ELCA Department for Communication, News & Information
8765 West Higgins Rd, Chicago, IL 60631 800/638-3522 ext. 2963
HEADLINES FOR ELCA NEWS RELEASE ISSUE #24, November 3, 1995
-- LUTHERAN WOMEN TO "PROCLAIM GOD'S PEACE"
-- LUTHERANS RE-ENERGIZE STATE ADVOCACY
-- AUGSBURG FORTRESS POSITIONING FOR THE FUTURE
November 3, 1995
LUTHERAN WOMEN TO "PROCLAIM GOD'S PEACE"
95-24-074-LC
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- More are than 5,000 women of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are expected here next summer
to "Proclaim God's Peace." The Women of the ELCA's third Triennial
Convention is set for July 11-14, 1996. Meeting Oct. 12-16, the board of
Women of the ELCA toured the Minneapolis convention center and
approved plans. In 1993 the convention brought 5,800 people to
Washington, D.C.
The board approved voting and election procedures and a
process to appoint additional at-large delegates if synodical
organizations do not elect at least 10 percent of the triennial convention
delegates who are women of color or whose primary language other
than English.
Seven convention "tracks" are planned with concurrent
workshops: living our faith today, peace, my faith, advocacy, about
Women of the ELCA, women and children living in poverty, and
leadership.
Dr. Charlotte E. Fiechter, Women of the ELCA executive director,
reported that five pre-convention events are planned: a multicultural
gathering, and events focusing on domestic violence and sexual abuse
prevention, leadership, rural concerns, and conflict resolution. "There is
a lot of excitement about the plans," she said.
The board made permanent a planned giving program. The
program was created in 1993 on a three-year trial basis. Patricia A.
Bilow, director for planned giving, Napoleon, Ohio, has conducted 40
seminars in 15 states and made 440 home visits in 16 states on ways
ELCA members can invest in the women's organization. "This is
important work" as Women of the ELCA "builds for the future," said
Fiechter.
"We have three mission areas: action, growth, community. Those
will remain central to what we do," said Fiechter as she described a plan
to restructure the organization.
She describes the function of Women of the ELCA as "developing
and growing the organization, and programmatic outreach." The plan
calls for the current three staff teams (action, growth, community) to be
restructured into two teams.
The first team will be "organization development" and includes
educational resources, "Lutheran Woman Today" (the organization's
magazine), communication and evangelism. The second,
"program/outreach," works with cross cultural programing, social justice,
leadership development, grants and scholarships.
"We have been working all along to promote and encourage
inter-team work," Fiechter said. This restructuring "allows more flexibility
and enables us meet new challenges."
In other business, the board endowed "The Revs. Herbert W. and
Corinne E. Chilstrom Scholarship Fund" with $20,000 for women working
toward ordained ministry. This scholarship is in "recognition of the
Chilstroms' service, contribution and commitment to this church," said
Fiechter.
The Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom retired as bishop of the ELCA in
October. The Rev. Corinne E. Chilstrom served at St. Luke Lutheran
Church, Park Ridge, Ill.
The board asked staff to establish an ongoing strategy for
cross-cultural and anti-racism program development, with a churchwide
staff director, beginning in the 1996-1999 triennium. The board asked
for an anti-racism retreat every triennium for the board of Women of the
ELCA.
##########
November 3, 1995
LUTHERANS RE-ENERGIZE STATE ADVOCACY
95-24-075-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
is re-energizing its advocacy efforts in state capitals at a time when
Congress is shifting more responsibilities to the states. Directors of state
public policy offices, carrying out advocacy for the ELCA in 20 states,
held their annual meeting here Oct. 16-18.
"As congressional actions start to shift the importance of
decision-making from Washington to the state capitals, these offices
increasingly become pivotal," said Kay S. Dowhower, director of the
Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA) in Washington, D.C.
Dowhower became the ELCA's director for advocacy,
overseeing state public policy advocacy, when Dr. Fran S. Burnford,
associate executive director of the ELCA Division for Church in Society,
retired on Oct. 20. Dowhower now coordinates the church's efforts to
affect policy in U.S. corporations, state capitals, Washington, D.C., and
the United Nations.
Dowhower opened the Lutheran church's first state office, the
Lutheran Coalition on Public Policy, Harrisburg, Pa., in 1978. From 1985
to 1987 she was director of state and regional advocacy for the former
Lutheran Church in America, New York, providing oversight to 18 state
public policy advocacy offices.
"We are really re-finding our way," said the Rev. Russell O. Siler,
director of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania. The meeting
stimulated "strong dialogue about how we carry out our advocacy in the
next couple of years, especially given the political shift in priorities that
has taken place on the national scene and what that means in fallout for
the states," he said.
"For example, if the momentum for block granting continues to
build in the Congress, it's really going to outline our tasks," said Siler. The
church must be "advocating for the poor and the powerless" when the
states are asked to do more for poor people with less federal money.
The annual meeting gives the state public policy directors a
chance to relate with one another. "It's always a cross-supportive effort
to have them all together," said Dowhower. "As foot soldiers in the
church and as missionaries to the world," she said, the directors usually
work in isolation from one another. The directors considered meeting
twice a year.
The Rev. Faye R. Codding, ELCA grass roots advocacy
coordinator (LOGA), spoke with the directors of ways to improve
communication among their offices, share resources and better involve
the 5.2 million members of the ELCA in affecting public policy. Dr. Paul D.
Edison-Swift, ELCA director resource information and for networks,
talked with them about connecting their offices through participation in
the LutherLink computer network.
"If we go in alone, and there's no one writing letters and no one
making phone calls, we're just ineffective," said Siler. "Our work
depends on people from all over the church letting their voices be heard
and participating in that process."
"In the future, LOGA and the state public policy offices will
probably be linked even more than ever," he said. "It is essential that we
have a cohesive strategy for getting across the gospel message to
those who are making public policy decisions."
Kathleen Fleury, ELCA director for Native American ministries,
addressed native sovereignty and the expansion of gambling in the
United States. John Fredriksson of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee
Service discussed current legislation in Congress that could change
immigration laws.
The Rev. Karen L. Bloomquist, ELCA director for studies, talked
about the church's developing a social statement on economic life. The
Rev. John R. Stumme, ELCA associate director for studies, presented the
newly adopted statement on peace.
The Rev. John L. Halvorson, coordinator for the ELCA World
Hunger Program, reported on the program's advocacy role in educating
Lutherans and public policy makers of the needs of people around the
world.
The ELCA has state public policy advocacy offices in the capitals
of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland,
Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New
York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin. Associate
offices are in Montana, Virginia and Ontario. The Ontario office is the
Office for Public Policy and Governmental Affairs of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada.
##########
November 3, 1995
AUGSBURG FORTRESS POSITIONING FOR THE FUTURE
95-24-076-LC
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- "The challenges of the past months
have been immense and crucial to the publishing house of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and to the ELCA itself," reported
the Rev. Marvin L. Roloff to the Augsburg Fortress Publishers board of
trustees, meeting here Oct. 20-21.
In October 1994 the Augsburg Fortress board of trustees decided
to centralize its distribution function in Columbus, Ohio. Previously these
activities were performed at eight locations across the United States. In
April 1995, Gary J.N. Aamodt resigned as president and CEO.
"By working together, we have made major strides toward
financial recovery, improved ELCA relationship and reestablished trust,"
said Roloff, acting president of Augsburg Fortress.
Robert McNulty, vice president for finance, said the first three
quarters of 1995 "reflected the seriousness of the financial situation
faced by the publishing house and the urgency of the restructuring of
the distribution systems and product lines" that is currently being
implemented.
Year-to-date losses are $8.1 million, including one-time costs
associated with the restructuring and writing off $5.1 million in obsolete
inventory, said McNulty.
The good news is net sales for the first three quarters were up
$3 million from a year ago, totaling $45.5 million, a dramatic reversal of
the trend for the past five years. Gross profit for the first three quarters,
however, was down by $1 million from a year ago. This was attributed
to the clearance sale of discontinued products. At the Minneapolis
warehouse sale, $1.6 million of product was liquidated in September for
about $250,000, said McNulty.
With these restructuring charges and inventory clearances and
write-offs completed, a profitable fourth quarter and on-going profitability
in 1996 is anticipated, he said.
"We need to look forward to the vision ahead of us," said Dr. Alan
T. Seagren, chair of the board. "We can learn from the past, but not
dwell on it. Let's focus our energy down the road in front of us."
Kathryn L. Smith, director for order fulfillment, told the board the
new Columbus distribution center is up and running. However, "the
reality is we are still are dealing with conversion problems and will be for
probably the next two months," Smith said.
Customers are having a hard time getting through on the toll-free
telephone number, reported a few board members. Smith said the "800"
answering system is overloaded. Business hours have been extended
to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and she encouraged people to call early in the
morning or late afternoon while the transitions are taking place. Steps
are in place for centralized order-taking to be operational in Minneapolis
in the spring of 1996.
Luther Dale, director for market/product development, reported
that sales of "With One Voice," a worship resource designed to
complement the "Lutheran Book of Worship" have exceeded all goals.
More than 220,000 copies have been sold. Other products selling well in
1995 were vacation Bible school materials, up 36 percent, and Sunday
bulletins.
To assist the board and staff in making "wise decisions for the
future" Roloff asked the board to create three advisory panels to deal
with finance, academic book publishing and development of technological
products and services. Each will include board members, publishing
house staff and outside experts.
"We will move ahead with faith and courage and with a vision for
the future, empowered by God, to develop resources, provide services
and foster relationships that are acceptable to God and this church," said
Roloff.
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