ELCA Consultation Examines Future of Word and Service Leadership
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The future of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's professional public ministers of Word and service -- associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers -- was the focus of an ELCA consultation in February in Delray Beach, Fla. The central question some 64 participants discussed was how...
Lutheran World Federation 60th Anniversary Celebrations on Web March 25
CHICAGO (ELCA) - A live transmission of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Lund, Sweden, will be available on the Internet. The celebrations begin with a festive Eucharistic service at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) March 25 in...
ELCA Presiding Bishop's 2007 Easter Message
"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. ... Then they remembered his words." (NRSV Luke 24:2,8) On the first Easter morning, the women entered an empty tomb expecting to find Jesus. They were looking for the body...
ELCA Foundation Awards Fund to Children, Elderly Ministries
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Services for the Elderly (LSE) Endowment Fund of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) awarded a total of $243,000 in 2007 to eight Lutheran organizations dedicated to ministries and services for and by the elderly. The Lutheran Services for Children Endowment Fund of the ELCA...
Lutheran Services in America marks 10th anniversary at April conference
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service Lutheran Services in America (LSA) celebrates a decade of service to millions of people during its 2007 conference April 18-20 in Baltimore. It expects 500 leaders in health and human service organizations "to recognize the milestones of the Lutheran contribution to social services over...
Online giving made easy through ELCA Good Gifts
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) seeking to support the mission and ministries of the church financially can donate online through ELCA Good Gifts, formally known as the ELCA Giving Basket. The Giving Basket raised more than $4 million through...
ELCA Bishops Told of Positive Churchwide Financial Results for 2006
GALVESTON, Texas (ELCA) -- Increases in total receipts, including mission support funds, plus a record year for contributions to the World Hunger Appeal of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), contributed to overall positive financial results for 2006 for the ELCA churchwide organization, based in Chicago. Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA...
Herman G. Stuempfle Jr., Lutheran Church Leader, Dies
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (ELCA) -- The Rev. Herman G. Stuempfle Jr., president of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (LTSG) from 1976 to 1989, died March 13 following a long illness. Stuempfle, 84, a retired pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was also known for his contributions as a...
Lutheran Men in Mission hosts 'Mini-Gathering' in Washington state
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The men of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Marysville, Wash., plan to host 200 people March 24 for the third "mini-gathering" of 2007 for Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "Building for the Future" is "a...
Lutherans Advocate for Children's Issues at Ecumenical Advocacy Days
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- More than 1,000 U.S. church members, including more than 100 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), participated in the Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice conference here March 9-12. Under the theme "...and How are the Children?" participants learned about issues...
Lutheran Students Bring Hope to the U.S. Gulf Coast
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Dressed in white a hard hat with a respirator over her face, Lisa Evans, a senior at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., said, "We're here to bring hope. We can make a big difference in just one week." Standing in front of a Hurricane Katrina-damaged house March...
Women of the ELCA Plans Five 'Act Boldly' Events
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the women's organization of the ELCA, is sponsoring five "Act Boldly" events on three weekends in 2007. The Rev. Dawn D. Hansen, director for programs, Women of the ELCA, said, "These events not only carry...
Both Parties Appeal Ruling of ELCA Discipline Hearing Committee
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Both parties in a discipline case in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) filed appeals with the ELCA Committee on Appeals in early March, according to the ELCA Office of the Secretary. The appeals were filed by the Rev. Bradley E. Schmeling, pastor of St. John...
Margarita Martinez, Bishop of ELCA Caribbean Synod, Dies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Margarita Martinez, bishop of the Caribbean Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), died March 11 of cancer in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. She was 59. Funeral services will be held March 13-14 at Resurrection Lutheran Church, Carolina, Puerto Rico. "Bishop Margarita Martinez challenged...
ELCA Board of Pensions promotes wellness on the 'Road to Emmaus'
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions is promoting wellness among Lutheran clergy, church employees and others interested in finding a healthy balance in their lives. It is leading a seven-week campaign, "The Road to Emmaus," during the Easter season, April...
Online registration for ELCA Global Mission Event now open
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Online registration opened March 8 for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) 2007 Global Mission Event (GME) July 19-22 at The Ohio State University in Columbus, said Sunitha Mortha, associate director for global events and mission interpretation, ELCA Global Mission. The theme...
Lutheran Theological Center leader on 'Day 1' broadcasts
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The Rev. Lawrence J. Clark, executive director, Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta (LTCA), is the speaker March 25 and April 1 on "Day 1," a nationally broadcast weekly radio program and podcast. Each program includes a sermon by Clark and an interview with him...
Bishops Learn of Successes, Possible Changes in Lutheran Disaster Response
GALVESTON, Texas (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), expressed thanks for the generosity of ELCA members who gave millions of dollars and volunteered their time to help residents along the U.S. Gulf Coast recover from the devastating 2005 hurricane...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Announces Evangelism Grants to Synods
GALVESTON, Texas (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), told the ELCA Conference of Bishops that each of the 65 ELCA synods will be sent a one-time $10,000 grant from the churchwide organization to be used for "evangelical outreach." Hanson...
ELCA Board of Pensions Proposes Wellness Plan in 2008
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions approved a proposal to move the church's health plan toward a wellness plan. The trustees met here Feb. 23-25 and took several actions, including proposed plan amendments for 2008 that will put greater emphasis on...
