by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service
Carlos Pena, vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), presented his report April 1 to the ELCA Church
Council in Chicago. The council is the ELCA's board of directors
and serves as the legislative authority of the church between
churchwide assemblies. As vice president, Pena chairs the
council.
In his written report Pena said he attended the ELCA's
conference, "The Future of Religious Institutions in American
Society," in St. Augustine, Fla. Pena was an ELCA delegate at
the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Feb. 14-
23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he was named to the WCC Central
Committee. "Prior to that trip to Brazil, I knew little about
ecumenism," Pena admitted. In his oral report to the council
Pena summarized his activities in the 49 days before the meeting.
He took part in an ecumenical journey organized by ELCA
Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations. The ELCA delegation
visited the office of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in
Geneva, Switzerland; the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate in
Istanbul, Turkey; the Vatican in Rome; and the office of the
Anglican Communion in London. Pena said a highlight of the
ecumenical journey was a visit to Iznik, Turkey, which was where
the Council of Nicaea drafted the Christian Nicene Creed in the
fourth century. He said the ecumenical journey "helped deepen my
understanding of what it means to be one holy, catholic Church."
The ELCA is a member of both the WCC and the LWF.
Pena said it has been a challenge for him to balance his
responsibilities to the ELCA, his family and his businesses --
Kleen Supply Co. Inc., Galveston, Texas, and C.M. Distributing
Corp., Houston. He concluded, "I thank God for the opportunity
to serve."
Links:
Carlos Pena, vice president
http://www.ELCA.org/pena.html
"The Future of Religious Institutions in American Society"
http://www.ELCA.org/ScriptLib/CO/ELCA_News/encArticleList.asp?art
icle=3296
9th Assembly of the WCC
http://www.wcc-assembly.info
Lutheran World Federation
http://www.lutheranworld.org
Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate
http://www.ELCA.org/ScriptLib/CO/ELCA_News/encArticleList.asp?art
icle=3333
the Vatican
http://www.ELCA.org/ScriptLib/CO/ELCA_News/encArticleList.asp?art
icle=3340
Anglican Communion
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/
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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
