ELCA Nebraska Bishop Addresses Shooting at Westroads Mall, Omaha
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. David L. deFreese, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Nebraska Synod, Omaha, offered a message of hope to the church in response to the Dec. 5 shooting at the Westroads Mall, Omaha, where a 19-year-old man opened fire killing eight people and...
Mensaje Navideño de 2007 del Obispo Presidente de la IELA
"El nacimiento de Jesus, el Mesias, fue asi:..." (Mateo 1:18). Muchas generaciones despues de que Dios hubiera prometido al Mesias, una jovencita llamada Maria concibio un nino por gracia del Espiritu Santo. Un angel le dijo a Jose, el joven con quien estaba prometida en matrimonio, que el nino al...
ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson Featured in CBS's 'In God's Name' Dec. 23
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran World Federation, is featured in the two-hour primetime television special "In God's Name," airing Dec. 23 at 9:00 p.m. EST on CBS. Produced by French filmmakers Jules...
ELCA Presiding Bishop's 2007 Christmas Message
"Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way..." (Matthew 1:18). Many generations after God promised a Messiah, a young girl named Mary conceived a child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, the young man to whom she was betrothed, was told by an angel that the child...
Lutherans Observe World AIDS Day Through 'Keep the Promise'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In observance of World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have the opportunity to reflect with other Christians on the worldwide response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic through "Keep the Promise - Advent in a Time of AIDS" --...
ELCA publishes 2008 election guide
by Annie Lynsen, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Washington Office released "Called To Be a Public Church: 2008 ELCA Voting and Civic Participation Guide" -- a resource to guide congregations through the 2008 election cycle. The resource includes IRS guidelines, suggested nonpartisan election activities for...
ELCA Supports Recovery Efforts in Tabasco, Mexico
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) provided $50,000 to support recovery efforts in Tabasco, Mexico. A week's worth of heavy rain, two cold fronts and the effects of Tropical Storm Noel produced flood conditions there, affecting more than a million people. The flooding began...
ELCA Documentary on Uganda, Forgiveness to Air on NBC Television
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- NBC affiliate television stations will begin broadcasting "Uganda: Ready to Forgive" on Dec. 2. The 60-minute documentary about the faith and spirit of the Acholi people of Northern Uganda is a production of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Through 20 years of war, death, rape,...
ELCA Sends Initial Grant to Assist Bangladesh Cyclone Recovery
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Cyclone Sidr left more than 3,000 people dead and millions homeless after it struck the coast of Bangladesh in Southern Asia on Nov. 15. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), through its International Disaster Response, is sending an initial $50,000 to assist disaster response organizations that...
ELCA Board of Pensions Trustees Discuss Health-Care Changes
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions discussed preparations for a new strategic plan for 2009-2011 at their meeting here Nov. 2-4. 2008 is the final year of the Board's current strategic plan. The trustees also approved a 2008 corporate plan and...
ELCA Responds to Disasters on Three Continents
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), through its International Disaster Response, provided $173,500 to support recovery efforts in Indonesia, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Seen as the "breadbasket" of Southern Africa for years, Zimbabwe's economy is facing hyperinflation, said Dr. Belletech Deressa, director for international...
Lutheran Bishop in Holy Land Meets Former President Carter
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), met in person with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in Atlanta Nov. 12 to discuss the situation in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians. Younan was also invited...
ELCA Church Council Elects Leaders, Acts on Variety of Proposals
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected four churchwide leaders, heard a report from the ELCA presiding bishop, acted on proposals regarding social policy on sponsorship of legal gaming by American Indian tribes, a proposed "Lutheran Malaria Initiative," and received an implementation...
Bouman to Lead ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was elected Nov. 11 by the ELCA Church Council to a four-year appointment as executive director of ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission (EOCM) beginning Jan. 1,...
ELCA Council Elects Wyvetta Bullock ELCA Executive for Administration
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America elected the Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock to a six-year term as executive for administration, ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop. Bullock, who had been serving as executive for leadership development in the presiding bishop's office, will assume...
ELCA Bishops Join Global Refuge in Supporting Trafficking Victims Protection Act
WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- Ten synod bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) signed a letter Nov. 6 with Global Refuge urging the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary to quickly pass the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2007 (TVPRA),...
The Rev. C. Thomas Spitz Jr., Lutheran Ecumenist, Communicator, Dies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. C. Thomas Spitz Jr., a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and former general secretary of the Lutheran Council in the U.S.A. (LCUSA), died Nov. 2 in Manhasset, Long Island, N.Y. He was 86. A funeral is planned for Nov. 10 at...
Lutheran Holy Land Bishop, Other Faith Leaders Make Peace Commitments
WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- The Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, a group of senior Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith organizations, announced Nov. 7 new efforts toward limiting violence, protecting holy sites and opening dialogue for peace in the Holy Land. The Rev....
ELCA Joins Other Faith Groups Supporting Senate Farm Bill Amendments
WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- As debate began Nov. 6 on the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill in the U.S. Senate, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joined several U.S. faith groups and faith leaders from Burkina Faso, Senegal and Mali here in a Nov. 6 news conference, urging the Senate to...
FEATURE: Lutherans Bring Back the 'Revival'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Over the summer a white, circus-sized tent appeared on the grounds of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Troy, N.Y., garnering looks of interest from all who passed by, according to Marilyn Dyer. Although known throughout the community for its "innovative approach to ministry," St. Timothy reached a high...
