ELCA leaders to participate in Martin Luther King Jr. Day events

    CHICAGO (ELCA) – In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will participate in nationwide commemoration activities Jan. 14-15.

     "As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. King on his date of birth, it is my hope that we find ourselves stirred and challenged to fully embrace his courageous and prophetic vision of a beloved community," said Judith Roberts, director for ELCA Racial Justice Ministries. "As a follower of Christ, Dr. King embodied what it means to live out a Christian vocation through teaching and actions. Dr. King raised the consciousness of racism, classism, capitalism and militarism in this nation while calling for accountability from the wider communities of faith."

     "As we remember the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Jr., many African Descent Lutheran Association local chapters seek to lift up and embrace King's spirit of ecumenism," said the Rev. Lamont Wells, national president, African Descent Lutheran Association. "The various commemoration events in honor of Dr. King are critical and key ways that local ELCA synods can partner with their Lutheran ethnic populations – particularly people of African descent – to have relevant forums, powerful worship, and direct action that helps and challenges us to become beloved communities and grow as multicultural church together."

Commemoration events include:
 
Saturday, Jan. 14
·       Roberts will join a delegation of young adult leaders from the ELCA who will participate in "We Shall Not Be Moved," a march in Washington, D.C., organized by the National Action Network. The delegation is supported by ELCA Young Adult Ministries, the ELCA Young Adult Ministries network and ELCA Racial Justice programs. The delegation will participate in the day of scheduled events and will visit the King memorial.
·       William B. Horne, ELCA vice president, will be the keynote speaker and workshop leader at Journey of Faith Lutheran Church in Baltimore from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sunday Jan. 15
·       ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton will join the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, for a joint worship service at Westchester Lutheran Church in Los Angeles at 3 p.m. Following the worship service, a panel discussion will be offered by Eaton and Curry along with members of the Los Angeles Police Department focusing on how faith communities and law enforcement can work together to ensure safe communities.
·       The Rev. Albert Starr, director for ELCA Ethnic Specific and Multicultural Ministries, will be the guest preacher at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler, Pa., at 3 p.m.

·       The Rev. Lamont Wells will be guest preacher at Messiah Lutheran Church in Lyndhurst, Ohio, at 3:30 p.m.

·       The Rev. Robert A. Rimbo, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, will be guest preacher at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in the Bronx, N.Y., at 4 p.m.

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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.7 million members in more than 9,300 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org

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