CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was among a group of 25 clergy who met with and prayed with President George W. Bush Sept. 6 at the White House.
The off-the-record conversation was held at the start of "National Days of Prayer and Remembrance," proclaimed by Bush, Hanson said. In making the proclamation, Bush asked congregations and faith groups across the country to remember the anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said the gathering with religious leaders was intended to kick off the three-day period from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8 during which Bush suggested that houses of worship ring their bells, hold candlelight remembrance vigils and other memorial services to honor those who died and pray for those who were grieving, according to a Sept. 9 Religion News Service (RNS) report.
Represented at the meeting were officials from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist traditions, RNS reported. Bush will attend Sept. 11 observances in New York, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.
ELCA leaders and members will gather in the communities impacted directly by last year's terrorist attacks. The Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, preached Sept. 8 at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Manhattan, N.Y. Bouman also preached at an ecumenical service on Sept. 10 at the Interchurch Center, Manhattan.
The Rev. Theodore F. Schneider, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod, will attend an interfaith "Service of remembrance" at the National Cathedral, Washington, on Sept. 11. Later that day, Schneider will preach at Hope Lutheran Church, Annandale, Va.
Members of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Shanksville, Pa. and St. Paul Lutheran Church, Buckstown, Pa., together known as Good Shepherd Cooperative Lutheran Ministry, will hold a Service of Remembrance Sept. 11 in Buckstown. Both congregations were within four miles of the United Flight 93 crash site.
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
