Women of the ELCA Elects Beth Wrenn President for 2008-2011
SALT LAKE CITY (ELCA) -- Voting delegates attending the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Triennial Convention here elected Beth G. Wrenn, Kill Devil Hills, N.C., as the organization's president for the next three years. Wrenn, a member of Kure Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kure Beach, N.C.,...
Lutheran youth from Iowa, Tanzania to partner at parish rally
by Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Western Iowa Synod will send 21 of its youth to Tanzania July 21-Aug. 13 to visit with youth of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) Southern Diocese, work on service projects and visit area institutions. The...
ELCA Presiding Bishop, Lutheran Leaders Write to Presidential Candidates
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Stating that Lutherans have a long history and significant experience related to health and human services, relief and development, and refugee protection and immigration, four Lutheran leaders wrote to the major political party candidates for U.S. President. In their letter the leaders, including the Rev. Mark S....
'All Hands On Deck' Needed for Flood Recovery in Midwest
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Recovery efforts in the flood-ravaged Midwest will require an "all hands on deck" approach, according to the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, director, Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). Every program and project Lutherans have will be needed given the extent of flood damage there, he said. LDR is a...
LWF Calls for Peace, Justice, Prayer Amid Zimbabwe Runoff Election
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In anticipation of the June 27 runoff election in which Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe was re-elected, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council called for "urgent establishment of a peace building process in the country, incorporating all national actors, regional organizations and the international community." The council met...
Ullestad re-elected bishop of ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod
by Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service The Rev. Steven L. Ullestad was re-elected June 28 to a six-year term as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northeastern Iowa Synod during the synod assembly in Cedar Falls, Iowa, June 27-29. The assembly was rescheduled from June 13-15 at...
Kucharek re-elected bishop of the ELCA Slovak Zion Synod
by Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service The Rev. Wilma S. Kucharek was re-elected June 28 to a six-year term as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Slovak Zion Synod during the synod assembly in Union, N.J. Kucharek was re-elected on the second ballot for bishop with 48...
ELCA Northern Illinois Synod Workshops Encourage 'Green Living'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northern Illinois Synod (NIS) is offering workshops as part of its efforts with Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center (LOMC), Oregon, Ill., to support the synod's Green Team and raise environmental awareness in its congregations. The mission of the Green Team is...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Climate Change, Other Global Concerns
ARUSHA, Tanzania (ELCA) -- The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) can help create a global movement to limit or halt environmental degradation, but it must have many partners and large numbers of people to be effective, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Environmental Concerns to LWF Council
ARUSHA, Tanzania (ELCA) -- It is "spiritual blasphemy" to abuse the environment, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). In a June 25 address here to the LWF Council, Hanson called on LWF...
ELCA congregation receives $12,000 vocational discernment grant
by Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service Mountain View Lutheran Church, Edgewood, Wash., a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was one of six Christian churches awarded "Cultures of Call" grants from the Fund for Theological Education (FTE), Atlanta. According to FTE, the grant "provides financial support for...
Book of Faith Resolutions Adopted at ELCA Synod Assemblies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Participants in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Book of Faith initiative met here June 24-25 to consult over directions for the initiative through 2012. According to its mission, the Book of Faith initiative "invites the whole church to become more fluent in the first language...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Visits Tanzania Hospital, University, Orphans' Center
IRINGA, Tanzania (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), returned here June 21-22 for the first time in 10 years and said much progress has been made in higher education and schools,...
LWF Leaders Discuss Zimbabwe Runoff Election, Environment, Food Crisis
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (ELCA) -- The president and general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) addressed a wide range of topics and concerns at a June 19 news conference here, including the planned runoff election for president in Zimbabwe, environmental concerns, the current world food crisis and how...
International Audience to Attend ELCA Global Mission Event in La Crosse
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Drawing guests from Russia and Tanzania to Japan and Peru, the 2008 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Global Mission Event (GME) will be held July 17-20 at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. The GME's theme, "God's Work, Our Hands," will be explored through stories, worship...
ELCA Bishop Calls for Prayer, Action Concerning Domestic Disasters
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), asked the 4.8 million-member church to join him in "prayer and action" for people facing adversity this spring after tornadoes and floods struck the central United States and the humanitarian crisis following...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Visits Lutherans in Kenya, Emphasizes Unity
NAIROBI, Kenya (ELCA) -- Two leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) met with about 20 leaders and staff of the two Kenyan Lutheran churches here June 18, emphasizing the importance of unity and cooperation among all Lutherans in the country. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop, Evangelical Lutheran...
Lutherans Support Relief Efforts in Colombia, Costa Rica
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is providing emergency disaster relief with its companion Lutheran churches in Colombia and Costa Rica after an earthquake and a tropical storm struck the two countries respectively. Members of the ELCA and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia (Iglesia Evangelica Luterana...
Rwandan Lutheran Pastor Updates Status of Mumeya Hospital
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Rebuilding a nation divided by civil war and genocide has been a 14-year struggle for the people of Rwanda. The Rev. John Rutsindintwarane, general secretary, Lutheran Church of Rwanda (LCR), outlined progress of a planned hospital in the rural community of Mumeya, Rwanda, and the training that...
Two ELCA Congregations Earn Accessibility Awards
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Hope Lutheran Church, Fargo, N.D., and Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Askov, Minn., are the winners of the 2008 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Disability Ministries Accessibility Awards. This award is given annually to one or more congregations of the ELCA that demonstrate outstanding care and concern for...
