This document reports on a conference that addressed the involvement of the National Council of Churches of Christ/USA in literacy education in North America, at which literacy program participants, national leaders in literacy education, church leaders, and international literacy delegates described their successes and struggles. The first sections provide a definition of literacy and explain the purposes of the conference. The next section asks whether becoming literate amounts to getting bask to "basics" in education or whether it amounts to political and social liberation. The experience of the Lutheran Church with literacy is described as a case study. A discussion by a panel of national literacy education leaders is followed by description of the experience of eight literacy students and eight literacy programs. A summary of discussions held at the conference includes the church's motivation for work in literacy, what churches should do, the church as advocate, literacy as a two-way street, measuring the effectiveness of literacy programs, and the commitment of the United States to literacy. The responses of church leaders at the conference are provided. The recommendations from small group discussions are recounted in the next section, under the headings awareness, advocacy, and action. A prayer for literacy appears next. Appendices contain the conference program and information on conference participants and the conference design team. (CML)