LPGM met hundreds of Women of the ELCA in Phoenix, Ariz. Sept. 21-24 at the “Just Love” triennial gathering.

LPGM Development Director Bethany Krepela and board chair Dr. L. DeAne Lagerquist visited with attendees at LPGM’s booth in the exhibit hall. Some were longtime friends of LPGM, while many learned of LPGM for the first time. 

“Having been present at Women of the ELCA's Constituting Convention in 1987, I was delighted to attend ‘Just Love,’” shares Lagerquist. “The theme resonates with LPGM's educational work with women and girls on the margins and with our model of partnership. Comments from women who stopped by our table made that very clear! Many were learning about LPGM for the first time, but they grasped the importance of our vision immediately!”                       

Lagerquist’s history with Women of the ELCA goes back to its beginnings.  

In the mid-1980s, the American Lutheran Church (ALC), Lutheran Church in America (LCA), and Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) were moving toward forming the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The decision was made that there would be a women’s organization and a Commission for Women in the new church body. The first would continue the tradition of women’s ministry through auxiliaries; the second would promote what we have come to call gender justice.  

“Along with two others I was appointed to the design team for Women of the ELCA as to represent younger women who were not involved in the existing organizations,” she explains. “I also brought an historical perspective gained while writing ‘From Our Mothers’ Arms: A History of Women in the American Lutheran Church.’” 

LPGM invites Women of the ELCA and other groups interested in the education of women and girls to join with us in our mission – to provide access to quality education to people on the margins – especially women and girls.  

To see the webpage created for gathering-goers, visit www.lpgm.org/welca.