Most ELCA Ordained Ministry Candidates Study at ELCA Seminaries
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Recent improvements in gathering data about people preparing for ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) allows church leaders to examine data from two sources -- the ELCA's eight seminaries and the candidacy committees of the ELCA's 65 synods. "In the early 2000s, as we...
John Sladek Named President of ELCA's California Lutheran University
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. John Sladek of Evergreen, Colo., was named the new president and chief executive officer of California Lutheran University (CLU), Thousand Oaks, succeeding Dr. Luther S. Luedtke who had served as president of the university for nearly 14 years. CLU is one of 28 colleges and universities...
ELCA synod leaders prepare to introduce 'Evangelical Lutheran Worship'
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Teams of leaders from each of the 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are preparing to introduce "Evangelical Lutheran Worship" -- the new "cranberry red" hardcover book or pew edition that will serve as the ELCA's primary book of...
ELCA offers bilingual translation of Luther's Small Catechism
by Katherine Hinck*, ELCA News Service Augsburg Fortress, the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), released "El Catecismo Menor de Lutero/Luther's Small Catechism" on June 14. ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission develops culture-specific resources for the church. The translations of Luther's Small Catechism offer both...
ELCA Participates in UN Assembly on HIV/AIDS
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) participated in the United Nations General Assembly High- level Review Meeting on HIV/AIDS May 31-June 2 at the U.N. headquarters, New York, to review the progress of objectives set out in the U.N. Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in 2001....
ELCA seminary establishes Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) will inaugurate a Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice (CCME) Sept. 21. LSTC is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). According to an LSTC news release, the...
Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan cautions against U.S. House resolution
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) e-Advocacy Network issued an action alert from Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) May 15 regarding a resolution from U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Rep. McCaul (R-Texas) circulating in the U.S. House of Representatives...
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans funds Chicago Community Savings Center
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will provide $2.6 million to fund the Community Savings Center, a collaboration with Bethel New Life and Park National Bank that brings financial education and affordable financial products together to serve Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood. Thrivent Financial for...
Lutherans Offer Camps For Young Gulf Coast Disaster Survivors
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSSM) will offer more than 65 camps this summer for school-aged children who were affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Of the one million people displaced by the 2005 hurricanes, 372,000 were school-aged children in kindergarten through 12th grade, according...
Lutheran Services in America Successful 'Trading Graces' on eBay
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "Trading Graces," the first annual online auction of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), listed more than 2,100 items on eBay for bidding from noon Feb. 26 to noon March 8 and sold 952 or about 45 percent of the items to raise $61,840 for Lutheran social ministry...
Warren Freiheit re-elected bishop of ELCA Central/Southern Synod
by Katherine Hinck*, ELCA News Service The Rev. Warren D. Freiheit was elected to a second six-year term as bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly June 8-10 in Springfield, Ill. Freiheit, 58, was re- elected June 9 on...
James Justman re-elected bishop of ELCA East Central Synod of Wisconsin
by Katherine Hinck*, ELCA News Service The Rev. James A. Justman was elected to a second six-year term as bishop of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly June 9-10 in Appleton, Wis. Justman, 50, was re-elected on the...
ELCA advocacy blog focuses on Gulf Coast
by Annie Lynsen*, ELCA Washington Office As the Gulf Coast transitions from immediate relief to long-term rebuilding and recovery following the hurricanes of 2005, Andrew Genszler, director for domestic policy, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Washington office, is traveling along the Gulf Coast on a fact-finding mission June 13-23....
ELCA Offers Davey and Goliath Disaster PSAs
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- At the start of the 2006 hurricane season, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is offering children a message about trusting God and helping others in the face of disasters. Broadcast public service announcements (PSA) for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, called "Working Together," features the popular...
ELCA Provides $1 Million to Build Homes in Tsunami-Stricken Indonesia
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is providing $1 million to help build homes and communities in Indonesia after a Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake in the Indian Ocean produced a tsunami that left some 170,000 people dead or missing in northern Sumatra....
Margaret Payne re-elected bishop of ELCA New England Synod
by Katherine Hinck*, ELCA News Service The Rev. Margaret G. Payne, 59, was elected to a second six-year term as bishop of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly June 8-10 in Worcester, Mass. Payne was re-elected on the first ballot...
Gustavus Adolphus to host Convocation of ELCA Teaching Theologians
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., will host the annual Convocation of Teaching Theologians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Aug. 11-13. Gustavus Adolphus is one of 28 colleges and universities of the ELCA. Under the theme "Lutherans and Theological Method:...
Thousands of Lutheran Teenagers Worldwide Cross Borders this Summer
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- About 40,000 high-school-age and adult Lutherans from the United States and around the world will be crossing all kinds of borders to renew their faith as they gather for the 2006 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The gathering will take place in...
ELCA names Rossing Physics Scholarship recipients
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service Five students attending colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) will receive Rossing Physics Scholarships for the 2006-07 academic year. Gifts from Dr. Thomas D. Rossing established the Rossing Fund for Physics Education Endowment within the ELCA Foundation. This...
Theodore Fredrickson retires as Capital University president
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service Dr. Theodore L. Fredrickson, president of Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, announced his retirement June 2, marking the end of nearly four decades in higher education. Capital is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The university's...
