52 ELCA Synod Bishops Urge Congress To Stop Budget Reconciliation
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Saying they are "religious leaders seeking justice for millions of vulnerable and dispossessed people in our nation," 52 bishops representing synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) wrote to the U.S. Congress urging members to oppose attempts to move forward on budget reconciliation measures Congress...
ELCA Responds to Two World Disasters
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) allocated an initial $100,000 to assist relief efforts in the aftermath of an Oct. 8 earthquake in Pakistan and another $50,000 toward responses to flooding and mudslides in the wake of Hurricane Stan in Central America, according to Lita Brusick...
ELCA Bishops Hope for New Orleans Meeting; Executive Reappointed
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) agreed to hold its spring 2006 meeting possibly in the New Orleans area to emphasize the church's call to speak and work against poverty, hunger and racism. Scheduling a meeting in the New Orleans-Mississippi Gulf...
Luther Institute to Host Conference on Aging, Awards Nov. 4-6
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Luther Institute will host a "Conference to Address the Issues of Aging in Lutheran Congregations" Nov. 4-6 in Arlington, Va. The conference will culminate the evening of Nov. 5 with the Institute's annual presentation of Wittenberg Awards and the morning of Nov. 6 with worship. The...
ELCA Bishops Urged to Consider Gifts of Large Membership Congregations
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Large-membership congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are "different" from other congregations and can be a valuable resource to the church at large. Most of the senior pastors of larger congregations want to be a vital part of the ELCA and are concerned about...
ELCA Members Help Monitor Elections in Liberia Oct. 11
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Five members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are in Liberia to monitor elections Oct. 11 that the West African nation hopes will bring closure to 14 years of civil war. They are part of an international, ecumenical delegation assembled by the Liberian Council of...
Lutherans Raise $20 Million for Hurricane Disaster Response
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutherans from across the United States and around the world have raised about $20 million to support Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita relief efforts in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have given $11.45 million as of Oct. 6, and...
ELCA Bishops Hear Presiding Bishop's Thanks, View of Assembly Actions
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a wide-ranging report to the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, spoke of the church's response to Gulf Coast hurricane disasters, outcomes from the churchwide assembly and his recent trip to Jordan, Israel...
Lutheran Pastor, Mentor, Educator Richard Wallace is Mourned
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., celebrated the life of the Rev. Richard M. Wallace Jr. with a memorial service Sept. 29. Wallace, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and associate professor of pastoral care and counseling at the seminary, died Aug. 30 of...
Lutherans Mark Wheat Ridge Centennial with Symposium Oct. 13-15
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Wheat Ridge Ministries, an independent Lutheran charitable organization based in Itasca, Ill., is celebrating "seeding new ministries of health and hope in the name of the healing Christ for 100 years." A key event in that celebration will be "Living Well: A National Symposium on Health and...
ELCA Bishops Told Finances 'Favorable,' Disaster Gifts Top $11 Million
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Overall financial results for the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were generally favorable compared with projections for the first seven months of the 2005 fiscal year, said Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer. In addition gifts to ELCA Domestic Disaster Response for relief and...
Lutherans Set Example for Gift Giving with a Purpose
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have set a creative example for gift giving with a purpose. Through "ELCA Good Gifts," Lutherans can honor a family or friend's anniversary, birthday or other special occasion with a gift that also supports the vital and varied...
The Rev. Eric Shafer to Conclude Service as ELCA Communication Director
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced Sept. 22 that the Rev. Eric C. Shafer will leave his role as director of the ELCA Department for Communication. Shafer will conclude his service in the churchwide office the week following...
Lutheran Pastors, Congregations Benefit From Renewal Program
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- She may look like just another tourist, or it may seem like a family on vacation, but there's something more meaningful and more spiritual going on here. A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and its pastor are participating in the National Clergy Renewal...
ELCA Pastor Speaker on 'Day 1' Radio Program Oct. 2
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Ann M. Svennungsen, president, The Fund for Theological Education, Atlanta, and a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is the featured speaker on the Oct. 2 broadcast of "Day 1," heard on radio stations throughout the United States and on the Internet....
Fall 2005 Lutheran College Fairs Start Oct. 2
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A series of free Lutheran college fairs are scheduled Oct. 2-Nov. 13 throughout the United States. Prospective students and their parents interested in learning more about Lutheran colleges and universities -- most of which are affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) or Lutheran Church-Missouri...
Lutherans in the Gulf Coast Area Demonstrate Resiliency
BATON ROUGE, La. (ELCA) -- On a calm sunny September afternoon, massive piles of wreckage line the ocean coast of Biloxi, Miss. Wood planks and other debris can be seen floating in the ocean almost one month after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. "I was overwhelmed with the magnitude...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Marks 10th Anniversary of Peace Statement
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted the social statement, "For Peace in God's World," Aug. 20, 1995, at its Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of that decision, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, issued a letter Sept. 21....
Lutheran World Relief Working to Reverse Food Deficits in Niger
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Kathryn Wolford, president, Lutheran World Relief (LWR), visited West Africa in early September to see firsthand the effects of chronic food deficits in Niger, to offer additional assistance to partner agencies there and to return with information for U.S. Lutherans. LWR is the overseas relief and development...
ELCA Representatives Part of Sept. 18-23 Middle East Journey
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are part of a group of 17 Christian and Jewish leaders who will visit Israel and Palestine this week with the purpose of engaging in a "transforming dialogue" about Israeli-Palestinian relations. The trip, organized through the National Council...
