ELCA News Service

A service for journalists and members of the news media

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Nurturing the living, caring for the wounded and honoring the dead is the work of the many military chaplains responding to this week's deadly shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, said Col. Michael T. Lembke of III Corps. Lembke is an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) chaplain serving at Fort Hood, where he is senior chaplain.
     Lembke, ELCA Chaplain Lt. Col. Richard E. Brunk Jr., and other chaplains at the U.S. Army installation are listening to the needs of the wounded and their families, and other Fort Hood personnel, he said in a Nov. 7 phone interview with the ELCA News Service. Lembke said he will be the lead planner for a memorial service, the date of which is to be determined.
     The Nov. 5 shooting at Fort Hood resulted in the deaths of 13 people and left at least 30 people wounded. The alleged shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, was wounded by ...(more)

ELCA Leaders Among Those Helping at Fort Hood
Nov 06, 2009; 09-250-FI/JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are among those helping in the aftermath of a tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas. An Army psychiatrist allegedly shot and killed 13 people and injured another 30 people Nov. 5 on the grounds of the country's largest military base.
     The Rev. Michael T. Lembke is an ELCA pastor and chaplain for III Corps at Fort Hood.  His daughter, Heidi Lembke, is a seminary intern at Immanuel Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in neighboring Killeen, Texas.
     Heidi Lembke said a prayer vigil will be held the evening of Nov. 6 at Fort Hood. "All are invited to join us in prayer across the globe," she said. "We, as a community, appreciate prayers as this is a difficult time for the entire Fort Hood-Killeen area."
     Communication with the fort is limited. Heidi Lembke said the whole ...(more)

ELCA Presiding Bishop Welcomes Travel Policy Change for People with HIV
Nov 05, 2009; 09-249-JB/ENI*

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joined others in welcoming a decision by U.S. President Barack Obama to remove entry restrictions into the United States for people who are HIV-positive.
     "Ending discriminatory policies and confronting stigmatizing attitudes toward people living with HIV and AIDS are essential for their full inclusion in society and religious communities," said Hanson, who is also president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Geneva.
     The LWF consists of 140 Lutheran churches in 79 countries representing 68.9 million Christians worldwide.
     Since 1987, HIV-positive travelers and immigrants have been banned from entering or traveling through the United States without a special waiver. Obama announced the elimination of the restrictions last week. The change is to take effect in ...(more)