August 4, 2005

CHICAGO – Radio ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are now available via "podcasting." The ELCA's radio ministry program, Grace Matters, and radio news stories can be subscribed to automatically through cost-free podcast subscriptions.

Podcasting is a form of publishing files to the Internet allowing users to subscribe to a feed and automatically receive new files. Syncing a podcast to Apple's iPod or another MP3 player, users can automatically receive the new ELCA radio ministry programs, or podcasts, as they are produced.

Through an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, users receive an XML (Extensible Markup Language or text) file that includes download links to MP3 audio files of the podcast. This allows users to listen to Grace Matters radio programs or ELCA news stories wherever their MP3 player takes them.

"The podcast is the most popular feature at gracematters.org," said Rex Paisley, Web Manager, ELCA Department for Communication. "It's the site's number one page visited since Grace Matters started podcasting in February," he said.

"I have my iTunes set to automatically update the Grace Matters podcasts when they are available," said Grace Matters listener Daniel Ross-Jones, Kenosha, Wis. "I can listen to all of my podcasts and music while I'm on-the-go running errands, to and from work and classes and so forth."

"Here in Kenosha, the broadcast is at 11:30 (a.m.) Sundays, right during the middle of worship at my church. This summer I commuted to an internship, ... and it was easy to listen to an entire 30-minute broadcast in the car," said Ross-Jones. "The podcasts are easier on my schedule and don't tie me to a single location like listening on the Web does," he said.

Grace Matters is a weekly 30-minute radio ministry program hosted by the Rev. Peter W. Marty, Davenport, Iowa, who interviews guests and offers reflections on contemporary topics. Formerly Lutheran Vespers, Grace Matters is heard on 175 radio stations, two cable television stations and around the world through transmitters in Central Africa and Guam by Trans World Radio. Outside of the United States, the program is aired in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. Besides the radio and podcast, the program can be heard on the Web anywhere in the world.

ELCA news audio podcasts are also available online. By subscribing to these podcasts listeners will be able to hear news stories on their MP3 players.

ELCA News Service
Kirsten H. Boettner is a senior communication major at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.