by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
The Rev. Prasanna Kumari Samuel, vice president of the
National Council of Churches in India, Nagpur, and head of the
Department for Women's Studies, Gurukul Lutheran Theological
College and Research Institute, Chennai, India, died March 16
from a massive cardiac arrest at the Apollo Hospital, Chennai.
She was 56 years old.
Kumari was a signer of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine
of Justification, a significant theological document signed in
1999 between the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and The Vatican.
She was LWF vice president for the Asia region, served on the LWF
Council as chairperson of the Program Committee for Theology and
Studies, and was chairperson of the LWF Standing Committee for
World Service. Kumari was the first Lutheran woman to be
ordained in India, and the first woman to serve as executive
secretary for the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India.
At the time of her death Kumari was a doctorate student at
the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, scheduled to graduate
in May 2006.
LINKS:
National Council of Churches in India
http://www.nccindia.in/index.htm
Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute
http://www.gltc.edu
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
http://www.ELCA.org/ecumenical/ecumenicaldialogue/romancatholic/j
ddj/declaration.html
Lutheran World Federation
http://www.lutheranworld.org
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
http://www.lstc.edu
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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
