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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

May 16, 2001

LUTHERAN CONGREGATIONS COMMITTED TO BE ACCESSIBLE
01-123-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran congregations across the United
States and Caribbean are being recognized for their commitment to
provide places of worship that are welcoming to people with all types
of disabilities.  The  National Organization on Disability (NOD) and
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are honoring these
congregations through parallel campaigns.
     The Rev. Lisa Thogmartin-Cleaver, director for disability
ministries and deaf ministry, ELCA Division for Church in Society,
said the NOD sponsored the "Accessible Congregation Campaign: 2,000
by the year 2000."  The ELCA offers an "Annual Accessibility Award,"
she said.
     Since 1998 the NOD has asked U.S. congregations of all
Christian denominations to fill out and return forms, hoping to
receive 2,000 commitments "to break down the physical and attitudinal
barriers that have long kept people with disabilities from a full
life of faith" by the end of 2000.
     The campaign fell slightly below its goal by the end of the
year, said Thogmartin-Cleaver, but surpassed its goal quickly after
the self-imposed deadline.  The NOD awarded 2,028 commitment
certificates to congregations as of May 1.
     Lutheran congregations accounted for 402 of those
congregations, leading all other U.S. denominations.  The
congregations included members of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-
Missouri Synod.  Catholic congregations were second with 302
certificates, followed by Methodist with 227, Presbyterian with 151,
Episcopal with 137 and Baptist with 111.
     "The basic idea of the campaign is that a congregation is
committing to work toward accessibility," said Thogmartin-Cleaver.
"It didn't have to be fully accessible when it entered the campaign."
     "This campaign was endorsed by ELCA Presiding Bishop H. George
Anderson, who felt that it was important to request and then support
congregations in their move toward accessibility," said
Thogmartin-Cleaver.  "I am certainly proud that we have been
participating in this campaign and leading it," she said.
     The ELCA has its own campaign "to encourage congregations to
continue to work in disability ministries," said Thogmartin-Cleaver.
Criteria for the ELCA's Annual Accessibility Award include projects
to make the church building accessible and the extent that people
with disabilities are involved in worship, leadership and other
activities of the congregation.
     "We ask congregations to fill out a form, telling us the work
they've been doing in disability ministries in the last year," she
said.  Each year a committee looks at applications and picks one
congregation to be honored.
     The winning congregation receives a certificate and a check for
$1,000.  The NOD and Aetna U.S. Healthcare provide the cash prize.
     Thogmartin-Cleaver said applications for the award will be
accepted through May 31, and the winner will be selected in mid-June.
     Ascension Lutheran Church, Albert Lea, Minn., won the ELCA
Accessibility Award in 2000.
-- -- --
     Congregations receiving National Organization on Disability
commitment certificates are listed at
http://www.nod.org/acctallies.html on the NOD Web site.
     Applications for the ELCA's Annual Accessibility Award are
available at http://www.elca.org/dcs/annual.html on the Web.

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