CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson will be installed as the third presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Oct. 6 here at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago. The ceremony will be "Webcast" live on the Internet.
The http://www.elca.org/installation/ page on the ELCA Web site will begin providing live video and audio from Rockefeller Chapel at 2:30 p.m. EDT. The ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. EDT.
Services of www.FaithandValues.com will make it possible for 300 viewers to see and hear the ceremony simultaneously, said Dr. Paul D. Edison-Swift, director for resource information and networks, ELCA Department for Communication.
"It will be good to focus for an afternoon on this joyous celebration," said Edison-Swift. "We are very pleased to be able to share it with our members and the rest of the world," he said.
Hanson, 54, was elected to a six-year term as presiding bishop Aug. 11 at the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Indianapolis. He will assume the role of ELCA presiding bishop Nov. 1.
The current ELCA presiding bishop, the Rev. H. George Anderson, 69, will conclude his six-year term Oct. 31. The ELCA's first presiding bishop, the Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom, served two terms before he retired in 1995.
Among invited guests are leaders of the five churches with which the ELCA has a relationship of full communion: the Episcopal Church, USA, Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ. Churches in full communion agree to share a variety of ministries, and, in certain circumstances, clergy from one church body may serve in a congregation of the other.
In addition, Lutheran bishops from outside the United States who have confirmed their attendance include the Rev. Medardo Gomez Soto, bishop of the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod, San Salvador, El Salvador; the Rev. Maria Jepsen, bishop of the Hamburg Diocese, North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hamburg, Germany; the Rt. Rev. Owdenburg M. Mdegella, bishop of the Iringa Diocese, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania; the Rev. Ambrose Moyo, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo; the Rev. Julius Paul, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Hanson will be the first ELCA presiding bishop installed into the "historic episcopate," a line of bishops extending back to the early days of the Christian church. The installation procedure is part of the full communion relationship of the ELCA and Episcopal Church. The Rt. Rev. Frank T. Griswold III, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will be among the installation participants.
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
