Rev. Andrew Genzler

During the third plenary session, Andrew Genzler presented the Report of the Presiding Bishop (ELCA). Genzler, Director of the Washington Office, the ELCA's advocacy branch, had already become well known to voting members through the hearings and workshops.
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Genzler then connected the work of the ELCA with the work of congregations in the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. Noting five areas of collaboration with the ELCA he observed, "You are agents of some remarkable ministry here in Minnesota. The five areas are: education, especially from Bishop Usgaard's participation in the Social Statement on Education; disaster response, which the congregations gave $150,000 for flood relief; Fund for Leaders, which received $200,000 from the synod congregations; Mission Investment Fund, which has provided $2.8 million to six congregations in the synod for building projects; and Global Missions participation, notably with our companion synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Colombia and the Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

The report ended with Genzler listing four ways the ELCA is seeking to engage congregations all over the country. First, the ELCA is retooling its website, www.ELCA.org, to be more collaborative and responsive. Much of the work has already been launched. Second, the Book of Faith initiative, helping Lutherans go deeper into the Scriptures, will help ground us in our lives of faith and service to others. Third, the ELCA Department of Studies is working on several statements, including the recently passed Statement on Education and the preliminary draft on Sexuality. Finally, Genzler noted the Lutheran Malaria Initiative, a collaborative effort of several organizations to deal with pandemic diseases.

Genzler's parting words were memorable, especially in light of the synod's theme, "A Synod at Table with the Hungry. Noting that the word companion means, "to eat with," Genzler said, "A strange thing happens when you eat with someone who is hungry" and went on to assure the voting members that the ELCA cares about these deep questions as well as the answers.

Drew Genzler, ELCA representative and Director of the ELCA Advocacy Department and the ELCA Washington Office, shared some of the work of the ELCA. After mentioning the Book of Faith Initiative, the draft of the Social Statement on Human Sexuality , and a re-tooling of the ELCA's website, Genzler engaged in a question and answer session.

Andrew Genzler, Director of the ELCA Washington Office, explained the concept of advocacy and thus connected the national work of the ELCA with the local work of congregations. Advocacy, said Genzler, is merely listening to one person and then sharing what you've heard with another. Paraphrasing former Speaker of the House, Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, Genzler said, "All advocacy is local."

Speaker: Rev. Andrew Genzler, Director of Advocacy for the ELCA