ELCA Contributions Help Improve Situation in Zimbabwe
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Monetary donations to buy food, seed and medical supplies from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) last year are helping the people of Zimbabwe now, said the Rev. Benyam A. Kassahun. "As a result of that support many were able to survive," he said. Kassahun is...
Scholarships Awarded to Nine ELCA Students Studying Physics
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Nine students attending colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will receive scholarships in the amount of $10,000 or $5,000 for the 2009-2010 school year. The scholarships are provided by the ELCA Foundation through the Rossing Fund for Physics Education Endowment. Thomas D....
ELCA sends $50,000 to ACT for 'rapid response' to disasters overseas
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service For more than 20 years members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have brought and continue to bring comfort, healing and assistance to people affected by disasters. The ELCA works with such partners as Action by Churches Together (ACT) to meet...
Global Refuge Places First Darfuri Refugees
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A widow, her six children and one grandchild were the first refugees from the Darfur region of western Sudan to be welcomed by a U.S. refugee resettlement agency, Global Refuge. The family arrived in Atlanta, where they were received by Lutheran Services of...
Lutheran Youth Organization Convention Develops Leadership
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (ELCA) -- Prayer, worship and fun were prominent as more than 200 delegates of the youth organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met in convention July 26-30 at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). "Open Eyes, Open Mind, Open Heart" was the theme as leaders...
Lutheran Youth Organization Elects Nicolette Faison President
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (ELCA) -- Delegates to the 2009 Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) Convention elected Nicolette Faison, Elmont, N.Y., July 29 to a three-year term as LYO president. She succeeds Nathaniel Viets-VanLear, Chicago. About 200 delegates of the youth organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met in convention...
H. Gerard Knoche, Bishop of ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod, to Retire
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. H. Gerard Knoche, bishop of the Delaware- Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced he will retire Oct. 31, 2009. Knoche, 66, was elected bishop of the synod in 2000 and re-elected to serve another six-year term in 2006. In a...
Lutheran Rapper Spins Music into Money for ELCA World Hunger
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Traveling the world put the issue of hunger on the map for Dave Scherer. The Lutheran rapper went to Bosnia in 2007 and El Salvador soon after, and realized that he wanted to help equip young people to be advocates for social justice. "Seeing hunger firsthand makes...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Urges Youth to Remember Lessons from New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Do not forget what you have seen here, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), to 37,000 Lutherans at the Louisiana Superdome July 26. "God is not finished with you yet," he said. "God is calling you...
Lutheran Youth Encouraged to Lead Through Service
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- All 37,000 Lutheran teenagers, adult leaders and other volunteers had completed at least one day of service in as many as 200 community projects when they gathered July 25 in the Louisiana Superdome. Speakers had words of thanks and encouragement to continue that work when they...
ELCA Youth Volunteer at Community Health Fair
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Shalamay Dolliole looked through the books she picked up for her six children. She found two treasures in the stack: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "The Chronicles of Narnia." Dolliole let out a yelp of excitement when she saw them. "I'm taking these...
Lutheran Teens Clean Cemetery, Rebury Dead
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- While watching dozens of Lutheran teens clean up a cemetery, Bobbiann Lewis talked about how Jesus multiplied a few loaves and fishes to feed a crowd. She said the teens were the "loaves and fishes" she needed to help restore a historic African American burial site....
ELCA Youth Urged to Volunteer, Provide Hope, Make Dreams Come True
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Two young men with very different life experiences told of how their volunteerism in distant places has helped them feel hope and provide hope to many. Spencer West and Michel Chikwanine were speakers at the July 24 evening program at the Louisiana Superdome, part of the...
New Orleans Shops, Restaurants Get Boost from ELCA Youth Gathering
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- The end of July usually isn't very busy for Mulate's, a Cajun restaurant across from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has changed that. "If they weren't here, we would be really slow," said...
Gators? Snakes? No Fear, Say Lutheran Teens Planting Wetlands
THERIOT, La. (ELCA) -- A bus carrying dozens of wide-eyed Lutheran teens from Nebraska and Wisconsin pulled into the Falgout Canal marina, a 70-mile drive from New Orleans. They strapped on life jackets and stepped into several boats. The teens knew they'd be working on an environmental service project to...
Lutheran Youth Receive Power and Grace in the Superdome
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Bursts of dancing spotlights and bass notes that drove deep through the crowd resembled more a rock concert than a church meeting at the Louisiana Superdome. The audience of 37,000 Lutherans, mostly teenagers, heard gospel messages and music July 23 they may not have experienced back...
New Orleans Mayor Welcomes, Praises ELCA Youth Gathering Effort
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Praising the "miracle" of the Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the mayor of New Orleans, C. Ray Nagin, issued a proclamation declaring July 24 "A Special Day of Honor" on the ELCA and the gathering's volunteers for contributing to the city's...
Youth Gathering Participants Engage in Social Justice at Interaction Center
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Participants in the Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) engaged in a variety of social justice activities at the gathering's "Interaction Center," open daily at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Some 37,000 Lutheran teenagers, adult leaders and other volunteers are here...
ELCA Youth Walk through Scripture, Service at the Krewes Learning Center
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Deborah was one tough cookie, according to Mitzi McLean. "Women can be strong figures," she said. McLean, a member of Epiphany Lutheran Church, Winston-Salem, N.C., led a Bible study on Deborah, a biblical heroine, Thursday afternoon at the Krewes Learning Center, part of the 2009 Evangelical...
ELCA Teens Told to Make Community Service a Way of Life
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- A conga line snaked up and down the aisles on the main floor of the Louisiana Superdome. Carefree teenagers swayed from side to side in rhythm to the electric guitar music. Kaitlin Smith remained in her seat but watched intently. The 14-year-old is from Whitewood, S.D.,...
