wfn.org | Re: (LWF) Canadian Lutherans Present Themselves to LWF Assembly

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

LWF Tenth Assembly, Winnipeg, Canada, 21-31 July 2003

PRESS RELEASE NO. 02

Canadian Lutherans Present Themselves to LWF Assembly
The Role of a Small Church in a Diverse Nation

Winnipeg, Canada, 22 July - A lively combination of music, drama, comedy and
special effects highlighted a presentation by the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Canada (ELCIC) to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)Tenth Assembly in
Winnipeg, Canada last night (July 21).

Titled "The ELCIC Presents Itself," the show attempted to give LWF delegates
an impression of the role played by this small Lutheran church in a vast and
diverse nation.

The ELCIC is hosting the LWF Assembly during its gathering in Winnipeg from
July 21 to 31. This marks the first time the Assembly has ever met in Canada.

"We're a very small church in a very large country," said Richard Nostbakken,
the show's creator.  "But people in our congregations can trace their roots
back to most of the countries represented in this gathering. So the ELCIC is
a microcosm for the LWF itself." 

The 50-minute show featured several videos blending sound and imagery to
portray the vastness of Canada and its ethnic diversity through a rapid-fire
series of montages. A video of the ELCIC was backed up by a musical quartet
led by Vancouver musician Steve Maddock playing a jazz rendition of "Our Love
is Here to Stay." The group also performed a jazz medley leading up to an
entrance parade of the six synod and national bishops of the ELCIC. Next came
a game show parody titled "Church or Consequences," which, amid the comedy,
provided information about ELCC programs. A rousing hand-clapping jazz finale
ended the evening's performance.

Earlier in the program, a group of drummers and singers representing Canada's
First Nations people performed for the Assembly. A native elder offered a
blessing to the gathering and participated in a ceremonial exchange of
tobacco with ELCIC national bishop, Raymond Schultz.

Headquartered in Winnipeg, the ELCIC is Canada's largest Lutheran church with
roughly 188,000 baptized members in 627 congregations. It came into being in
1986 through a merger of two predecessor bodies. 

Lutheran roots run deep in Canada. Lutherans have been continually present in
this country since 1750, when a group of German Lutherans settled in Halifax,
Nova Scotia.

Nostbakken, an artist from Regina, Saskatchewan, said his show sought to give
an impression of Canadian Lutherans from a range of ethnic backgrounds.
Fifteen different languages ranging from Finnish to Chinese, are in use in
ELCIC congregations today,

The ELCIC belongs to the LWF, as well as the Canadian Council of Churches and
the World Council of Churches. It is in full communion with the Anglican
Church of Canada, following the signing of a joint declaration in Waterloo,
Ontario, in 2001.

The Tenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is taking place
21-31 July 2003 in Winnipeg, Canada, under the theme "For the Healing of the
World." It is being hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
(ELCIC).

There are almost 700 men, women and youth participants in the Tenth Assembly
including 356 delegates from the 133 churches with full membership and three
associate members. The Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the
LWF, and meets normally every six years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is
governed by its Council that meets annually, and by its Executive Committee. 

Further information including photos, video and audio news, is posted on the
Assembly Web site www.lwf-assembly.org

To order photographs, please contact LWF-Photo@lutheranword.org

*	*	*

The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member
churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7 million of the 65.4 million
Lutherans worldwide. 

The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest
such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission
and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.