ELCA Assembly Hears from Lutheran Services in America (Corrected Text)

DENVER (ELCA) -- Joanne Negstad, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America, brought greetings to the 1999 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly on behalf of the organization that is the "umbrella" of social ministries of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here at the Colorado Convention Center Aug. 16-22. There are more than 2,500 people participating, including 1,039 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: Hope for a New Century."
Lutheran Services in America (LSA) includes Lutheran Social Services, Lutheran Child and Family Services, Lutheran Homes and Community Services, Lutheran Senior Services and other social ministries of the ELCA and LCMS.
The Rev. H. George Anderson, ELCA presiding bishop, called Lutheran Services in America "the best kept secret in our society."
Negstad asked voting members to answer a series of questions to test their knowledge of the organization.
LSA ministries are present in all 50 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ministries often exist in the form of counseling services, shelters, food pantries and senior housing. More than 3,000 U.S. communities support Lutheran social ministry organizations, she said.
Lutheran Social Services employs more than 100,000 people nationwide. Thirty-seven percent of those people are people of color or have a primary language other than English, Negstad said.
Volunteers are a significant part of the social ministry. More than five million volunteer hours were logged in 1998, she said.
In an informal poll, almost 75 percent of voting members said they had volunteered in some form of Lutheran social ministry organization.
In 1998, more than $3.2 billion was spent on Lutheran social ministries. "It makes an amazing offering of ministry," Negstad said.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html

Date: Thu, 2 Sep 1999 15:14:34 -0500
Reply-To: news@ELCA.ORG
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<ELCANEWS@LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG> From: News News <NEWS@elca.org> Subject: Three Lutheran Seminary Presidents Welcome Full Communion Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Title: Three Lutheran Seminary Presidents Welcome Full Communion
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 2, 1999

THREE LUTHERAN SEMINARY PRESIDENTS WELCOME FULL COMMUNION
99-216-FI

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Presidents of three of the eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) issued a statement Aug. 19 committing themselves to a decision the ELCA Churchwide Assembly made that day to enter into full communion with The Episcopal Church. The assembly met Aug. 16-22 in Denver.
"The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has decided to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church USA. We commit our leadership to the reception and implementation of that decision in our church and seminaries," began the statement from the Rev. James Kenneth Echols, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; the Rev. Timothy F. Lull, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.; and the Rev. David L. Tiede, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
"Our three seminaries have freely engaged in reflection, deliberation, debate and prayer as our church has prepared for this decision. Our faculties have not adopted statements, although we have noted statements from other ELCA faculties with respect," said the three presidents.
In advance of the assembly, faculties of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa.; Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia; Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.; Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio; and Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, issued statements of support for full communion with the Episcopal Church. Some of the statements raised matters for the assembly to consider before voting.
The churchwide assembly approved the Lutheran proposal for full communion, "Called to Common Mission." The measure needed 66.7 percent approval and received 69.3 percent. The Episcopal Church's General Convention will vote on the proposal next July in Denver.
Another plan, to enter into full communion with the Moravian Church in America, received 98.9 percent approval of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The Moravian Church's Northern and Southern Provinces approved the proposal, "Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion," in separate votes in 1998.
"We affirm the approval of the recommendation for full communion with the Moravian Church. We treasure the history of faith and service our churches share," said Echols, Lull and Tiede.
"We are hopeful that these two agreements will strengthen the full communion we enjoy with the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)," they said. In 1997 the ELCA entered into full communion with the three churches of the Reformed tradition.
"We believe our churches are truly 'Called to Common Mission' in a nation and world of many cultures and religions. The pastoral and theological work of our churches must be continued, now in a spirit of mutual affirmation and admonition," said the three seminary presidents.
"These agreements mark an end of long processes of negotiation. More significantly, they signal the beginning of a new era of collaboration and hope for God's work among us. Our seminaries look forward to active participation in that next step in the life of our church," they said.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html