Opportunity Possible In Lebanon, According to ELCA-Supported Ministry
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Although fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah has ravaged and immobilized southern Lebanon, the Contact and Resource Center (CRC), Beirut, has managed to continue its mission of bringing together Christians, Muslims and others to meet the needs of people living with disabilities who are left vulnerable, physically...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Session of International AIDS Conference
TORONTO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Chicago, and president of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, addressed a session of the 2006 International AIDS Conference on Aug. 14. In response to HIV and AIDS, Christians are beginning to follow...
ELCA Videos Available on Google Video
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service Video programs from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) can now be viewed and downloaded at "Google Video" on the Web, a free service that allows anyone to upload videos and search and play videos directly from Google Video. The ELCA has...
Susquehanna University professor Cyril Stretansky receives choral award
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service Cyril M. Stretansky, director of choral activities, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pa., received the Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence at the summer conference of the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania, held August 6-8 at The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa. Named...
Lutheran Disaster Response Aids Flooded Areas in El Paso, Texas
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) recovery efforts have begun in and around El Paso, Texas, after more than 15 inches of rain recently flooded the area and caused mud slides and falling rocks, said Heather L. Feltman, LDR executive director, in an Aug. 14...
Lutherans at Ecumenical Sessions Before 2006 International AIDS Conference
TORONTO (ELCA) -- Lutherans came from around the world to participate in an ecumenical pre-conference Aug. 10-11 at the University of Toronto in advance of the 2006 International AIDS Conference, Aug. 13-18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Christian Host Committee (Canada) and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, based in...
2007 ELCA Health Care Rates to Increase About 7 Percent
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- As organizations struggle to find resources for health plan contribution rates, trustees of the Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved an overall rate increase of about 7 percent for 2007. At its Aug. 5 meeting here, trustees approved the contribution rates...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Asks U.S. Religious Leaders to Call for Mideast Peace
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Out of concern for growing casualties and human suffering in the Middle East, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has asked other U.S. religious leaders to join him in calling for "the cessation of all violence, for an...
Lutheran World Relief President Wolford Resigns, Accepts New Role
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Kathryn Wolford, 48, resigned as president of Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Baltimore, effective Oct. 31 to become president of The McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis, starting Dec. 1. LWR is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, individuals and parish groups...
ELCA Presiding Bishop to Help Set Tone for International AIDS Conference
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and president of the Lutheran World Federation, will address a pre-conference of the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto. The conference, "Time to Deliver," will be Aug. 13-18 at the Metro Toronto Convention...
Lutheran author Marsha Hansen collaborates with musician Keith Richards
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service Lutheran singer and author Marsha Hansen, El Paso, Texas, recently released a book and accompanying live recording titled "My Soul Is a Witness," a collaboration with her brother-in-law Keith Richards and daughter Jordan Hansen. Richards is rhythm guitarist of the rock band The...
Lutheran World Leader Joins in Call to End Middle East Violence
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The leaders of three global church organizations -- including the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva -- have called for an end to the fighting in Lebanon and Israel and conflict in Gaza. The church leaders issued a joint public statement Aug....
ELCA Board of Pensions offers health campaigns
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service The Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is sponsoring a variety of health initiatives in the next months, including "Here I Step: A Journey to Reformation," a six-week walking and wellness campaign, said Tammy Devine, ELCA Wellness Coordinator....
ELCA to Hold U.S. Farm Bill Listening Sessions
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- Staff of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Washington Office will be touring the United States during the next few months, hosting listening sessions to help shape ELCA advocacy efforts around the U.S. Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is scheduled to come before the U.S....
ELCA Rural Ministry Gathering Emphasizes Networking
SELINSGROVE, Pa. (ELCA) -- About 100 people met here at the annual gathering of the Small Town and Rural (STaR) Ministry Alliance, emphasizing networking to address rural concerns through special interest groups known as "affinity groups." The alliance represents more than 5,800 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA)...
ELCA offers ecumenical resources about full communion partners
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service The Office for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) recently completed a series of downloadable bulletin resources that provide factual information about the ELCA's five full-communion partnerships and one interim eucharistic agreement. "The new bulletins are simple, concise and...
ELCA Supports People with Disabilities in Lebanon
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent $30,000 Aug. 1 to support the work of the Contact and Resource Center, an institution designed to enhance the future of people living with disabilities in Lebanon. Located in Beirut, the CRC office has moved...
ELCA Membership Drops 1.6 Percent to 4.85 Million in 2005
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reported a baptized membership of 4,850,776 in 10,549 congregations in 2005, according to the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary. That figure represents a decrease of about 1.62 percent or a reduction of 79,653 baptized members since 2004, he said....
Income for ELCA Congregations Almost $2.7 Billion in 2005
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Income in 2005 for the 10,549 congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approached $2.7 billion, according to statistics compiled by the ELCA Office of the Secretary. Total receipts amounted to $2,676,901,588 -- up 2.94 percent or almost $76 million from the previous year. The...
ELCA 'Global Fest' brings together church mission personnel
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service International and domestic mission personnel from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and the Episcopal Church gathered together July 29 for "Global Fest" at the 2006 ELCA Global Mission Event. Co- sponsored by the Episcopal Church...
