ELCA Pastor Naw-Karl Mua Sentenced to 15 Years in Laos
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A Laotian court convicted the Rev. Naw-Karl Mua, Light of Life Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn., a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), of "use of warfare items or ordnance" and "obstructing an official in the performance of his duty" in a trial June...
Lutherans Manage Recovery after Tornadoes, Forest Fires
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod (LCMS), is organizing recovery efforts after tornadoes struck Minnesota and Nebraska, and after forest fires broke out in parts of Arizona this month. Zion Lutheran Church, Buffalo Lake,...
Rafael Malpica Padilla Named Director, ELCA Global Mission
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, associate executive director for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Global Mission, was elected June 28 to a four-year appointment as executive director of the division effective August 1. As executive director, Malpica Padilla, 46, will oversee a global...
ELCA Mission Investment Fund Announces New Investment Rates
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Mission Investment Fund (MIF) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has announced the introduction of MissionFirst, a savings investment plan available to members of ELCA congregations beginning July 1. The MIF also announced interest rates for its adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mission investments. "The Mission...
'Bonhoeffer' Documentary to Show in Several Cities
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The feature length documentary "Bonhoeffer," directed by Martin Doblmeier, is showing in several cities this summer, including a return engagement June 27-July 10 at the Gene Siskel Film Center here. The film, which ran at that theater in late March, returns in a series of national showings....
Ohio Congregation Wins ELCA Accessibility Award
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Peace Lutheran Church, Gahanna, Ohio, won the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Accessibility Award for 2003. Announcing the honor, the Rev. Lisa T. Cleaver, director for disability ministries and deaf ministry, ELCA Division for Church in Society, said Peace Lutheran went well beyond ramps and elevators....
ELCA Bishops Support Lawsuit Against Concealed Weapon Law
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Six Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) bishops in Minnesota made a public statement June 19 supporting a lawsuit filed by the Edina Community Lutheran Church, Edina, Minn. The lawsuit against the state of Minnesota is an attempt to have concealed weapons banned from church-owned property. The...
LutherLink Book Discussions Begin in July
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a cooperative project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Department for Communication and Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the ELCA, LutherLink members will begin holding online book discussions in July. LutherLink, an online network maintained by the ELCA, is part of Ecunet, a...
Vagley Directs Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Karen S. Vagley became director of the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), Washington, D.C., on June 16. LOGA is the federal public policy advocacy office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and a program of the ELCA Division for Church in Society. "I am...
MOSAIC to Receive Award for 'Lutheran Roots'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Concordia Historical Institute, a division of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, recently selected MOSAIC, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), to receive an Award of Commendation. The award is for the production of "Lutheran Roots in America" hosted by the Rev. Lowell...
ELCA Conducts Consultation on Workplace Ministries
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Ministry happens in workplaces across the United States, and it happens in ways that are almost unique to each setting, according to about 20 participants in a workplace ministries consultation here June 6-8. The Division for Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) hosted the...
Anderson Elected Bishop of ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Jon V. Anderson, 43, was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the synod assembly at Gustavus Adolphus College, an ELCA higher education institution in St. Peter, Minn. Anderson was elected...
Pile Re-elected Bishop in ELCA Allegheny Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -– The Rev. Gregory R. Pile, 54, was re-elected on the first ballot for bishop of the Allegheny Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) June 13 at the synod's assembly June 12-14 at Altoona Casino, Altoona, Pa. Pile has served as bishop of the synod...
ELCA's 'Davey' Documentary to Begin Airing in September
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- On Sept. 14 the ABC television network will begin airing "Oh Davey ... History of the 'Davey and Goliath' Television Series," a documentary featuring Davey and Goliath, a value-based children's program that aired on commercial television networks from 1960 through the mid-1980s. ABC-TV affiliates will show the...
'Understanding Islam' Theme of Summer 2003 MOSAIC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The summer 2003 issue of MOSAIC, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) focuses on Islam, its history and its relationship with the ELCA. The 30-minute program includes information on the Prophet Mohammed, the rise of Islam and the five pillars of Islam....
ELCA Seeks Government Funding for Service Providers
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a letter to members of Congress, Kay A. Bengston, assistant director for domestic policy, Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), Washington, D.C., asked for the restoration of the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) to its peak level of $2.8 billion. LOGA is the federal public policy...
Ubuntu, Theme of the ELCA Youth Gathering, Changes Lives
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Ubuntu, a sub-Saharan African word meaning humanity, was introduced to more than 40,000 youth ages 14-17 at the Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) three years ago in St. Louis. Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a keynote speaker at the event, spoke then about...
ELCA Pastor Naw-Karl Mua Detained in Laos
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Naw-Karl Mua, Light of Life Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn., a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has been detained by the government of Laos since June 3. Mua is reported to have accompanied two European journalists into the Xieng Khouang province...
Peters to Serve as Interim President at Lutheran Seminary
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Ted F. Peters was appointed interim president of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) June 7. Peters, appointed by the executive committee of the PLTS board of directors, will serve a term of at least one year. He fills the office left vacant after the unexpected...
Prayer, Work Needed for Middle East Peace, Says Presiding Bishop
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- On the heels of his first trip to the Middle East, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) said he hopes the violence that left at least 27 people dead in Jerusalem and Gaza June 11 will not derail commitments to peace in...
