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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 18, 2000

GRANTS AWARDED TO ELCA MINISTRIES
00-172-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Thirty ministry projects of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will share $700,000 in grants awarded
by Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) and Lutheran Brotherhood (LB), as
part of the agencies' churchwide grant awards program for 2000.
     AAL is a fraternal benefit organization based in Appleton, Wis.,
and Lutheran Brotherhood is a fraternal benefit society based in
Minneapolis.  This is the first year in which the two organizations made
their awards together, said Tammy Jackson, associate director, ELCA
Department for Synodical Relations.  Jackson oversees the churchwide
grant program for the ELCA.
     "We are very grateful to both organizations for all the support
they continue to provide for the mission and ministry of the ELCA,"
Jackson said. "A variety of ministries is made possible through the
churchwide grant program funded jointly by AAL and LB.  Most of the
projects receiving awards this year focus on leadership development and
multicultural ministries."
     Proposals for grants were considered from several ELCA churchwide
units and awarded as follows:
     + "Focus Group with Stakeholders in Youth and Family Ministry to
Propose Relational Distance Learning for Youth and Family Ministry
Leaders of Underserved Congregations in the ELCA," Division for
Congregational Ministries, $20,000: The project aims to help the ELCA
reach people underserved because of geography or economics.
     + "Guide to Effective Synodical Church in Society Work," Division
for Church in Society, $8,400: The division will create a resource for
synods outlining stages of organization to address social concerns.
     + "After Pastors," Division for Ministry, $12,000: The grant will
be used to conduct a national gathering which will offer support for
interim ministers or pastors who follow a pastor who left a congregation
following allegations of sexual misconduct.
     + "American Indian and Alaska Native Family Summer Camp,"
Commission for Multicultural Ministries, $25,000: The educational event
for American Indian and Alaska Native families focuses on health and
wellness, civil rights and career choices.
     + "Arab and Middle Eastern Workshop to Develop Leadership,"
Commission for Multicultural Ministries, $8,000: This three-day workshop
will help Arab and Middle Eastern Americans prepare for leadership in
their congregations and ministries.
     + "Asian Lay Leader Training," Commission for Multicultural
Ministries, $15,750: The program will help Asian Americans become
prepared to develop synodically authorized worshiping communities.
     + "Assistants and Associates to Bishops Gathering 2001,"
Department for Synodical Relations, $50,000: The department will host a
gathering that will offer support and a chance to reflect on the
challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as many new bishops are
elected.
     + "Breaking the Bonds of Internalized Oppression," Commission for
Multicultural Ministries, $40,000: Participants in this two-part
education and training workshop will learn about the impact of racism on
individuals, society and the church.
     + "Candidacy Formation Events -- A Pilot Project," Division for
Ministry, $20,000:
 The project extends the benefits of the annual diaconal ministry
formation events held each summer at Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Gettysburg.  This will be accomplished by developing and testing a model
of a formation event which could include candidates for all  ministries,
both lay and ordained.
     + "Congregationally Based Immigration Services Pilot Project,"
Division for Outreach, $22,660: The division will equip four Lutheran
churches to develop a viable congregationally based immigration service
center as an extension of their outreach ministry in their communities.
     + "Consultation on Indonesian Ministry," Commission for
Multicultural Ministries and Division for Outreach, $7,000: The grant
will help establish a network for Indonesian Lutherans in the United
States.
     + "Creating a Process for Connecting Faith and the Practice of
Law," Division for Church in Society, $4,000: A planning group will be
formed to design a process to join lawyers, judges and legal scholars
with pastors, theologians and others to deepen their understanding of
the theological and ethical meaning of vocation in the practice of law.
     + "Ecunet Seminar Series," Department for Communication, $12,000:
The project will attract new members to the ELCA's conferencing system,
LutherLink, through a fraternal-sponsored seminar series of leading
experts in various aspects of congregational ministry.
     + "ELCA Churchwide Offices -- A Well Workplace," Division for
Ministry and Department for Human Resources, $15,000: The grant will
implement a process for certification of the ELCA churchwide offices as
a "well workplace."
     + "ELCA Prayer Network and Synodical Prayer Leadership Training,"
Division for Congregational Ministries, $20,000: The grant will help
establish a network of ELCA congregations committed to prayer.
     + "First Call Theological Education (FCTE) Coordination Summit,"
Division for Ministry, $20,500: Key planners and coordinators of FCTE
programs across the ELCA will meet to learn from each other, learn what
ecumenical partners are doing and learn how churchwide units can support
their efforts.
     + "Global Mission Village -- Bringing Mission to Life with Youth,"
Division for Global Mission, Division for Higher Education and Schools
and Division for Congregational Ministries, $20,000: The units will
offer a retreat experience for youth and their adult leaders.  It will
blend the expertise in language and culture of Concordia Language
Villages with current projects and programs of the sponsoring units.
This project is also sponsored by Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.,
and the Concordia Language Villages.
     + "Latino Leadership Training," Commission for Multicultural
Ministries, $24,000: The grant will fund a gathering of primarily
ordained ELCA Latino leaders for the purpose of gaining greater
appreciation of their unique cultural perspectives.
     + "Living Faithfully in a Violent World," Division for
Congregational Ministries, Division for Church in Society, Commission
for Women, Division for Higher Education and Schools and Women of the
ELCA, $20,000: Training events will focus on how congregations can
respond to acts of violence in their communities.  Events will be gospel
oriented, dealing with faith stories and theological issues as they
relate to violence and anti-violence.  Discussions will include
prevention and intervention as community ministry.
     + "Lutheran Vespers  Gift Subscriptions for Missionaries,"
Department for Communication and Division for Global Mission, $11,800:
The units will send cassette copies of the "Lutheran Vespers" (LV) radio
program to ELCA short-term and long-term missionaries at no cost to the
recipients.  LV will place ELCA missionaries on the subscription list
for one year, mailing four programs to them monthly.
     + "New Church, Young Church -- Latino Young Adult Training Event,"
Division for Congregational Ministries, $24,000: The division will form
a speakers/trainers network to respond to the growing need in synods and
in their communities for youth lay leadership development.
     + "Parish Nurse Recognition and Support," Division for Church in
Society, $4,200: Funds will be used to gain support for more than 800
parish nurses of the ELCA.  There will be an ELCA presence at the Health
Ministries Association and at the Granger Westberg Symposium.  A process
and plan will be developed to recognize formally the role of parish
nurses in congregations.
     + "Rural Crisis Emergency Fund," Division for Church in Society,
$100,000: Funds will be used to address the crisis in rural America.
Four primary areas of concern are direct relief, care for clergy,
advocacy and development.
     + "Social Ministry Leaders Oral History Project," Division for
Church in Society, $17,100: The division will make recordings of leaders
in social ministry.  The purpose is to  assemble personal philosophies,
unique perspectives, anecdotes, insights and ideas that have shaped this
church's significant movement in service ministries throughout the 20th
century.
     + "Strengthening Outreach With New African-American
Congregations," Division for Outreach, $12,000: The grant will assist in
applying teachings from current congregation developers to improve the
process of starting new ELCA congregations with and among African
Americans and Blacks.
     + "Summit on Equipping Lay Leaders for Authorized Ministries, "
Division for Ministry, $25,000: The summit will bring together 55 people
who represent existing synodical programs and others who are developing
synodically authorized lay ministry programs.
     + "Synodical Multicultural Ministry Network Handbook, " Commission
for Multicultural Ministries, $15,000: A handbook will be created to
inform synods and congregations of the ELCA's resources available to
assist in multicultural ministry.
     + "Training Materials for the 'First Contact Team,'" Division for
Ministry, $6,000:  Educational materials will be produced for synod
staff to train a "First Contact Team," a group of clergy and lay people
appointed by the synod bishop to respond to clergy sexual misconduct
issues.
     + "Women's Leadership Event 2001," Commission for Women and
Department for Communication, $100,500: The funds will be used to host
an event to equip women, both lay and ordained, in various areas of
church leadership.
     + "Worship Leadership for Outreach in Ethnic Communities,"
Division for Congregational Ministries, $20,000: Funds will be used to
identify key worship leaders from the ethnic communities with gifts and
resources to share with the entire ELCA.
     In addition, grants totaling $119,500 were awarded exclusively by
AAL:
     + "African/Caribbean Focus Group," Commission for Multicultural
Ministries and Division for Congregational Ministries, $12,500: Funds
will be used to assist the ELCA in identifying and responding
appropriately to specific resource needs of the growing number of
African and Caribbean people in our church.
     + "Managing Choice: Electronic Planning for Enhanced Worship,"
Division for Congregational Ministries, cooperating with the Department
for Research and Evaluation,  $19,750: A prototype of a new electronic
planning tool will be developed that will allow congregations to manage
choices  better and produce resources for worship that are more
welcoming and more understandable.
     + "Opening the Door to Luther," Department for Communication,
$27,500: A video will be produced on location in Germany.  It will
introduce new members and others to Martin Luther.  The documentary will
feature Rick Steves, popular travel writer and host of the public
television series, "Travels with Rick Steves."
     + "Outreach to Young Adults on Campus," Division for Higher
Education and Schools, $39,750: The project will identify and train
student peer ministers and lay leadership of partner congregations to
reach out to young adults on secular college campuses, especially those
closely associated with ethnic groups.
     + "Welcome!" Division for Congregational Ministries, $20,000: The
division's
"E-team" will develop and pilot an outreach video that will introduce
church neighbors to 16 ELCA congregations.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html