Salt Lake City to Host Women of the ELCA Gathering and Convention, July 8-13

The Seventh Triennial Gathering of Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will bring together about 1,900 women July 10-13 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City. The event theme, "Come to the Waters," focuses on the celebration of Baptism through Bible study, speakers, community, service and worship.

The gathering will include the following keynote speakers:

-- Joan Chittister, O.S.B., co-chair, Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW), New York, will deliver the gathering's July 11 keynote address. She has written 35 books with such topics as peace, justice and human rights.

-- The Rev. Marysol Diaz, St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Iglesia Evangelica Luterana San Marcos), Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, will lead a "Thankoffering Service" on July 11.

-- The Rev. Karen Bockelman, assistant to the bishop, ELCA Northeastern Minnesota Synod, Duluth, will lead a July 11 Bible study

-- The Rev. Heidi Neumark, Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan, New York, will preach during a July 12 worship service

-- The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, bishop, ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod, Cuyahoga Falls, will lead the gathering's closing worship.

More than 20 workshops will be offered during the gathering July 11 and 12.

Women of the ELCA has organized a July 12 four-kilometer run/walk/roll event promoting its health initiative, "Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls." The organization has encouraged members to collect pledges.

Women of the ELCA will collect and distribute "in-kind gifts," which include items such as pre-paid phone cards, gift cards and health kits. The gifts are tangible items other than money and are offered to organizations and agencies in the Salt Lake City area.

Information about the Women of the ELCA Seventh Triennial Gathering is at http://womenoftheelca.org/tg08/index.html on the Web.

The Seventh Triennial Convention of Women of the ELCA, July 8-10, will precede the gathering. The convention will elect a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and 17 women to the churchwide executive board. It will act on various proposed initiatives and resolutions.