ELCA NEWS SERVICE December 18, 2012 Christmas Eve CBS special to spotlight ELCA congregation 12-79-MRC CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Hope Lutheran Church in Reading, Pa., will be featured in "One Christmas Story: People Rich in Spirit" -- a national CBS television special to air Dec. 24 at 11:35 p.m. (EST). Hope is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Produced by Odyssey Networks, a multi-faith coalition based in New York, the Christmas special is one hour, commercial free. Filmed at Hope Lutheran Church, the special features the congregation's choir, along with other choral groups from Reading. "We hope we'll be able to show the world that we are full of faith, and we are a place of hope" in Reading, according to the Rev. Mary Wolfe, pastor of Hope. "There is so much richness here, and the folks here are so rich in spirit," said Wolfe, adding that the special will show "to the whole world how much (members of Hope) have to offer, and how much there is still to celebrate in (Reading), the people here and their faith." According to U.S. Census data, Reading is one of the poorest cities in the United States. "Our members are from the neighborhood and are living below the poverty line," said Wolfe. "A lot of members are unemployed or employed part-time," she said. "Hope has a number of ministries dedicated to helping those in need." The ELCA Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, St. John Lutheran Church and Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, both in Reading, the ethnic-specific and multicultural ministries of the ELCA churchwide organization and others are supporters of the program. --- About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther. For information contact: Melissa Ramirez Cooper 773-380-2956 or [log in to unmask] http://www.ELCA.org/news Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com