Presiding Bishop Thanks Women, Comments On ‘State Of The ELCA’

SAN ANTONIO (ELCA) - The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), thanked delegates to the Women of the ELCA convention here for their faith, for the work they do in congregations and for supporting the wider church with gifts totaling $1.75 million in the past three years.
Hanson spoke to the delegates July 7, as did other Women of the ELCA officers who reported on their activities since their elections in 2002.
Women of the ELCA's Sixth Triennial Gathering is meeting here July 5-10 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The organization's three-year theme, “Act Boldly,” is being unveiled at the convention amid Bible study, keynote presentations, workshops, community service, business sessions and elections. More than 2,100 women from across the United States and around the world are participating.
Women of the ELCA President Mary Ellen Kiesner, Menomonee Falls, Wis., said the past three years have been “full of growth, challenges and delights.” Kiesner’s term as president expires at the gathering.
“The most amazing thing to me is how each one of you worked diligently to discern God’s call,” she told the delegates. “I have received much joy and encouragement from your love.”
Kiesner introduced Women of the ELCA executive board members, staff and her family to the delegates. Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive director, Women of the ELCA, and Kiesner’s daughter Amy performed and signed the hymn “I the Lord of Sea and Sky,” concluding Kiesner’s remarks.
Carmen K. Richards, Hope, N.D., treasurer, Women of the ELCA, emphasized the organization’s need for financial support and communication. “We’re losing our faithful givers,” she said.
The organization needs to work on its communication, Richards said. “We need to spread the word,” she said. “If what you’ve learned here stays here, we’ve accomplished very little.”
Bushkofsky presented a video report, emphasizing the organization’s award-winning communication tools, its work to serve the wider church and its new emphasis on women’s health over the next three years.
Delegates were also informed that offerings from the opening worship service July 6 totaled $25,121. Half will be given to the churchwide organization of Women of the ELCA and half is earmarked for global ministry projects.

Hanson on the ‘State of the ELCA’
Hanson told the delegates that, to comment on the state of the ELCA, the best way to prepare is to ask the church’s 5 million members about the state of their faith.
“The state of the ELCA depends on the vitality of the faith of the baptized of this church,” he said, noting that to be Lutheran is to recognize “all the baptized are called.”
The ELCA is unique because it is not organized in a hierarchy but on the principle of interdependence with many groups inside and outside the ELCA, Hanson said. He emphasized the church’s interdependence “with the body of Christ ecumenically and globally.”
The ELCA is a “mature” 18-year-old church, which must be interdependent with others. At next month’s ELCA Churchwide Assembly, voting members will decide whether to adopt a proposal for interim Eucharistic sharing with the United Methodist Church, Hanson said. In his role as also president of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, Switzerland, Hanson said he will meet Pope Benedict XVI on Nov. 6 at The Vatican.
The ELCA must confront racism and reach out to new members across all ethnicities, Hanson said. The Churchwide Assembly in Orlando, Fla., will also make decisions on questions regarding homosexuality, he said.
“I don’t fear what will happen in Orlando. We are going to Orlando to be the body of Christ,” Hanson said.
Christians in the United States must look at themselves through the eyes of global partners, he said. Many in the world look at the United States and see it “drunk with economic power ... mesmerized with our military might,” Hanson said. He said now is the time for Lutherans in the United States to remind fellow citizens that we are part of a global family.
Focusing on the gathering theme, “Act Boldly,” Hanson said to act boldly does not mean to act alone but “communally” not arrogantly “but in humility.”
Finally, Hanson said some tension in the church is a sign of vitality. “I worry about a church that is concerned about conflict,” he said. He challenged the delegates to think about how they read the Bible, reminding them that wherever Jesus walked he caused tension and questioned people in authority.
“We need to engage tension and remain healthy,” he said. “We must speak openly and respectfully with each other.”
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Information about the Women of the ELCA's Sixth Triennial Gathering is at http://www.womenoftheELCA.org on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news