News

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA has released a statement addressing the situation surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline. On Sept. 9 a federal judge ruled against the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request to halt construction of the pipeline. Three federal agencies have issued a statement and have asked the pipeline company to pause construction.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA has issued a statement in observance of the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Voting members of the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans Aug. 8-13 approved two memorials that address concerns over human rights in Israel and Palestine. The assembly also affirmed the ELCA’s inter-religious partnerships and efforts to address anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hatred based on religion and reaffirmed actions of previous assemblies regarding responsible investment in Israel-Palestine.

Voting members of the ELCA approved a number of key actions during the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly held in New Orleans Aug. 8-13. The assembly is the highest legislative authority of the church.

In her report to the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton reflected on the ELCA’s work over the past three years and lifted up future priorities for the church.

The 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, by a vote of 811 to 55, approved adoption of the roster of Ministry of Word and Service.

The 2016 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly took several significant steps Wednesday moving forward the mission of this church as a church for the sake of the world.

Recognizing the ELCA as a Book of Faith church, ELCA Vice President Carlos Peña reflected on the 10th chapter of Luke as he opened his final report to the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

Lifting up the central Lutheran theme of God’s grace in action through God’s church, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are gathering under the theme, “Freed and Renewed in Christ: 500 Years of God’s Grace in Action.”

Members of the ELCA are offering prayers for the congregation of Hawk Creek Lutheran Church near Sacred Heart, Minn., whose church suffered major damage in a fire July 23. The fire, which destroyed much of the sanctuary of the 142-year-old building, broke out after the church was struck by lightning.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, has released a statement in response to the shootings in Baton Rouge, La., and Dallas that killed eight police officers.

Members of the ELCA will gather Aug. 8-13 in assembly at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Meeting under the theme “Freed and Renewed in Christ: 500 Years of God’s Grace in Action,” the assembly’s business will include preparations for observing the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.

In a July 7 video message responding to the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., and Philando Castile in suburban St. Paul, Minn., the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, urged members to “be present in our communities.”

Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the ELCA has adopted a new name: 1517 Media.

The Rev. Barbara Jeanne Collins, Selinsgrove, Pa., was elected June 18 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Upper Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the Synod Assembly June 17-18 at Weber Chapel at Upper Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove.

The Rev. H. Jeffrey Clements, Rockford, was elected June 18 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the ELCA Northern Illinois ELCA. The election was held during the Synod Assembly June 16-18 at Centennial Hall at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill.

The Rev. William O. Gafkjen, Indianapolis, was re-elected June 9 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the ELCA. The election was held during the synod assembly June 9-11 at the Century Center in South Bend, Ind.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, has issued a letter in response to the June 12 shooting that claimed the lives of 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla. This is the deadliest mass shooting in U. S. history. In the letter Eaton states, “We must speak peace and reconciliation into the cacophony of hatred and division. We must live the truth that all people are created in God’s image.”

The ELCA Federal Credit Union, the new credit union of the ELCA, celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 6 at its headquarters in The Lutheran Center in Chicago. This is the first credit union chartered by the National Credit Union Administration to open in Illinois in 10 years. The institution will serve ELCA members, congregations and ELCA-related ministries—and their employees.

The Rev. Daniel G. Beaudoin, Stony Ridge, Ohio, was elected May 21 to a six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the Synod Assembly May 19-21 at the Bowen Thompson Student Union at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.