wfn.org | Women of the ELCA Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: Women of the ELCA Celebrates its 20th Anniversary
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>July 14, 2008  

Women of the ELCA Celebrates its 20th Anniversary
08-119-FI/JB/LT*

SALT LAKE CITY (ELCA) -- Women of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) celebrated the close of its second
decade July 12 with the distribution of its 20th anniversary
offering, updates on current programs and the introduction of a
new program.

More than 2,000 women were here July 10-13 at the Salt
Palace Convention Center for the Seventh Triennial Gathering of
Women of the ELCA.  The event theme, "Come to the Waters,"
focused on the celebration of Baptism through Bible study,
speakers, workshops, community service and worship.

>20th Anniversary Offering

Women of the ELCA gave a financial gift of $25,000 to two
international Lutheran projects -- Augusta Victoria Hospital,
operated by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Jerusalem, and
a Stand With Africa/LWF water project in Zimbabwe.  The LWF is a
global communion of 141 churches in 79 countries, representing
68.3 million of the world's Lutherans.

Deborah Powell, director of operations, Women of the ELCA,
Chicago, said the women's organization chose the two projects
after its 2005 Triennial Convention acted to support Augusta
Victoria Hospital and called on women to work for clean water
everywhere.

The Rev. Twila Schock, director for global mission support,
ELCA Global Mission, Chicago, introduced the Rev. Mark B. Brown,
LWF regional representative, Jerusalem, who thanked Women of the
ELCA for the gift via vide.

"Your financial support, advocacy and prayers strengthen our
ability to serve those most in need in Jerusalem, the West Bank
and Gaza," he said.  "Your encouragement helps us to remain firm
in our resolve to offer healing and hope in a land exhausted by
violence and injustice."

Kathryn Sime, ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal, ELCA
Development Services, Chicago, thanked the women's organization
for its "generous and faithful support of ELCA World Hunger and
Stand With Africa."  She noted the organization supported such
projects through "a lifetime of giving through this ministry."

The water project in Zimbabwe is especially significant, she
said.

"We could hardly have imagined the great needs in Zimbabwe
today," she said.  "Following months of political unrest, social
upheaval, staggering unemployment of 85 percent last year and
devastating inflation ... through all of this, this country is
now gripped in disaster, leaving many in dire poverty, hungry and
homeless."

Lutheran Development Service in Zimbabwe, an independent
program of the LWF, will receive the funds for safe water
development projects, she said.  The organization is focused on
sustainable community development in Zimbabwe, including
providing access to safe, drinkable water supplies, Sime said.
By the end of 2009 Lutheran Development Service is planning to
provide all households in its targeted area with nearby access to
safe, drinkable water.

"Your gifts change lives, and it all begins with water,"
Sime said.

>Katie's Fund

To celebrate its 10th anniversary in 1998 Women of the ELCA
established an endowment.  The Katherine von Bora Luther
Endowment -- or Katie's Fund -- is named for the wife of Martin
Luther.  As an endowment, only the interest income of the fund is
used to assist global sharing, leadership development and other
faith-nurturing experiences.

"Today Katie's Fund has a balance in excess of $500,000,"
reported Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive director, Women of the
ELCA, Chicago.

Post Bushkofsky introduced the creation of a current fund to
be a part of Katie's Fund.  "The fund itself will now provide
donors with two options: making a gift available for current use
or making a gift to the endowment.  The funds that are currently
held in Katie's Fund," she said, "will remain as an endowment
continuing to produce interest that is available to you."

Women of the ELCA will launch an annual appeal for Katie's
Fund in spring 2009.  "This annual appeal will be directed to
individuals as well as to (congregational) units, reminding them
annually about this fund, its purpose, what it enables and
inviting them to give," Post Bushkofsky said.

>Good Deed Foundation

The Women's Funding Network, in association with the Good
Deed Foundation, is holding a cell phone recycling drive in which
two-thirds of revenue received will be invested in programs that
build women's financial assets, job opportunities, skills and
entrepreneurship.  Women of the ELCA is one of 128 organizations
that are a part of the Women's Funding Network.

According to the Good Deed Foundation Web site, recycling 1
million cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to
taking 1,368 cars off the road for one year and recycling 100
million cell phones would save enough energy to power more than
194,000 U.S. households with electricity for one year.

Chris Grumm, president and CEO of the Women's Funding
Network and former vice president of the ELCA, San Francisco,
said the network hopes Women of the ELCA can recycle up to
250,000 phones through the drive.

"The overwhelming message is that we have the opportunity as
consumers to make a difference in the dismantling of poverty,"
Grumm said.  "When you recycle phones, money comes back in order
to fund anti-poverty programs, and it's about how we use our
consumer power as women.  Do we choose to use it just to buy or
do we choose to use it save the world?"

Post Bushkofsky said the drive will likely be a success due
to its anti-poverty message.  "It's a big deal.  It's the kind of
thing our women love to do," Post Bushkofsky said.  "It's a
really unique partnership working together."
- - -

Information about the Women of the ELCA Seventh Triennial
Gathering is at http://womenoftheELCA.org/tg08/ on the Web.

*Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College,
Sioux Falls, S.D.  This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News
Service.

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