200 ELCA Pastors to Go to New York April 6-7 to Show Solidarity
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- As many as 200 pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -- including at least 32 synod bishops -- will be in New York April 6-7 in a show of support for ELCA pastors, congregations and ministries nearly seven months after the terrorist attacks of Sept....
ELCA Bishops Told of Early Progress of Evangelism Task Force
VANCOUVER, B.C. (ELCA) -- Implementing an evangelism strategy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a "daunting task,' in part because the church's membership has declined while the general population has grown, said the chair of a 32-member task force on evangelism appointed by the board of the...
ELCA Slovak Zion Synod Bishop to Resign Aug. 31
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Juan Cobrda, bishop of the Slovak Zion Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced he will resign as bishop effective Aug. 31, one year earlier than the end of his present term as bishop. Cobrda, 71, has served nine years as bishop...
ELCA Lectures Address Preaching in a 'Post-Christian' World
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two prominent preachers are delivering a series of sermons and lectures on the difficulties of preaching on deep theological themes to an audience that may or may not know basic Bible stories. The 11th Hein-Fry Lecture Series, titled "Biblical Preaching in Babel: Preaching in a Post-Christian World,"...
ELCA Board of Pensions Trustees Discuss Enron Debacle
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- At their March 1-3 meeting here, trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions discussed how the organization can avoid a situation such as that involving the much-publicized Houston-based Enron. Trustees also talked about the board's relationship with Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm...
Braaten Resigns as President of Midland Lutheran College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Jennifer L. Braaten, president of Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb., resigned from her post effective July 1. Midland is one of 28 college and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "It is with deep regret and mixed emotions that I announce my decision...
ELCA Commission Supports Middle Eastern, Muslim U.S. Detainees
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The steering committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Commission for Multicultural Ministries adopted a resolution here March 15-16 to express its support for Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim people detained in the United States. "There may be up to 8,000 Arab, Middle Eastern and...
ELCA Board Urges Careful Responses to Terrorism
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Division for Global Mission (DGM) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) called on the church to urge the U.S. government to consider carefully its responses to terrorism. The board adopted a resolution on the subject as the U.S. government is "contemplating...
Lutheran-Mennonite Dialogue Begins
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dialogue between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Mennonite Church U.S.A. has begun. An Anabaptist-Mennonite school, Goshen College, hosted teams from both churches Feb. 21-24 in and around Goshen, Ind. Overcoming a contentious and sometimes bloody history will be a theme of this first...
Malagasy Churches Supported by Three U.S. Church Leaders
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a joint letter issued March 19, leaders of three U.S. Protestant church bodies, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), pledged to carry their concerns about a continuing election controversy in Madagascar to U.S. government officials. U.S. church leaders also asked Malagasy church officials how...
ELCA Bishops Call for End to Armed Conflict in Liberia
VANCOUVER, B.C. (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) called on the U.S. government to help bring an end to armed conflict in the West African nation of Liberia. The conflict has resulted "in a dire humanitarian situation" because of the displacement of...
Church Leaders Welcome U.N. Resolution on Palestinian State
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- Leaders of several U.S. churches -- including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) -- welcomed the U.N. Security Council passage of a U.S.-initiated resolution proclaiming support for a Palestinian state, according to a March 14 news release from Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). The...
Bushkofsky Named Director for Women of the ELCA
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Linda Post Bushkofsky, 43, Chaska, Minn., was named the fourth executive director for Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the women's organization of the church. Women of the ELCA's executive board elected Bushkofsky during its meeting here March 14-17. She will assume her new...
ELCA Boards Appoint Task Force for Studies on Sexuality
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Boards of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Church in Society and Division for Ministry appointed a 13-member task force to assist the Rev. James M. Childs Jr., director of the ELCA studies on sexuality. The boards acted in a joint session here March...
ELCA Bishops Hear Positive Financial Report for Fiscal 2001
VANCOUVER, B.C. (ELCA) -- Current operating fund income exceeded expenses by $3.3 million in fiscal year 2001 for the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer, in a report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops. Receipts to the ELCA churchwide organization totaled...
ELCA Bishops Told LWF Remains in Prayer in Wake of Sept. 11
VANCOUVER, B.C. (ELCA) -- The trauma of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States is "still deeply rooted," in the United States, said the president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The Rev. Christian Krause assured the ELCA Conference of Bishops that LWF members throughout the world continue...
ELCA Bishops Hear Early Plans for Sexuality Studies
VANCOUVER, B.C. (ELCA) -- Saying "we are engaged in the discovery of our God-given capacities as church," the Rev. James M. Childs Jr. discussed with the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) early plans for studies of homosexuality and human sexuality. The Conference of Bishops...
ELCA Bishops Protest Israeli Occupation of Bethlehem School
VANCOUVER, B.C. (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a resolution "vigorously" protesting the Israeli military's occupation of a Lutheran school in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. The bishops' resolution also deplored "all acts of violence against innocent civilians." The ELCA...
Israeli Troops Reoccupy Bethlehem Lutheran School
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The property of a Lutheran grade school in the West Bank town of Bethlehem was occupied by Israeli military forces March 9, resulting in damage to some of the school property and building. The Israeli troops later withdrew, only to return around noon on March 11, said...
Lutherans Assess Personal Power and Stewardship
LISLE, Ill. (ELCA) -- Patterns of giving in the church not only vary over time but may be influenced by a parishioner's faith journey and "stage of personal power." That idea was expressed as Lutheran stewardship leaders met here Feb. 28-March 3 for "At the Heart: Stewardship and Power," a...
