ELCA NEWS SERVICE May 27, 2008 Moravian Province Secures Loan from ELCA Mission Investment Fund 08-074-FI CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Moravian Church in America's Northern Province has secured a $250,000 loan from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Mission Investment Fund (MIF) as an extension of the full communion relationship between the two church bodies. The Moravians refinanced a loan used to buy a residential building adjacent to their provincial office in Bethlehem, Pa. "The working out of the bilateral relationship is often talked about in terms of clergy exchange, and we frankly never thought that it would be viable in this arena," said the Rev. David L. Wickmann, president, Moravian Church Northern Province. "On either side I don't think any of this was contemplated," he said. In 1999 the ELCA entered into full communion with the Moravian Church in America. "The MIF loan that was extended to the Moravian Church's Northern Province is an example of closer unity, cooperation, sharing in mission and discipleship. It is a wonderful example of what it means to be in full communion and to share more completely with one another for the sake of Christ's mission in the world," said the Rev. Donald J. McCoid, executive, ELCA Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations. The Rev. Mark A. Wimmer, an ELCA pastor, had a chance meeting in 2006 with a former classmate from Moravian College, Bethlehem, and began conversations about how the full communion relationship might apply to his ministry as the MIF's representative in eastern Pennsylvania and the Northeast United States. The MIF's primary mission is to provide low-interest loans to mission congregations to purchase land and construct church buildings, and to established ELCA congregations for renovation, expansion and relocation projects. Loans are also available to ELCA-related ministries such as seminaries, outdoor ministries, colleges and universities. Investors earn interest as their investments help build the church. Moravian congregations in need of "renovations, refurbishing, relocations or refinancing had to enter the commercial market without any denominational assistance," Wimmer said. "They simply had to go to whoever was local to see if that institution was interested in loaning money to a church," which he described as "very hit or miss." Extending MIF loans to Moravian congregations seemed appropriate to Wimmer. "To be quite blunt about it, it's putting your money where your mouth is," he said. "If you're willing to put up money to support another denomination's ventures, that's a cooperation level of wonderful magnitude." The 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly amended the MIF bylaws to clarify that loans and investments could cross denominational lines of full communion partners. The loan was finalized in April 2008. "My next steps will be to work with the Moravian Church to inform their respective congregations and ministries that this partnership is formal," Wimmer said. Jeff Spann, MIF church building consultant, Rockaway, N.J., and Wimmer have already worked with a Moravian congregation in Staten Island, N.Y., giving the members advice about their church building. Wimmer said he also plans to inform Moravian congregations of the possibilities of investing in the ELCA Mission Investment Fund. "We take our relationship with the Mission Investment Fund very seriously and are going to be investing $250,000 into the Fund in one of their short-term investments," Wickmann said. "We'll probably keep that money there for a fairly long period of time just by way of saying we appreciate what the ELCA is doing for us." Wickmann acknowledged that the investment is equal to the loan, adding, "We were not required to do that, but we wanted to do that." The ELCA is also in full communion with the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ. Those church bodies manage funds similar to the ELCA Mission Investment Fund. -- -- -- The home page of the ELCA Mission Investment Fund is at http://www.missioninvestmentfund.org/ on the Web. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog