January 13, 2009

WASHINGTON – In observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will participate Jan. 19 in President-elect Barack Obama's national call to service to "Renew America Together."

"Lutherans believe they are called to share God's love with the world and are ready to carry out God's work with their own hands," said Andrew Genszler, director for advocacy, ELCA Church in Society.

As part of the call to service, Lutherans will assemble disaster kits, serve food to the homeless, tie quilts, sew crib sheets and knit hats, donate blood, do yard work for the elderly, package food for children who are hungry, build homes and more.

Nearly 6,000 volunteer service activities are listed at http://www.usaservice.org/, on the Web. The Web site is a response to the president-elect's call to service by doing volunteer work throughout the year.

Congregations of the ELCA maintain a variety of community service programs throughout the year. Members of Ascension Lutheran Church, Citrus Heights, Calif., have "Mercy Ministry" – a project designed to provide crib sheets, blankets and knitted hats for the neonatal intensive care unit at Mercy San Juan Hospital. Other congregations provide non-perishable food to their local food pantries or soup kitchens. With the economic downturn, the number of people needing such help has grown dramatically, according Genszler.

ELCA News Service