVEILS LUTHERWEB

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is offering its
5.2 million members an Internet access service -- LutherWeb --
effective Sept. 1.  Over 2,000 church leaders are already using
LutherLink to access Ecunet -- an international computer network
of religious bodies and organizations.  LutherWeb, intended for
both church leaders and members, will use Netscape software to
reach the world wide web (WWW) -- a global network of computer
documents able to feature detailed graphics.  LutherWeb-Plus will
combine Ecunet and WWW access.  The church will receive a royalty
on the service, which is being provided by an independent company
through the ELCAdvantage Program.  "We're proud of the fact that
this electronic communication effort has not diverted dollars
contributed for mission support," said Lita Brusick Johnson,
executive assistant to ELCA Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson.
"The royalties the ELCA will receive from LutherWeb subscriptions
will contribute toward making it possible for us to support and
expand electronic communication services," she said.  Ken F.
Aicher, ELCA director for information technology, said,
"LutherWeb's development and marketing is an example of how many
different units of the church are working together to communicate
with all of our members and with the general public using the
emerging tools of the 21st century."

For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service,
(312) 380-2958; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312) 380-2955