The players in this unfolding drama reflect the alphabet-soup language of the
church that — mind- and tongue-boggling though it may be — is worth recounting. When
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was constituted, officially
coming into being January 1, 1988, it brought together three distinct Lutheran
bodies — the American Lutheran Church (ALC), the Lutheran Church in America (LCA),
and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC). Each church body
had women’s groups already active with their own ministries and projects. They
were, respectively, American Lutheran Church Women (ALCW), Lutheran Church Women
(LCW), and Women in Action for Mission (WAM), the last group calling itself a
"movement," rather than an "organization."
The work preparatory to linking these women’s groups as one began years
before the Constituting Convention and could constitute a history in itself.
Through hard work and challenges, there were also tears, joys, and fears. Tears,
because each group was leaving behind a rich history. Joys, because God was
doing a new thing. Fears, because everyone was still getting to know one
another. In one transitional planning activity, the women decided to reveal any
fears or mental images they might have of one another in order to get past them.
On their list appeared such phrases as "Bible-thumpers, "loose livers," "squishy
floaters."
Through it all the women laughed, and loved — and in the end, they found a new
community, one they saw as a gift from God, not built by human hands.
