CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) will gather Aug. 12-17, 2013, in assembly at the David L.
Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The 4-million-member ELCA is
celebrating its 25th anniversary this year under the theme “Always being
made new,” which serves as the theme for the ELCA Churchwide Assembly --
the highest legislative authority of this church.
Underscoring the ELCA’s commitment “to care for creation” all
assembly materials will be available electronically to the 952 voting
members. Nearly all voting members will be using iPads equipped with an
ELCA Guidebook application that contains materials to conduct business,
saving an estimated 500,000 pages of paper. ELCA members and others not
attending the assembly can access live video of plenary sessions at
http://www.ELCA.org/assembly. An assembly schedule, the Pre-Assembly
Report and other resources are also available at this site.
Two key action items at the assembly include the elections for an
ELCA presiding bishop and ELCA secretary. Prior to the election, members
are asked to consider the document “A Conversation Regarding the Election
of Churchwide Officers” which encourages conversation and discernment
relating to the election of the two six-year term positions.
Voting members will also consider:
+ “The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries” -- a proposed
social statement on criminal justice with supporting implementing
resolutions. Social statements are teaching documents that assist members
in their discernment about social issues, set policy for this church and
guide its advocacy and work in the public arena.
+ A proposal for the ELCA’s first major fundraising campaign. If approved
the five-year campaign, to begin in 2014, is designed to increase this
church’s capacity to renew and start new congregations, educate and
develop its leaders, bolster its global mission efforts and expand the
impact of its relief and development work.
+ Proposals (known as memorials) from the ELCA’s 65 synods include topics
such as gender identity discrimination, the Uniting American Families
Act, community violence, ministering to same-gender couples and their
families, immigration reform, hydraulic fracturing, and the Middle East.
+ Budget proposals for 2014 to 2016
+The Book of Faith initiative as a continuing emphasis and priority in
this church. The assembly will also consider other action items.
During plenary sessions, voting members will receive:
+ A new ELCA message on mental illness. The ELCA Church Council
adopted “The Body of Christ and Mental Illness” in November 2012.
+ A report and recommendations of the ELCA Addressing Social Concerns
Review Task Force commissioned by the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to
review ways in which ELCA members address social concerns.
+ A report on the implementation of the ELCA social statement “Human
Sexuality: Gift and Trust” adopted by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.
+ Greetings from Christian, Jewish, Sikh leaders and others.
The 2013 assembly will also receive an update on the ELCA Malaria
Campaign; learn more about the observance of the 500th anniversary of the
Reformation; participate in a series of hearings about mission planning,
healthcare reform, world hunger, women and justice and more.
Along with voting members, hundreds more people will participate in
the assembly as ELCA congregational observers, special ecumenical guests
and global leaders, presidents of the eight ELCA seminaries and 26
college and universities, advisory and resource members, staff and
others. The ELCA's 65 synods elect voting members to serve at churchwide
assemblies.
The ELCA’s newsroom will be located at the David L. Lawrence
Convention Center in Room 328. A news conference will be held Aug. 14 at
6:30pm ET in Room 329 and will be available through live video streaming.
Reporters are welcome to participate in person or through teleconference.
To register as press and for other news and media information, contact
Melissa Ramirez Cooper at Melissa.RamirezCooper@ELCA.org or Candice Hill
Buchbinder at Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.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
