This week’s Alban Institute e-news features an article on Evangelism and the Under-Thirty Crowd by Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook. She writes:

“A November 2009 issue of The Week featured a story, "Losing our Religion," that focused on the rapidly growing numbers of the religiously unaffiliated in the United States, the so called Nones, and asked if organized religion is fading. Younger than the general population, many Nones believe in God yet are skeptical about organized religion. The article quotes recent statistics suggesting that if this trend continues, cohorts of nonreligious young people will replace older religious people and account for one-quarter of the American population. Another recent article in USA Today concluded that young adults born in the 1980s and 1990s, approximately 72 million people, want to make an impact and are socially-conscious yet do not relate to traditional institutional structures. A decreasing number of these young adults view churches as places to make a difference or to develop their leadership skills.

“The fact that nearly every major denomination is aging and losing members has been a concern for the last thirty years, yet institutional efforts to reverse these trends and to capture the religious imagination of young adults have been limited. Mainline denominations, historically and culturally self-conscious about evangelism, are further challenged to proclaim the good news in today's religiously pluralistic nation and world. What then is the role of evangelism with young adults today? What are some of the ways that the Christian church can better respond to the spiritual questions of young adults in a religiously pluralistic age? How might congregations better respond to the gifts and skills young adults have to offer?”

How you would respond to the author’s questions?

• What is the role of evangelism with young adults today?
• What are some of the ways that your church is responding to the spiritual questions of young adults in a religiously pluralistic age?
• How might your congregation better respond to the gifts and skills young adults have to offer?
• In addition, what is your congregation doing to intentionally engage those under the age of thirty in meaningful ministry?

To read the entire article or to subscribe to the Alban Weekly visit The Alban Institute website.

Amy Walter-Peterson
Director for Evangelical Mission/Assistant to the Bishop
Upstate New York Synod - ELCA

You're invited to comment on our new Facebook page discussion on this topic here.

If you would like to reply privately you may email Rev. Amy Walter-Peterson at awp@upstatenysynod.org.

Chris Swingle • Staff writer • Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester • June 27, 2010

About 30 seniors did gentle exercises to music on a recent Wednesday morning at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, laughing at instructor Bonnie Slack's jokes.

After holding onto a chair and balancing on one foot, then the other foot, Slack suggested: "OK, now, both feet up."

The church's new Wellness on Wednesdays effort, which is open to any senior in the community, starts with blood pressure readings at 10 a.m., followed by the low-impact exercise session (which can be done seated or standing), a presentation by a guest speaker and a light lunch.

Rides within Webster are even available from a church volunteer if you call the church by noon the day before.

The goal is socialization. "We were looking for people to have a place to come and meet friends," says Marguerite Manning, who facilitates the program.

Wellness on Wednesdays began April 21, coincidentally after the town's Senior Center at 985 Ebner Drive closed for heating problems that were beyond repair and the town programs relocated temporarily to the Damascus Center, 979 Bay Road, and other locations. The church program had been in the planning stage for months before.

Barb Bills, a Baptist who this month attended Wellness on Wednesdays for the first time, says she liked it and enjoyed seeing people she hadn't bumped into in a while. "I congratulate the church for starting it," says Bills, of Webster. She joked that she might recruit people to attend her own church.

Marge Cario of Ontario, Wayne County, has attended multiple times and believes the exercise is helpful for her health.

Dick Campbell of Webster, one of the few men in the room, joked: "I'm here for all the women."

On a more serious note, he says that the program's speakers have been very good. Recent topics included digital cameras, Lifespan services and a musical performance.

Also, says Campbell, "the fellowship is the big thing."

Marian Kachmaryk of Webster agrees. "It's a good social activity," she says. "It's a different mix of people every week."

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If you go

Wellness on Wednesdays runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 131 W. Main St., (585) 872-5180.

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Special thanks to the Democrat and Chronicle for allowing us to reprint this article.

Dear Bishops Mark and Marie,

It is so good to write to you both since I pray regularly for you personally and at worship. I am grateful for your dedicated service in a challenging time for our church and our relations with others. I realize the LWF Assembly approaches rapidly. Darhon and I arrive in Frankfurt a week from today. Marie and others from our synod leave for Zimbabwe and Zambia in a few short weeks.

I will be preaching in Talheim, Mössingen, Germany Sunday, July 25. I have been writing Pastor Matthias Wagner. I sent him a copy of my sermon (in English) so he could better prepare a German translation. I realized late last night that I wanted to share an excerpt from that sermon with you since it tells a bit of my family connection to LWF that had lain dormant in my memory. I guess I had not realized how my family history might have influenced my global connection and passion for our sisters and brothers in other Lutheran churches. The spiritual connection has always just seemed right. As you pray for the LWF assembly I also ask your prayers for me as I will be the Recorder for the English speaking Village Group 2 and its challenging topics. I continue to pray for you in your ministries. The sermon excerpt follows:

Some youth here today are taking a step toward their confirmation. They receive a copy of the Holy Bible. You have heard stories from your families. You will hear more stories of faith from your pastor, from your family and the family of God as you prepare for your confirmation. Stories of faith are important. That is part of caring for one another.

This links to part of my heritage. For many years my father's mother, my Oma, served as the church secretary in Toledo, Ohio for the Rev. Dr. S. C. Michelfelder. In 1945 and 1946 he headed the ecumenical office of postwar construction in Geneva. He helped establish the LWF and became its first general secretary. I heard from my family of his passion of Lutherans caring for each other.

At the end of the war people came to him saying, "Let the government feed the starving people of Europe and let the Church get the Gospel going again."

He replied, "You don't walk up to a starving man and offer him a Bible to eat - or you don't go out to a river where a man is drowning, with only one hand showing, and stick a Bible in his hand and go away and let somebody else pull him out. Christ himself fed the 5,000 and then he taught them."

In Christ's service,
Paul Rees-Rohrbacher

To follow the LWF Assembly please visit the website.

Advocacy and Action Makes a Difference!

In February, President Barack Obama proposed that an additional $10 billion over 10 years be invested in child nutrition programs via the federal Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, which is expected to come before Congress for reauthorization later this year. The bill supports all federal school meal and child nutrition efforts, such as the national school lunch and breakfast programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, more commonly known as WIC. Obama's proposal, many advocates say, is one piece of a perfect storm brewing in children's favor. NOW is the time to make the contact with your senator and representative. Encourage them to insist on finding the monies to fund the full ten billion in the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. Ask them to make sure it is re-authorized this year, by Sept 30th. The major source of controversy will not be around the support of this, but in how this will be funded. The Secretary of Agriculture is willing to off set some of this amount from his own budget and is advocating for other departments to lend a hand in this very important matter.

For more information on advocacy for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act go to:  http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Advocacy/Issues/US-Hunger-Poverty-and-Economic-Justice/US-Hunger-and-Poverty/Child-Nutrition-Reauthorization.aspx
http://www.bread.org/press/coverage/opinion/Renew-improve-Child-Nutrition-Act.html
http://www.frac.org/pdf/frac101_child_wic_actprimer.pdf.

When I got this notice from brother and sister bishops, I called my senators and congressional representative. I hope you will too!

Summer Food Programs

Some of our Upstate New York congregations are already serving as summer feeding sites for the Summer Food Service Program. You can find out more about this from http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/ or call 1.866.348.6479. During the school year 17.9 million children participate in the school lunch program. During the summer, 2.2 million participate, but the need for these children hasn't changed. While it may be too late for your congregation to participate this summer, how about looking into it for summer 2011? Or if you're already involved, send us a story and a photo about your serving!

Rev. Marie C. Jerge
Bishop