ELCA Prepares to Form Rural Ministry Alliance
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The rural ministry advisory committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Outreach met here Aug. 23-25 and drew up preliminary plans for an alliance of the church's rural ministry interests. The ELCA Rural Ministry Alliance, to be organized next year, grew from several...
Randall Lee Elected to Direct ELCA's Ecumenical Efforts
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected the Rev. Randall R. Lee Sept. 3 to a four-year term as director of the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs. Lee, 46, will also serve as an assistant to the ELCA presiding bishop. Lee is...
ELCA International Disaster Response Continues Worldwide
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) continues to provide funds for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials for survivors of disasters in Afghanistan, Burundi, Madagascar and the Middle East. Coordinated by the ELCA Division for Global Mission, International Disaster...
Ralph Van Loon, LCA Worship, Church Architecture Leader, Dies
CHICAGO (ELCA) The Rev. Ralph R. Van Loon, coordinator for worship and church architecture, Division for Parish Services of the former Lutheran Church in America (LCA), and pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), died Aug. 24 at his home in Reno, Nev. Van Loon, 75, received hospice...
ELCA Presiding Bishop: U.S. War with Iraq Would Be 'Wrong'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) said it would be wrong for the United States to seek to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein of Iraq with military action. "I do not believe such a war can be justified under the historic...
ELCA Presiding Bishop's Statement on Iraq Situation
ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP'S STATEMENT ON IRAQ SITUATION In recent days, leaders of the United States government have talked openly about the possibility of a pre-emptive strike against the government of Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein. As presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), I am deeply...
Lutherans Provide Disaster Response in Three U.S. States
CHICAGO (ELCA) Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod (LCMS), is organizing recovery work in Ogallah, Neb., and east-central South Dakota, after storms destroyed homes and land; and in Somerset County, Pa., after nine miners were trapped underground for...
Lutherans Help Children to "New Ground" Post-Sept. 11
CHICAGO (ELCA) Placing children on "new ground" was the priority this summer for about 800 children from New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas. "Camp New Ground," a week-long day camp for children hosted by Lutherans, served to help children process their feelings from last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks...
Lutherans Mark Anniversary of Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks
CHICAGO (ELCA) Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will mark the anniversary of last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States with special services and remembrances during Sunday worship Sept. 8. In an Aug. 22 statement to the church, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding...
PBS Documentary Related to Sept. 11 Features ELCA Pastor
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A television documentary chronicling the lives of three Arab Americans living in New York following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, includes a segment featuring the Rev. Khader N. El-Yateem, pastor of Salam Arabic Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, N.Y. The documentary, "Caught in the Crossfire: Arab Americans...
Steven Titus Named President of Midland Lutheran College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of trustees of Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb., appointed Dr. Steven Titus as the college's 13th president at a special meeting Aug. 23. Titus, 38, is currently serving as executive assistant to the president at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn. Midland and Gustavus Adolphus...
Lutheran College Fairs Scheduled for Fall 2002
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will participate in "Lutheran College Fair" programs at 15 locations in 11 states this fall. The purpose of the fairs is to connect Lutheran college representatives with prospective students and their families. The Lutheran College Fair...
ELCA Presiding Bishop's Statement on Sept. 11 Anniversary
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "September 11 is a day for prayer, a day of memory and hope, a day to rededicate our lives to working for peace and justice. We remember those who died and those who continue to mourn their deaths. We also remember those who have died since September...
Rising Health-Care Costs Affect ELCA Health Plan in 2003
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions approved 2003 pharmacy co-pay increases for health-care plan members from $5 to $6 on generic drugs by retail and $10 to $12 on generic drugs by mail at their July 31-Aug. 2 meeting in Minneapolis....
Religious, Military Leaders Address Nuclear Weapons Threat
CHICAGO (ELCA) Calling nuclear weapons instruments "of indiscriminate effect and terror," the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joined religious and former military leaders this month in a call for "verifiable arms control and non-proliferation efforts to safeguard nuclear facilities everywhere." The events of Sept. 11,...
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois Reduces Programs
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI), based in Des Plaines, Ill., phased out five programs across Illinois in the past two months, affecting 200 of its 2,000 employees. "Intouch" services for seniors were discontinued in East Hazel Crest, Carol Stream and Rock Island; counseling offices closed in...
ELCA Communicators Focus on 21st Century Topics
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Some 185 communicators with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were challenged by speakers who addressed the role of church communication in 21st century society, telling the truth, the ELCA studies on sexuality and the role of the Lutheran church in the Middle East. The ELCA...
Beth Lewis Elected to Lead Augsburg Fortress Publishers
ROSEMONT, Ill. (ELCA) -- The board of trustees of Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), elected Beth A. Lewis to a four-year term as president and chief executive officer of the Minneapolis-based publisher. Lewis, 48, was elected here Aug. 17 at a special...
ELCA Involved in Comprehensive Study of Pastoral Leadership
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is participating in and benefitting from a comprehensive study of pastoral leadership conducted by the J.M. Ormond Center at the Duke University Divinity School, Durham, N.C. A key component of the "Pulpit & Pew" research was a 2001 survey of...
Educators Meet to Discuss ELCA Colleges and Universities
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Division for Higher Education and Schools (DHES) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sponsored the eighth annual Vocation of a Lutheran College Conference Aug. 1-4 at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa. The theme, "A Lutheran College - - What should set it apart?" was discussed...
