Another way to rehearse the history might be to examine a few threads that are woven throughout the fabric of the organization. One such thread was brought to the front early on. Christine Grumm, the first vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, offered a seminal description of the women’s organization at its First Triennial Convention in 1990. "Women of the ELCA," she said, "are the best theologians in the church."

Her insight was both historic and prophetic. Historic — because Bible study is exactly what women had been doing for years in their predecessor women’s groups. And prophetic — because that commitment to Bible study has continued intentionally throughout all the years of Women of the ELCA.

A Bible study session, part of a larger Bible topic, appears in every LWT. Cycles of study have changed — from January through December to September through May, with shorter studies for the summer months. But no issue of the magazine goes to press without a Bible study session.

Bolstering this — and excellent resources in their own right — are a variety of other Bible studies: stand-alone studies of interest, those connected to themes at the Triennial Conventions and gatherings, Bible emphases in programs, stewardship devotions, and other special resources.

Still another thread is the multitude of programs and events that have supported the areas of work first agreed upon at the Constituting Convention: Mission: Community; Mission: Growth; and Mission: Action.

Three beloved programs were legacies from the earlier groups. One, the Woman-to-Woman program, sent women from North America overseas to take part in the lives of sisters in the faith, so they could learn from each other and stretch each other’s view of world and church. This worked in the other direction as well, bringing overseas women to the States.

"One in Christ," the domestic counterpart to Woman to Woman, 'tho not an exact replica of its predecessor organization program, provided the women an opportunity to share the life and faith journeys of their sisters in this country.

The third program, Volunteer Reading Aides, put Women of the ELCA in the forefront of adult literacy nationwide; through its volunteers and materials this program helped thousands of adults learn to read. The lives of many were changed for the better as a result of these three efforts.

The organization has continued to offer global and cross-cultural experiences to women through special overseas seminars and study visits. In 2004 (and again in 2007), the Lutheran World Relief–sponsored "On the Roof of Africa: The Women-to-Women Coffee Tour," took a number of Women of the ELCA participants to see the results of their 90-Ton Coffee Challenge.

And there is still more, as new projects unfold to support themes and programming decisions, including a number of resources in Spanish — all to fulfill Women of the ELCA’s overarching mission statement, shaped anew in 2001: "To mobilize women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ." A visit to the organization’s Web site (www.womenoftheelca.org) reveals the widespread current opportunities offered so that any participant or newcomer can find her niche and make a difference in people's lives.

The organization’s abiding concern for leadership development is a thread that shapes, supports, and affirms leaders. Leadership resources include materials and events that help guide and structure units, with new ideas and flexibility for experimentation as situations change. Since the beginning, Women of the ELCA scholarships and grants have given monetary support to women for their education and to small agencies. One scholarship in the mix is unique — giving women who have had to interrupt their education help to return to school.

Women of the ELCA has a long-standing concern for women and children who live in poverty, on the margins of society — locally and globally, a stance that has often involved the organization in peace and justice issues. In fact, Women of the ELCA led the way early with a "Women and Children Living in Poverty" initiative, eventually persuading the ELCA to join in the effort. In one early action just prior to the end of Apartheid in South Africa, Women of the ELCA provided a much-needed van for a women’s group in Namibia.

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