ELCA Assembly Greeted By Global Partners

ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA)-- The 2005 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) received greetings
from the global Lutheran community early in their business
session Aug. 13. Representatives from the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC),
and Lutheran Church of Sierra Leone (ELCSL) addressed the
gathering.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of
the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the World Center Marriott
and Convention Center. About 2,300 people are participating,
including 1,018 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial
assembly is "Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever."

Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation, of which the ELCA is a
member, connects 66 million Lutherans from 77 countries
throughout the world. Kathy Magnus, LWF regional officer for
North America told voting members, "Sixty-six million Lutherans
do make a difference for the healing of the world." The Rev. Mark
Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, also serves as LWF president.
Referencing LWF's many support and development efforts,
Mangus said, "Our name is on grain banks and Bible schools and
HIV/AIDS workers and trucks and wells and seminaries and lay
evangelists and ecumenical relationships and church buildings,
fishing boats and advocacy."
A letter was read to the assembly from the Rev. Ishmael
Noko, LWF General Secretary. "As many churches of different
confessions struggle today with different ethical issues, let us
as Lutherans be clearly affirmed in our faith that our unity in
Christ is God's own gift to us. It is a most precious gift which
we should cherish above all. It allows us to live together with
differences of opinion and guides us to make the decisions that
help to avoid divisions in the church where human conviction and
disagreement run deep. If the ELCA at this assembly can see
itself not as a community of positions and views but as a church
of those reborn in baptism, it can take all its decisions as
means of strengthening the spiritual fellowship," wrote Noko.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC)
The Rev. Paul N. Johnson, assistant to the bishop,
Ecumenical Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada, addressed the assembly on behalf of the Rev. Raymond
Schultz, ELCIC national bishop. "Our churches met together on
either side of what was once proudly called the longest
undefended border in the world. We give thanks for a future and a
hope which is stronger than any terror, and we look to a shared
future in the truest liberty - the Gospel freedom which is ours
in Christ Jesus," Johnson said. He listed several ELCIC and ELCA
partner efforts, including a joint event in Alberta for farmers
and ranchers "on both borders" that addressed common, critical
issues.
"I am also bold to say that we as Evangelical Lutherans in
Canada have real gifts to offer you, and we do so joyfully," said
Johnson. Referencing defeat by a close vote of a local option on
the blessing of same-sex relationships during the ELCIC's recent
national convention held July 21-24 in Winnipeg, he said, "Within
the one church, our differences are real, and our divisions
painful, but the One who unites us cannot and will not be divided
- not by politics, neither by dogma nor by ideology. As ELCIC, we
believe that working together in this North American region and
the Lutheran World Federation, marked with the cross of Christ
and sent for the sake of the world, we can be together a Church
in mission for others." His address was acknowledged by a
standing ovation from the assembly.

Lutheran Church of Sierra Leone (ELCSL)
In greetings, the Rev. Tom Barnett, bishop of the Lutheran
Church of Sierra Leone, affirmed commitment to partnership with
the ELCA.
"We have through that partnership been able to experience
the love of the people of this church, to experience the love of
people of this country, to bring hope to the people of Sierra
Leone who went through 10 years of senseless war," he said.
Barnett praised the LWF, saying the communion of churches
not only highlights the "diversity that it embraces," but lifts
up "the fact that in that diversity there is much more that holds
us together than we sometimes fail to acknowledge." Barnett
continued, "[A]s a communion we're held together by the Gospel -
the Gospel that compels us to stand with one another irrespective
of size, irrespective of age, and irrespective of who we are, but
only as people called together by God, people held together by a
mission to be with one another in all times."
To the ELCA, Barnett said, "I bring you the commitment that
we will work with you as you continue to work with us, so that we
will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bring light in a
world of darkness, bring hope in the face of despair, and share
the love of Christ with everybody." Barnett expressed
appreciation for the ELCSL's special partnership with the ELCA
Northern Texas-North Louisiana Synod through the ELCA Companion
Synod program. The assembly stood and applauded at the conclusion
of Barnett's comments.
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Information about the ELCA Churchwide Assembly is at http://www.elca.org/assembly/05 on the Web.

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