CHICAGO (ELCA) Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, will host "Mission in Ecumenical View," a March 23 conference to explore possibilities created by "Called to Common Mission" (CCM). CCM is a Lutheran proposal for full communion with the Episcopal Church.
Wartburg Seminary is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
CCM was adopted by the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Denver. It will be considered in July by the 2000 General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Denver.
The conference opens at 9:30 a.m., with a Holy Eucharist service at Loehe Chapel on the seminary campus. The Rev. Steven L. Ullestad, bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod, Waverly, will preside. The Rev. C. Christopher Epting, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, Des Moines, is scheduled to preach.
Following a reception, the program begins with "History: Past and Promise," a presentation by the Rev. Donald S. Armentrout, professor of church history and historical theology, School of Theology, University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn. Armentrout, an ELCA pastor, also serves as associate dean for academic affairs at the university, which is affiliated with the Episcopal Church.
Another presentation, "Congregations: Premises and Possibilities" will follow lunch. The scheduled presenter is the Rev. Cynthia Rauh Banks, an Episcopal priest who has served as pastor of a joint Lutheran-Episcopal congregation in Kentucky. She is also a member of a local Episcopal Church ecumenical coordinating committee.
A dialogue with all presenters will conclude the conference. Participants are asked to call 1-800-225-5987 to register in advance. There is no cost to attend.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities 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:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
