ELCA Principal Named 2002 Distinguished Principal
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The principal of Laurel Hall School in North Hollywood, Calif., Kathleen Haworth, has been named National Distinguished Principal for 2002 by the National Association of Elementary Schools Principals (NAESP) and the U.S. Department of Education. She will be honored at an awards banquet Oct. 10-11 in Washington,...
Lutheran Bishops Call for Equity in Education
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Pennsylvania's Lutheran bishops issued a pastoral letter, "Seeking Justice in Public Education Funding," Sept. 18 urging the state government to correct inequities in funding for public education in Pennsylvania and calling upon Lutherans to work toward equal education resources for all children as a matter of justice....
Augsburg Fortress Leader Readies for 'Directions' Tour
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Beth A. Lewis, the newly elected president and chief executive officer of Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will begin a 19- day journey Sept. 29, in which she will travel by car to meet with ELCA leaders, members and...
Hanson Named Vice President of Lutheran World Federation
WITTENBERG, Germany (ELCA) -- The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council named the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), as a member of the LWF Council. Hanson will complete the unexpired term of the Rev. H. George Anderson, former presiding bishop of the...
ELCA Sexuality Studies Task Force to Meet with Consultants
CHICAGO (ELCA) The task force for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Studies on Sexuality met here Sept. 13-15 and scheduled consultations with representatives of the gay and lesbian community within the ELCA and with pastors and others who want to maintain current ELCA ordination policies. The consultations are...
ELCA Presiding Bishop to Be Featured on a Live Webcast
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark. S. Hanson, will be featured on a live Webcast on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. (Eastern Time), focusing on the future of the ELCA. The Webcast will take place after the ELCA...
ELCA Pastor Featured on 'Day 1' Radio, TV Broadcast
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Roy T. Lloyd, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and also a senior manager for media relations for the American Bible Society, will be featured Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1 and Dec. 29 on "Day 1," formerly known as "The...
Synod Bishop Grants Second ELCA Ordination Exception
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A candidate for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was ordained this month by a pastor other than a bishop -- the second time an ELCA seminary graduate was granted an exception to rules governing the ELCA's full communion relationship with the Episcopal Church....
ELCA Presiding Bishop Meets with Bush Security Advisor
ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP MEETS WITH BUSH SECURITY ADVISOR 02-224 JB CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), joined with other religious leaders to communicate concerns about the Middle East situation in a White House meeting Sept. 16 with Dr....
Paul Ranum Named Interim Bishop of Southwestern Minnesota
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Paul A. Ranum, Starbuck, Minn., will become interim bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), effective Nov. 1. Ranum was appointed by the synod council Sept. 13, and will serve until a new bishop is elected when the...
Task Force Refines Strategy for Lutheran Evangelism
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met here Sept. 5-8 to refine a draft document of a comprehensive strategy on evangelism for the church. Members of the task force spent the first day of the meeting reading and editing the document. They...
Communication Restored Following Wisconsin Tornado
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Telephone service in Ladysmith, Wis., was restored last week, helping residents and people responding to severe damage to the city's downtown area following a Sept. 3 tornado. The telephone service had been disrupted by a bolt of lighting that struck at the same time as the tornado....
Iraq Attack 'Wrong,' Say ELCA, Other Religious Leaders
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a letter to President George W. Bush, 48 Christian church and church organization leaders say "it is wrong as well as detrimental to U.S. interests" for the United States to launch pre-emptive military action against Iraq for the purpose of toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein....
Wangerin to Resume Lutheran Vespers Tour Sept. 19
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Walt Wangerin Jr., speaker for Lutheran Vespers, the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), plans to resume the "OutSpoken for Lutheran Vespers" tour through the Upper Midwest Sept. 19 -- but not on a bicycle. Wangerin has been hospitalized in Alexandria,...
ELCA Leaders Commemorate September 11 Anniversary
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- On the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorists attacks on the United States, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said he hoped citizens of the United States "will take this moment not to isolate ourselves from the...
Lutheran Vespers' Wangerin Injured in Bicycle Mishap
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. (ELCA) -- The Rev. Walt Wangerin Jr., speaker for Lutheran Vespers, suffered a fractured left hip and abrasions in a bicycle accident near here Sept. 9, during the "OutSpoken for Lutheran Vespers" bike tour. Lutheran Vespers is the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)....
ELCA Presiding Bishop Attends Prayer Session with Bush
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was among a group of 25 clergy who met with and prayed with President George W. Bush Sept. 6 at the White House. The off-the-record conversation was held at the start of...
James Steffy Interim President at ELCA's Muhlenberg College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of trustees of Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., named James B. Steffy interim president, effective Aug. 19. Muhlenberg College is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Steffy was vice president for administration and planning at Muhlenberg College before...
ELCA Awards 'In the City for Good' Grants Totaling $339,289
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The "In the City for Good" Fund Team of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) awarded 36 grants totaling $339,289 in 2002 to revitalize ELCA ministries in urban areas. Grants ranged from $750 for a Fine Arts Camp in Springfield, Ill., to $30,000 for an Urban...
ELCA Hosts 'That All May Worship' Conference September 28
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) plan to host a conference for the religion and disability program of the National Organization on Disability (NOD) Sept. 28 at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, Mill Run Campus, Hilliard, Ohio. The "That All May Worship" conference is...
