ELCA Publishing Board Adopts Strategic Plan, Hears Finances Improved
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- The board of trustees of Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), adopted a strategic plan aimed at making the company fiscally sound and recognized as a significant ministry within the church. The board also learned that the company's financial outlook...
ELCA Church in Society Board Lays Groundwork for Future Work
LISLE, Ill. (ELCA) -- In the midst of several transitions, the board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Church in Society (DCS) laid the groundwork for years of future work, according to the Rev. James B. Martin- Schramm, associate professor of religion, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa....
Lutherans Manage Fire Relief Efforts in Southern California
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), is managing relief efforts in response to wildfire in southern California. "We are just beginning to know the needs of the disaster," said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst,...
ELCA Publisher Launches 2004 VBS with Davey and Goliath Theme
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Minneapolis, announced the release of its 2004 Vacation Bible School (VBS) curriculum, featuring characters from "Davey and Goliath," the classic stop-motion animation television series for children. Davey and Goliath, which aired on commercial television...
The Rev. Paul M. Orso, Former Lutheran Bishop and LSS Leader, Dies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Paul M. Orso, bishop of the Maryland Synod of the former Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and former executive director of Lutheran Social Services (LSS), Washington, D.C., died Oct. 22 at his home in Gwynn Oak, Md. Orso, 84, had Parkinson's disease. A memorial service...
ELCA Restructure Proposal Withdrawn During Churchwide Meetings Oct. 17-19
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), withdrew a proposal made public Sept. 15 to restructure the ELCA's churchwide organization in 2004. Hanson and the Rev. Charles S. Miller, ELCA executive for administration and executive assistant to the presiding...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Withdraws Restructure Plan, Prepares for Cuts
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Because of "broad, often intense critique," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), changed course Oct. 18 and withdrew a proposed restructuring plan for the ELCA churchwide organization. Now leaders of the churchwide organization, including the ELCA Church Council,...
Lutherans Continue Clean Up After Hurricane Isabel
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran congregations across the eastern United States continue to distribute emergency supplies, prepare food and offer shelter to survivors of Hurricane Isabel, which struck the eastern coast last month. "Relief efforts in response to the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Isabel continue full force," said the Rev....
Lutheran Men in Mission Optimistic about Future
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), expressed optimism after meeting here and in Rosemont, Ill., Oct. 10-12 in conjunction with a Young Men's Summit. "Our ministry continues to grow," said LMM President Heber Rast,...
ELCA Ministry Board Voices Empathy, Concern with Restructuring
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Division for Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) responded to a proposal to restructure the ELCA's churchwide organization with some understanding and with some concern. Board members also participated in the ELCA studies on sexuality during their meeting here Oct....
Lutheran Young Adults Experience Accompaniment Overseas
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- At age 22, Andrea Metcalfe, Augustana Lutheran Church, West St. Paul, Minn., discovered what it means to "slow down in life." It took an experience in the United Kingdom last year to learn that "sitting down and having tea" with an older adult is just as important...
ELCA Bishops Offer Suggestions on Churchwide Restructuring Proposal
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) held a wide-ranging discussion on a proposal for the future design of the churchwide organization, which was announced by the Office of the Presiding Bishop Sept. 15. The bishops commented on specifics of the proposal,...
ELCA Bishops Address Advertising, Discuss Lay Presidency Issues
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a policy to permit, under certain circumstances, advertising for pastoral vacancies by congregations in The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA. The ELCA is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop. The...
ELCA Bishops Hear Upcoming Plans for ELCA Studies on Sexuality
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders working with the Studies on Sexuality of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) said they are interested in responses to a new set of study materials which were sent to professional church leaders in September. Also, the task force working with the study is planning...
ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission Awards Sixteen Scholarships
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) awarded $126,254 in scholarships to provide full tuition for 16 women and men attending ELCA seminaries. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, presented the scholarships here Sept. 25 from the church's Fund for Leaders in Mission....
Lutheran Men in Mission Explores Young Men's Ministry
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is completing a five-step plan that it initiated more than a year ago. LMM is holding its first Young Men's Leadership Summit here Oct. 10-12 to devise a strategy to reach...
ELCA Bishops Elect Roy Riley, Chair, Andrea Degroot-Nesdahl, Vice Chair
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected the Rev. E. Roy Riley Jr., bishop of the ELCA New Jersey Synod, Trenton, to a four-year term as conference chair. The bishops also elected the Rev. Andrea S. DeGroot-Nesdahl, bishop of the ELCA...
ELCA Bishops Hear Mixed Financial Forecast; More Reductions Expected
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Because of lower than expected income for the first seven months of the church's fiscal year (Feb. 1 to Aug. 31), overall financial results for the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were "disappointing," said the Rev. Charles S. Miller, executive for administration...
All-Lutheran Candle Lighting for Mental Illness in October
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- This is the eighth year that Lutheran congregations across the United States and Caribbean have conducted candle-lighting ceremonies in October to pray for people living with mental illness and their families. The Lutheran Network on Mental Illness/Brain Disorders, a joint program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
David Gring Announces Retirement from ELCA Roanoke College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. David M. Gring, president of Roanoke College, Salem, Va., announced his plans to retire at the end of this academic year. Gring, who has served as president since July 1989, made the announcement Sept. 4 to faculty and staff. Roanoke College is one of 28 colleges...
