ELCA NEWS SERVICE
December 16, 2003
Lutheran Students Focus On 40th Anniversary Of MLK's 'Dream' Speech
03-227-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- More than 450 college-age students will meet in
Washington D.C., Dec. 31-Jan. 4, for the annual gathering of the Lutheran
Student Movement (LSM-USA). They will focus their activities on the Rev.
Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, which marked its 40th
anniversary this year.
The theme of the gathering is "The Dream Continues … to Challenge
Us … to Change Us … to Take a Chance on Us." The event will take place at
the Renaissance Hotel.
LSM-USA is a national organization of college, university and
seminary students who worship in the Lutheran tradition. Through the
organization, Lutheran students promote the active participation of
students in the life and mission of the Lutheran church on their campuses,
in their communities and as individuals. The Division for Higher
Education and Schools (DHES) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) supports LSM-USA as an active voice of students in the larger
church through financial and organizational support.
The LSM-USA gathering will feature Bible study, worship, prayer,
learning opportunities, a servant event in the community, business
meetings, plenary sessions featuring keynote speakers, and a tour of the
nation's capital.
Keynote speakers include the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding
bishop, Chicago; the Rev. Lionel Edwards, co-founder and president,
Washington (D.C.) Interfaith Network; Mark A. Mummert, seminary musician,
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia; and Kathryn F. Wolford,
president, Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore. The Rev. Theodore F.
Schneider, bishop of the hosting ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C.,
Synod, will lead a worship service.
"It's fantastic to be surrounded by these students, their enthusiasm,
their faith and their commitment that all witness to the grace and love of
Christ that brings them together," said the Rev. Richard F. Zawistoski,
DHES assistant executive director. "This year more than 200 students have
chosen to participate in an afternoon of volunteer service projects around
the Washington, D.C., area. The four days together always inspire those
who intend to see their faith and their faith tradition in a large scope."
Through song, worship, Bible study and speakers, LSM-USA participants
will explore the biblical foundations behind King's speech, delivered Aug.
28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
"Our speakers will help the students unpack the scriptural basis
embedded in the speech, as well as challenge them to put their faith into
action," Zawistoski said.
In addition to plenary sessions and speakers, the gathering offers a
series of workshops and seminars for participants. Topics include the
church's role in advocacy, fair trade in Guatemala, healthy relationships,
the death penalty, economic globalization, church participation after
college, global college partnerships, HIV/AIDS advocacy in Africa,
Christian peacemaking, homosexuality and the church, becoming a
professional church leader, and social justice and peace in Colombia.
Participants will also work with various agencies in service projects
in the Washington, D.C., area, Zawistoski said. Projects include
painting, cooking, working with children, handing out information packets,
and visiting shelters and kitchens, he said.
LSM-USA's legislative body operates on a regional and national
level. It has an annual national gathering in late December and early
January over the New Year's holiday with opportunities for worship,
fellowship, service, faith exploration and fun.
Established in 1923 and originally called the Lutheran Student
Association of America, its first gathering was held at Augustana College,
Rock Island, Ill. The gathering there began the tradition of an annual
national conference. In 1969 the name of the association changed to the
Lutheran Student Movement-USA. Led by and for students, LSM-USA strives
to better understand and advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through the
exploration of social and spiritual concerns as the active voice of
students in the church at the regional and national level.
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Information about the LSM-USA gathering is available at
http://www.elca.org/dhes/lsm/index.html on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
