Letters

Lutheran, The, Nov 2000

Cathy Ammlung

Baltimore, Md.

ELCA Youth Gathering

I, too, attended the Youth Gathering (September, page 40). I've never been to anything like that before. It knocked me off my feet. I enjoyed your picture story. But you needed some pictures of the rest of the stuff that went on at the gathering: the service projects and some of the speakers such as South African

Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Jessica Shaub

Lititz, Pa.

ELCA lay leaders

The ELCA Deaconess Community is pleased to have nine candidates in ELCA seminaries, one candidate in a Canadian Lutheran seminary and one candidate in a seminary in Puerto Rico (September, page 50). Two candidates are on internship, and one is in the process of being placed on internship. Four investitures are planned for November and December. This roster is alive and well.

Sister Nora Frost

Gladwyne, Pa.

Persecution of Christians

I was pleased to see the editor highlight the persecution of Christians throughout the world (September, page 66). Many Lutheran Christians are all but unaware of this evil.

Tim Kraemer

Jasper Ind.

You have touched on one of the most important issues of our time, religious persecution of not only Christians but other faiths as well.

Llewellyn Hille

Waverly, Iowa

It's too easy for U.S. Christians to fall prey to the illusion that all's right in the world, especially when the stock market is doing well. Please note other organizations working on behalf of those persecuted for their religious convictions: Amnesty International (www.amnesty usa.org) and Voice of the Martyrs (www persecution.com).

Mark J. Molldrem

Saginaw, Mich.

Micro-lending gives power

I was glad to see the in-depth article on micro-lending in Bangladesh (September, page 56). This type of lending has the best possible chance of raising people out of poverty and giving the most vulnerable members of society real power. The micro-lending concept was begun by Muhammad Yunus. He found that while men with a little extra money in their pocket drank it or spent it on frivolous things, women with extra money spent it on their children's needs and expanding their businesses.

Christine Howlett

Mt. Ranier Md.

Back to CCM

Thank you for your article on the Episcopal Church convention (September, page 60). One interesting part should provide some light and flexibility in how we approach implementation of Called to Common Mission. If the Episcopal Church can allow a canon adopted in 1976 to be overlooked by three dioceses and it's so important for immediate implementation that a task force is appointed to "assess and assist" and report back in September 2002, why is it so vital for the ELCA to force every bishop and ordinand into the historic episcopate right away? Perhaps if a committee is selected at the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to report back in 2027 why some synods still don't have bishops in the historic episcopate, our church will survive without groups such as WordAlone.

Lawrence Camberg

Lower Burrell Pa.

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