Lutherans, United Methodists Prepare for Dialogue
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The United Methodist Church (UMC) are preparing for a new round of talks aimed at a relationship of full communion. The Rev. Allan C. Bjornberg, bishop of the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod, and Bishop Melvin G. Talbert, ecumenical officer...
Peace Delegation Meets with Israeli Leaders, Issues Final Statement
JERUSALEM -- On its last day in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, an ecumenical peace delegation of American church leaders met with the mayor of Jerusalem, officials at the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the top Palestinian leader in Jerusalem and issued a final statement at a press conference. The...
Ecumenical Delegation Exposed to Complexity of Mideast Issues
ECUMENICAL DELEGATION EXPOSED TO COMPLEXITY OF MIDEAST ISSUES 00-297-JS* JERUSALEM --Shaking off the vestiges of jet lag, a delegation of 26 church leaders representing 12 U.S. denominations and organizations waded into the thicket of Middle East issues December 8, talking with those who are most directly affected by the increasing...
Christians Will Not Desert Holy Land, Delegation Hears
JERUSALEM -- "The number of Christians in Palestine is dwindling so much that the situation is becoming dangerous," Armenian Patriarch Torkom II told a visiting delegation of church leaders from the United States during a conversation Dec. 9. "But we are here, and we will be here in the future,"...
Arafat Warns That the Palestinians Are Facing a Disaster
GAZA CITY -- "We are facing a disaster," a grim-faced President Yasser Arafat of the Palestine Authority (PA) told a visiting delegation from the United States during a morning conversation. "Sorry you are coming in such crucial circumstances as we face more aggression. In spite of that, we are doing...
Starvation Threatens Palestinian Villages, Vatican Official Warns
JERUSALEM -- In a conversation with a peace delegation from the United States, the Vatican's representative in Jerusalem warned that there could be starvation within a month in Palestinian villages isolated by the fresh outbreak of violence. While most attention focuses on the political struggle between Israelis and Palestinians, Father...
ELCA, Episcopal Church to Inaugurate Full Communion Jan. 6
CHICAGO (ELCA/ENS) -- The Episcopal Church, USA (ECUSA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will inaugurate their new full communion relationship Jan. 6, 2001, in a service of Holy Eucharist at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The celebration will be led jointly by the presiding bishops of...
Church Leaders Head to Middle East to Bolster Peace Efforts
CHURCH LEADERS HEAD TO MIDDLE EAST TO BOLSTER PEACE EFFORTS 00-295-JS* NEW YORK -- A high-level delegation of American church leaders is headed for the Middle East Dec. 7-12 to express solidarity with Christian churches there and to lend their voices to a growing chorus calling for renewed efforts to...
ELCA Identity Project Scheduled for National Cable Television
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) launched 30-second television spots on national cable network television beginning Nov. 27, to run through Dec. 14. The television spots are part of the ELCA's Identity Project, a multimedia effort aimed at raising awareness about the Lutheran church. The spots...
Mosaic Wins Award; Winter 2000 Issue to Feature Great Lakes Theme
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Concordia Historical Institute, the Department of Archives and History of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, presented an award Nov. 9 to MOSAIC, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), for a recent segment featuring Lutheran missionaries in Madagascar. The story, "A Century in Madagascar,"...
ELCA's St. Olaf College Leads Nation in International Studies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., leads the nation's colleges and universities in the percentage of students who engage in international or off-campus domestic studies, according to a news release issued by the Institute of International Education on Nov. 13. St. Olaf is one of 28 colleges and...
Lutheran Killed in Middle East Violence
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A German medical doctor -- a member of Beit Jala Lutheran Church of the Reformation -- was killed Nov. 15, following an attack on Beit Jala, a small town in the West Bank near Bethlehem. The Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod Council Names Rave Interim Bishop
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. James A. Rave, Ormond Beach, Fla., has been appointed interim bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), effective Jan. 1. Rave, 65, is the former bishop of the ELCA's Northwestern Ohio Synod, where he served from 1987 to 1998,...
Lutherans Help Provide Emergency Assistance in Bangladesh
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed $60,000 to the church's International Disaster Response fund to provide emergency assistance to people in Bangladesh, after months of high-speed winds and flood waters caused destruction in the northwestern, western and southern parts of the country. More...
Mitchell Named Interim President for Bethany College
CHICAGO (ELCA) Dr. Mike L. Mitchell, vice president and academic dean, Bethany College, Lindsburg, Kan., will serve as interim president of the college beginning Jan. 1, 2001. Bethany College is one of 28 colleges and universities affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The Rev. Christopher M. Thomforde,...
Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Organizations Build Quality Programs
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran outdoor ministry organizations across the United States are working to improve the quality of their programs with a $775,000 grant from Solutions 2000, a program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL), a fraternal benefits...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Calls for Prayer Vigil for Middle East
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) proposed that the church engage in a continuous prayer vigil for all people suffering from the continuing violence in the Middle East. The Rev. H. George Anderson said the prayer vigil would begin with the first...
ELCA Council 'Applauds' Rural Ministry
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) received and "applauded" a report on the church's rural ministry and acted to encourage members of the ELCA to strengthen their commitment to the ministry. The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves...
ELCA Council Authorizes Church's Spending (And Other Items)
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved a spending authorization of $83,490,000 for the ELCA in 2001. The council approved the 2001 ELCA World Hunger spending authorization of $14,500,000, and it acted on other items. The Church Council is the ELCA's board...
ELCA Thanks, Pushes Congress for Food Stamp Legislation
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In October, Congress passed two provisions of the Hunger Relief Act, letting states set their own limits on vehicles owned by food-stamp recipients and raising a limit on the cost of shelter for food-stamp recipients. The Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), Washington, D.C., applauded that action...
