Introduction
Act boldly. That’s the triennium theme for 2005–2008, but it’s more than that. It’s a lifestyle. It’s how we live our lives in a way that reflects our values and attitudes, and as Lutheran Christian women, we are called to be nothing but bold in our actions. So what can it mean to act boldly? We’re going to spend at least the next 36 months answering that question, and we can expect a wide variety of answers. This is not meant to simply be an academic exercise. We truly expect the 3 million-plus women in the ELCA to act boldly! The theme and the way we experience it is grounded in our mission: mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ.

Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls, our health initiative, was launched at the triennial gathering this past July. Our goals for the next three years are educating women to care for themselves physically, spiritually, and emotionally; "sharing the wealth" to prevent girls and women from continuing today’s health risks tomorrow; and advocating for more research to hasten the elimination of heart disease and stroke.

Programs and communication
Our program and communication efforts support the Act Boldly theme multi-dimensionally. As we work towards becoming an anti-racist organization, materials used in our anti-racism network, Today’s Dream: Tomorrow’s Reality, have been revised and updated. A cross-cultural experience was held in September at Rocky Boy Chippewa Cree Indian Reservation in Montana. Cross-cultural etiquette tips are being published regularly in our leadership newsletter and on our Web site.

At the triennial gathering, the annual stewardship resource was distributed. "Women of the ELCA Stewardship Planning Guide 2005–2006: Act Boldly" supports a new schedule that helps users parallel their planning with the churchwide women's organization theme.

To more deliberately incorporate the focus on women’s health for the next triennium, grant guidelines have been revised and are reflected in a new grants brochure "Women of the ELCA Grants Program: Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls." A concerted plan to raise additional grant money has begun. Grants were awarded this spring, domestically and internationally, in the amount of $122,200.

Thirty-five scholarships, totaling $30,575, were made this spring through the organization’s scholarship program. These scholarships are for women who are members of ELCA congregations who are continuing their educational goals.

The organization delivers a monthly Bible study to the subscribers of the award-winning magazine, Lutheran Woman Today. Sarah Henrich, associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., wrote a three-part study this past summer on the trienniumIn a day  theme. The September 2005–May 2006 study, Act Boldly in the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), is written by Susan Gamelin, team pastor with her husband at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, High Point, N.C. It is receiving rave reviews following a stellar introduction at the triennial gathering.

The July/August 2005 issue of LWT was an ecumenical peace issue, produced in cooperation with three other women’s magazines: Glad Tidings, published by the Women’s Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church in Canada; Horizons, published by Presbyterian Women in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); and Response, published by United Methodist Women of the United Methodist Church. We believe this to be an unprecedented offering and a strong model of cooperative ecumenical spirit.

This month Café, an electronic magazine written and designed by and for women 18 to 35 years of age, becomes a monthly publication. As part of the ministry of Women of the ELCA, Café serves as our primary means of reaching younger women, spreading the word and mission of Women of the ELCA.

Sixth Triennial Gathering. More than 2,500 women (and a few men) spent nearly a week exploring what it means to act boldly for the sake of the gospel through challenging workshops, inspiring worship and music, servant events and more. Generous offerings (totaling more than $111,000) and in-kind gifts (including national retail store gift cards worth more than $22,000 and phone cards with nearly 120,000 minutes) were made. All participants received a copy of Worship Boldly, the new worship resource for the women’s organization.

Sixth Triennial Convention. Carmen K. Richards (Hope, N.Dak., 3B) was elected president for the 2005–2008 triennium. Elizabeth Gaskins (Symrna, Ga., 9D) was elected vice president, Kathryn Schnierle (Cincinnati, Ohio, 6F) was elected secretary, and Robin Bert (Chester, Ill., 5C) was elected treasurer. Seventeen board members were also elected. The delegates passed a $3.41 million dollar churchwide budget for FY2006. The delegates acted on a wide range of memorials and resolutions, on topics as diverse as ending commercial sexual exploitation, ageism, Augusta Victoria hospital, the effects of globalization and the need for water action plans.

For more information on these and other ministries of the women’s organization, visit womenoftheelca.org or the site of its magazine, lutheranwomantoday.org