Spring 98 MOSAIC

I. Small Town, Big Casino
II. Domestic Violence
III. Guess Who's Calling at Dinner?

I. Small Town, Big Casino
Synopsis: "Small Town, Big Casino" shows how the people of Hinkley, Minn., are confronting the dilemma posed by the presence of a gambling casino on the nearby reservation of the Mille Lac Band of Ojibwe Indians. The Indians say the Grand Casino Hinkley has brought badly needed schools, jobs and roads to the community. But some people oppose the casino and gambling on moral grounds. First Lutheran Church of Hinkley has members on both sides of the controversy. Some work at the casino. Others think gaming creates problems of its own. Gambling is an issue that affects almost every community and congregation in some way. MOSAIC introduces you to people with widely differing views of the problem. It also pays a visit to the casino. Seeing how the gambling issue plays out in Hinkley may help you and your congregation come to grips with it.

II. Domestic Violence: A Call for Help
Synopsis: "Domestic Violence: A Call for Help," takes a look at how the people of ELCA congregations in Prince Georges County, Md., are coming to grips with domestic violence in their community. You will meet Lt. Louis J. Oertly, a member of St. Nicolas Lutheran Church, Prince Frederic, Md., and a member of a special domestic violence task force of the Prince George's County Maryland Sheriff's Office. You will be with him as he handles domestic violence calls. You'll also meet Linda Stephens, a member of the staff of Truth Evangelical Church, a new ELCA mission start, as she counsels victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a problem that cuts across economic, class and racial lines. It is an issue in every community across the nation. This MOSAIC segment can help you and your congregation deal with the problem in your community.

III. Guess Who's Calling at Dinner?
Synopsis: "Guess Who's Calling at Dinner," shows Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Pittsburgh, Pa., taking its first steps into telemarketing with help from Lutherans from across the country. Telemarketing offers congregations a way to canvass their neighborhoods more thoroughly than they could with in-person calls, and in some ways more effectively. In this segment of MOSAIC, we get to see and meet some of the people who helped members of Zion make 6,000 calls. We also see the results of those calls when, weeks later, some of the families called actually visit the congregation. Telemarketing may be a tool your congregation can use to reach the un-churched in your community. The spring MOSAIC can give you a feel for how it works.