'Peace Knows No Deadlines' Says ELCA Presiding Bishop
GENEVA, Switzerland (ELCA) -- Though President George W. Bush has declared a deadline for going to war with Iraq, "peace knows no deadlines," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), told a group of international journalists at a news briefing here March...
Peterson to Head ELCA's Gustavus Adolphus College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. James L. Peterson will become the 14th president of Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., on July 7. The college's board of trustees announced the appointment March 13. Gustavus Adolphus is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Peterson, a...
ELCA's Augustana College, Rock Island, Names New President
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Steven C. Bahls will become the eighth president of Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., on July 1. The college's board of trustees elected him March 10 to succeed Dr. Thomas Tredway, who announced last year his intention to retire at the close of this academic year. Augustana...
Lutherans Discern *Tough Times* for New Jersey Residents
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Times are rough for New Jersey residents, according to Jack DiMatteo, coordinator for Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) in New Jersey. Since the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, New Jersey residents continue to experience job layoffs and unemployment, post-traumatic stress and loss of...
ELCA Hunger Appeal Supports Artificial Limb Program
JAMKHED, India (ELCA) -- Leelabai is a widow in her mid 50s. In 1972, an overloaded truck tipped over and hit her while she was working alongside a road. At the hospital, her leg was amputated. Someone made a heavy wooden prosthesis with shoes for Leelabai. She was able to...
ELCA Bishops Speak on Iraq, to Study Lay Presidency
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), noting that a war against Iraq seems more likely, urged members of the ELCA to "engage in special Lenten disciplines of prayer and fasting in behalf of peace." In a separate action, it affirmed...
Lutheran Vespers Airing on Des Moines' WHO Radio
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Vespers, the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), recently began airing on WHO-AM, Des Moines, Iowa, one of 31 "clear channel" radio stations in the United States. Clear channel stations broadcast their signals exclusively on their assigned AM frequencies at specific times,...
ELCA Bishops Support Presiding Bishop's LWF Nomination
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) appeared to support the nomination of the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, for a six- year term as president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). An election will take place in July...
ELCA Bishops Told Fiscal 2002 Results 'Mixed'
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ELCA) -- Unaudited financial results for the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for 2002 were "mixed," according to a report presented to the ELCA Conference of Bishops here. Receipts declined $3.7 million in 2002 compared to 2001, but a mid-year spending reduction in 2002...
ELCA Bishops Question Outreach Division Board Action
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ELCA) -- Several members of the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) questioned a decision by an ELCA board to "acknowledge" a Lutheran organization that advocates for and promotes the involvement of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people within the Lutheran church. The...
Thrivent Foundation Grants $1 Million to ELCA Leaders' Fund
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation approved a $1 million "challenge grant" to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Fund for Leaders in Mission, an endowment designed to provide scholarships to support ELCA seminary students. The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation is a private foundation funded...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Criticizes White House on Iraq
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ELCA) Saying he is "very disappointed" that President George W. Bush has declined thus far to meet with a group of U.S. religious leaders about the possibility of war with Iraq, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said he...
ELCA Evangelism Strategy Moves Forward
CHICAGO (ELCA) --The board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) met here Feb. 21-22 and took steps to finalize "Sharing Faith in a New Century: A Vision for Evangelism in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America" for presentation to the ELCA Church Council...
U.S. House Recognizes 'Lutheran Schools Week'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution March 4 -- by a vote of 407 to 0 -- supporting the goals of Lutheran Schools Week, and congratulating "Lutheran schools, students, parents, teachers, administrators and congregations across the nation for their ongoing contributions to education." The year's...
ELCA Church in Society Board Manages Statements, Messages
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Social statements and messages, in various stages of life and development, were topics for the board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Church in Society, which met here Feb. 20-22. The board discussed "the role of the church in public life" with the...
ELCA Outreach Board Reviews Church Strategies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Outreach reviewed an evangelism strategy and draft documents of an ELCA strategic planning process. The board also elected officers and conducted other business when it met here Feb. 28- March 2. The Rev. Gary M....
ELCA Commission Requests 'Moratorium' on Budget Reduction
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The steering committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Commission for Multicultural Ministries asked the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop to consider a "moratorium" on reductions in authorized spending for the commission this fiscal year. The committee also adopted other resolutions, discussed two churchwide...
'Story of the ELCA' Theme of Spring 2003 MOSAIC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The spring 2003 issue of MOSAIC, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), tells the story of the formation of the ELCA, featuring interviews with key leaders of predecessor church bodies. The video became available March 1. This year the ELCA marks its...
ELCA Board Appoints Task Force on Education
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Church in Society (DCS) appointed 15 members to a task force that will help the church develop a social statement on education. At its meeting here Feb. 20-22, the DCS board also made provisions for...
ELCA Rural Ministry Alliance to Form Around Affinity Groups
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- People and groups who share a common interest in small town and rural ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are developing into an alliance. A diverse group of people representing those ministries gathered here Feb. 19-20 to imagine the alliance and to figure out...
