ELCA NEWS SERVICE

January 13, 2009  

Lutherans Participate in Service Activities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
09-012-JD

     WASHINGTON (ELCA) - In observance of the Rev. Martin Luther
King Jr. Day, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) will participate Jan. 19 in President-elect Barack
Obama's national call to service to "Renew America Together."
     "Lutherans believe they are called to share God's love with
the world and are ready to carry out God's work with their own
hands," said Andrew Genszler, director for advocacy, ELCA Church
in Society.
     As part of the call to service, Lutherans will assemble
disaster kits, serve food to the homeless, tie quilts, sew crib
sheets and knit hats, donate blood, do yard work for the elderly,
package food for children who are hungry, build homes and more.
     Nearly 6,000 volunteer service activities are listed at
http://www.usaservice.org on the Web.  The Web site is a response
to the president-elect's call to service by doing volunteer work
throughout the year.
     Congregations of the ELCA maintain a variety of community
service programs throughout the year.  Members of Ascension
Lutheran Church, Citrus Heights, Calif., have "Mercy Ministry" --
a project designed to provide crib sheets, blankets and knitted
hats for the neonatal intensive care unit at Mercy San Juan
Hospital.  Other congregations provide non-perishable food to
their local food pantries or soup kitchens.  With the economic
downturn, the number of people needing such help has grown
dramatically, according Genszler.

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