Lutherans Continue to 'Pour Justice to the Brim'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutherans across the country have purchased more than 120,776 pounds, or 60.4 tons, of fairly traded coffee since March. Not only are they aware that coffee -- one of the most heavily traded commodities in the world -- is more than just a satisfying pick-me-up, Lutherans are...
ELCA's Mosaic Television Features Documentary on St. Paul
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "The Life of Apostle Paul with Rick Steves" is Mosaic Television's June 1 release, a 45-minute documentary that traces the life of St. Paul, considered by historians and biblical scholars as one of Christianity's greatest theologians and missionaries. Steves, a noted television personality, is guest host for...
ELCA Launches Web Site to Help Place Lay Ministers
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) launched "People and Places Online" -- http://www.elca.org/peopleandplaces -- to help the church's lay ministers find new ministries within the church. The site is supported by the ELCA Department for Synodical Relations and the Division for Ministry. Lay ministers of the...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Meets With Kofi Annan on U.N. Role in Iraq
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), was one of 11 church leaders in New York to speak with Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, May 24 about the...
Lutherans Respond To Storms in the Midwest
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), is assessing damage this week after tornadoes, storms and floods struck Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Parts of northeastern Illinois are under flood warnings May 25, when...
ELCA Mission Builders Plan Seven Construction Projects for 2004
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Mission Builders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) plan to build or remodel at seven church sites in as many states this year. Dean Hiner, North Platte, Neb., program director, said 32 builders will be working on five projects this summer but two more workers...
ELCA Deaconess Community Elects Anne Keffer Directing Deaconess
WARRENVILLE, Ill. (ELCA) -- The Ninth Biennial Assembly was a significant moment in the 120-year history of the Deaconess Community of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). After more than a year without a motherhouse or a directing deaconess, the community met May 14-17 here at the Cenacle Retreat...
Lohrmann Re-Elected Bishop of ELCA Northwestern Ohio Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Marcus C. Lohrmann was elected to a second six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly May 20-22 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Lohrmann, 53, was re-elected on the first ballot for bishop....
Hallberg Appointed Director of New ELCA Development Services
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Donald M. Hallberg was appointed executive director of development services, a new unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) churchwide organization. Hallberg's appointment is effective June 1. Hallberg, 64, is president of the ELCA Foundation. He will continue to serve in that role...
James Stuck Re-Elected Bishop of ELCA Indiana-Kentucky Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. James R. Stuck was elected May 15 to a second six-year term as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Indiana-Kentucky Synod at its assembly in Evansville, Ind. Stuck, 56, was re-elected on the second ballot for bishop. Stuck received 400 of 533...
Former Pastor's Misconduct Leads to Review of ELCA Policies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The criminal sexual misconduct of a former pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has led the church to take a closer look at the process it uses to screen candidates for its lay and ordained ministries. The candidacy process involves the ELCA Division for...
Murray Finck Re-Elected Bishop of ELCA Pacifica Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Murray D. Finck was elected May 13 to a second six-year term as bishop of the Pacifica Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly at the Riverside Convention Center, Riverside, Calif. Finck, 55, received 303 of 392 votes on...
Lutheran Network on Mental Illness Renews Dedication
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran Network on Mental Illness/Brain Disorders (LNMI) renewed its relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, revisited some of its accomplishments and made key decisions about its future work. Network leaders met here April 29-May 2. The Rev. Stewart...
Pamela Jolicoeur Named President of ELCA's Concordia College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of regents of Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., voted unanimously May 3 to name Dr. Pamela Jolicoeur president of the college. She will be the 10th president in Concordia's 113-year history and is expected to assume the role in July. Concordia College is one of 28...
Leonard Schulze to Leave ELCA Leadership Post with DHES
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Leonard G. Schulze, executive director of the Division for Higher Education and Schools (DHES) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced May 7 he will leave the churchwide organization when his four-year term ends June 15. In an e-mail message to churchwide staff, Schulze,...
ELCA, Disciples of Christ Begin New Ecumenical Dialogue
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Representatives of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met here April 29-May 2 to launch a new dialogue between the two churches. They discussed Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as well as Christian concepts related to covenants and confessions....
ELCA Files Suit Against Insurance Companies in Texas Case
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) filed suit May 7 in a Marshall, Texas, district court against three of its liability insurance carriers. The suit asks for the court's help to determine the proper amount of a settlement each should bear in...
ELCA Council Discusses Church Governance, Consultations
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) heard a report on responses to a "Questionnaire on Decision-Making" in the ELCA. It also advanced planning to relate council members more closely with local expressions of the church. The Church Council is the ELCA's board...
ELCA 'Plan for Mission,' Restructuring Enters Phase Two
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- May through July 2004 is "Phase Two" of the next steps for "Faithful Yet Changing: The Plan for Mission in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)." There are three phases to a process that will lead to a new design for the ELCA churchwide organization's structure,...
ELCA Seminaries Plan 2004 Commencements
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The seminaries and extension centers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) prepare candidates for lay and ordained ministry in the church. Commencement exercises close their 2003-2004 academic year. The date, school, keynote speaker and site of the exercises are given: May 14 Lutheran Theological Seminary...
