ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 28, 2005

Women of the ELCA Executive Board Welcomes, Adjusts, Changes
05-205-FI

     ROSEMONT, Ill. (ELCA) -- The executive board of Women the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the church's
women's organization, met here Oct. 20-23 and welcomed a special
unit, considered adjusting the time frame of its next major
events and changed the way it will undertake anti-racism
training.
     Most units of Women of the ELCA are based in the church's
10,585 congregations, with only a half dozen exceptions, said
Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive director, Women of the ELCA.
The exceptions are special units that are usually based either in
college settings or retirement communities, she said.
     "The board heard the application of a group of young women
who are based at Marquette University in Milwaukee," Bushkofsky
said. It approved the application of Marquette University
Lutheran Women, which came at the recommendation of the ELCA
Greater Milwaukee Synodical Women's Organization. Marquette is a
Jesuit university.
     "We're very excited about the sign of new life that this
brings with young women who are interested in the programming of
our organization," Bushkofsky said. "They participate in our
monthly Bible study, they do service work with children in their
neighborhoods, and they're working as volunteers with a senior
center."

Seventh Triennial Convention and Gathering
     The executive board decided to try a new time frame for the
Seventh Triennial Convention and Gathering, which will be held
the second week in July 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah, said
Carmen K. Richards, Hope, N.D., president, Women of the ELCA.
A delegate convention would precede the gathering, instead of
running concurrently.
     "It's more cost-efficient, and it's definitely using our
staff the best we can," Richards said. The convention and
gathering will each take fewer days, and participants can decide
if they want to attend one or both, she said.
     Richards noted that participants take time from their
families and from their work to attend, "so we've got to be more
efficient in what we do."
     "I'm sure there will be little tweaks we'll have to do here
or there, but I think it's a positive model to go after," she
said.
     "We're hoping that we make it both affordable in a time
manner and in a cost manner for more and more women to
participate," Bushkofsky added.
     More than 38 percent of the 2,554 women who attended the
Sixth Triennial Gathering and Convention of Women of the ELCA,
July 5-10 in San Antonio, Texas, completed evaluation forms.
ELCA Research and Evaluation compiled a report on those
evaluations for the executive board.
     While 84 percent of the respondents felt they would attend
another gathering, the three greatest obstacles to attending they
identified were cost, time away from home and taking off from
work, according to the report.
     Registration and receptions filled the first day of the
gathering, which opened with worship on July 6 and closed with
worship on July 10. Delegates conducted the organization's
business during a convention July 6-9. The gathering and
convention were held in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

Anti-Racism Training for the Executive Board
     In the past the Women of the ELCA executive board
participated in two days of anti-racism training every three
years, Richards said. Over the next three years the board will
incorporate the training into every meeting, she said.
     "In March we're going to have a four-hour session on
anti-racism and each board meeting after that will have a
two-to-three-hour session," Richards said.
     Inez Torres Davis, associate for programs, Women of the
ELCA, will recommend reading and other activities to keep board
members conscious of anti-racism issues between meetings,
Richards said.
-- -- --
     The home page of Women of the ELCA is at
http://www.womenoftheelca.org/ on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news