ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 21, 2013

Lohre to participate in Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service Jan. 22
13-05-MRC

     CHICAGO (ELCA) - Kathryn Lohre, director of ecumenical and inter-religious relations for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is participating in a responsive reading at the 57th Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service on Jan. 22. Lohre has been invited to participate in her role as president of the National Council of Churches in Christ. She is the first Lutheran and ELCA member to serve as president and the youngest woman to do so.
     “Tuesday morning will be an occasion for our multi-religious nation to pause in prayer for and with President Obama, Vice President Biden, and all those who govern,” said Lohre.
     “We will ask God to give them courage and wisdom, guiding their words and actions to uphold the common good, care for God’s creation, nurture global relations, and defend human rights. As children of the living God, and as responsible citizens, these prayers must remain in our hearts and on our lips in the days and years to come,” she said.
     Also participating in the responsive reading is Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, and Imam Mohamed Magid, executive director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society.
     On the historic occasion of the inauguration and the observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lohre said the National Council of Churches is issuing a “call to action” on racial justice in the church and society. “The ELCA is represented by this,” Lohre said, adding that through the call to action U.S. churches will renew their commitment to racial justice.
       In observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, view a pastoral video message from the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, about the ELCA’s commitment to being peacemakers in a culture of non-violence at http://bit.ly/Va2BYS.
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:

The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God's work. Our hands,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.
      
For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@ELCA.org
http://www.ELCA.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com