October 1, 2009

CHICAGO – Engaging in mission and ministry around the world is not an extracurricular activity, according to Sunitha Mortha of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Global mission no longer takes place "over there," she said. Immigration, travel and the Internet have brought the world to the individual.

Mortha serves as director for the global formation program. She organizes two of the church's major events – the national ELCA Global Mission Event (GME) and the new Global Formation Event (GFE), the first of which is Oct. 2-3 at Living Word Lutheran Church, Katy, Texas.

For more than 25 years, GMEs have "informed and motivated (Lutherans) who are passionate about global mission," Mortha said. The events are four-day, multi-generational celebrations that "lift up the voices" of Lutherans overseas and in the United States. These events have sparked unique collaborations among Lutherans around the world.

GMEs are generally held every year. This year ELCA Global Mission announced that GMEs will now be held triennially, given current economic conditions and the "desire to be good stewards of resources," Mortha said. The next GME will take place in 2011.

Today there are more individuals involved in global ministries, Mortha said. "So how do we equip people, especially those sitting in the pew, to engage in global mission? In answering this question, we came up with the Global Formation Event model," she said.

GFEs are local events designed to equip all Lutherans to engage in global mission. The GFEs will be held annually. "All ELCA global events seek to equip participants to deepen their understanding of the changing context and practice of global mission, and to receive the gifts of Christians and churches around the world," Mortha said.

Two other GFEs scheduled for the fall are at Southwood Lutheran Church, Lincoln, Neb., Oct. 30-31, and at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Olympia, Wash, Nov. 13-14. There are 12 GFEs scheduled for 2010.

"By understanding how God's activity is changing the world around us, we can build skills that help us engage, serve, support, learn and travel more faithfully, globally and domestically," Mortha said.

GFEs are one-and-a-half day, congregation-based events. A team of three to six members from each congregation takes part in skill-building workshops led by experts in specific areas of ministry, explore the changing context of the "global church" and how that context influences global and domestic ministries, examines the biblical foundation of global mission and more.

Mortha said Lutherans are attracted to these events because they are accessible and affordable. "We are reaching more people with at least 20 to 25 congregations represented, particularly with people that have never attended a Global Mission Event. This way, too, we can offer the opportunity of events in places where there's not a lot of Lutherans," she said.

It's important for Lutherans to engage globally, Mortha said. "We don't have a choice any more. We talk about how the globe has descended upon us. We are intersecting daily with people who live on the other side of the world."

"We are being called to build relationships, radical relationships, with people who are really different from us and with people who are similar to us. Differences among people are fading, and mission is not just about the person that we are serving. It is about us," she said.

"God offers healing, reconciliation and transformation in relationships. God promises us that in our (mutual) serving, in building relationships, we find healing. That's how God invites us to live out our faith," Mortha said.

Information about ELCA Global Mission and global events is at http://www.ELCA.org/globalmission/, on the ELCA Web site.

ELCA News Service