Title: Lutheran Vespers Volunteers Exchange Ideas, Discuss Strategy
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 13, 2000
LUTHERAN VESPERS VOLUNTEERS EXCHANGE IDEAS, DISCUSS STRATEGY
00-10-JB
RIVER FOREST, Ill. (ELCA) -- About 30 volunteers and synod and
churchwide staff met here, exchanged ideas and developed strategies to
place and keep "Lutheran Vespers," the radio ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), on the air in their communities. The
Jan. 7-9 Lutheran Vespers Networking Conference took place at Dominican
University Retreat Center.
For 53 years Lutheran Vespers has aired each week on affiliated
radio stations. It presently airs on 225 radio stations in the United
States and abroad. The Rev. Walter M. Wangerin Jr., author, regular
columnist for The Lutheran and writer-in-residence at Valparaiso (Ind.)
University, is speaker. The Lutheran is the magazine of the ELCA.
Lutheran Vespers is unique among the ministries of the ELCA
because it is largely supported by listeners, said the Rev. Eric C.
Shafer, director of the ELCA Department for Communication, the
department that oversees the radio ministry. Nearly 80 percent of the
ministry's national budget is provided by listeners, he said.
"We can reach out to people who have not heard about Jesus
Christ," he said. "This ministry is a vital outreach ministry."
In 1999, 31 new stations were added to Lutheran Vespers total,
said Brenda J. Engelby, associate director for promotion and placement,
Lutheran Vespers. The new stations included broadcasters in Denmark and
Tanzania. In Tanzania an estimated 350,000 people listen to English
broadcasts of Lutheran Vespers, she said.
Engelby said she promotes Lutheran Vespers by invitation at a
variety of venues, including synod assemblies, the ELCA churchwide
assembly, conventions of Women of ELCA and Lutheran Men in Mission, and
various evangelism and stewardship events. She is also the principal
writer of Lutheran Vespers' regular publication, "Good News Letter," and
answers questions about station promotion of the radio ministry.
"People are hungry for the Word," she said. "They want to know
salvation. We have to give them the opportunity to learn."
One purpose of the conference was to discuss how to improve
raising funds for Lutheran Vespers. In most cases, stations that air
the program charge local groups that support Lutheran Vespers for the
air time.
Income to ELCA congregations was $2.12 billion in 1998, according
to the ELCA Secretary's statistical report for that year. Supporters of
the ELCA radio ministry must "make the case" to convince more people to
designate funds for mission projects such as Lutheran Vespers, said Dr.
Kenneth W. Inskeep, director of the ELCA Department for Research and
Evaluation.
Inskeep suggested supporters learn as much as possible about
donors, develop stronger relationships with people who do give to the
ministry and report results to those who support the program. He said
statistics show that when people give more to support Lutheran Vespers,
they tend to give more to support other mission opportunities of the
church.
Conference participants heard from John Timm, general manager,
WYLL-FM, Elk Grove Village, Ill., a station that airs Lutheran Vespers
each Sunday morning. The station has 100,000 listeners each week and
serves Chicago and surrounding towns and cities, Timm said. WYLL-FM is
part of the Salem Communications, a 57-station radio ownership group
that focuses mostly on religious programming.
Timm said nearly three-fourths of WYLL-FM's programs are devoted
to radio ministries such as Lutheran Vespers. Most ask listeners for
financial support. However, mainstream denominations, including
Lutherans, show "a great reluctance" to ask listeners to support
programs financially.
He urged Lutheran Vespers supporters to express appreciation
for gifts they do receive. "How you thank donors after the fact is very
important," Timm said.
Speakers and participants discussed a wide range of ideas to help
place and keep Lutheran Vespers on the air:
+ Promoting Wangerin as the program's "personality;"
+ Placing audio promotions for Lutheran Vespers' on its Web site,
www.elca.org/lv/;
+ Seeking assistance for promoting Lutheran Vespers from marketing
professionals and radio sales people;
+ Suggesting people designate gifts specifically for Lutheran
Vespers;
+ Writing promotional letters to pastors and congregations;
+ Preparing and distributing brochures and other materials about
the local station and program times to congregations and individuals;
+ Involving local people in voicing promotional "tags" on Lutheran
Vespers broadcasts;
+ The possibility of seeking financial support from other local
groups, such as social ministry organizations;
+ Thanking donors often;
+ Asking Lutheran Vespers stations to air regular promotional
announcements for the program; and
+ Writing and distributing news releases about Lutheran Vespers to
congregations and local news organizations.
Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits society based
in Appleton, Wis., provided grant funds for the conference.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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