Gustavus Adolphus College President Announces Resignation
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Axel D. Steuer, the 13th president of Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., announced he will resign as president at the end of the current academic year, the college reported in a Jan. 21 news release. Gustavus Adolphus College is one of 28 colleges and universities...
ELCA in Partnership with Churches Uniting in Christ
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (ELCA) -- After almost 40 years of talks, the nine church bodies that formed the Consultation on Church Union (COCU) became Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC). A series of events here Jan.18-21, over the holiday weekend named for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., drew attention to the...
ELCA Hosts "Youth Extravaganza" February 1-4 in Houston
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) who are committed to strengthening the Christian faith lives of youth and young adults will gather for "Youth Extravagana 2002" Feb. 1-4 at the Adam's Mark Hotel, Houston. "The purpose of the extravaganza is to bring together youth...
Lutherans Provide Aid in Democratic Republic of Congo
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed $100,000 of the church's International Disaster Response fund to support recovery efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after the Nyiragongo volcano erupted Jan. 17 killing at least 45 people. Rivers of lava flowed into nearby villages,...
Wagner to Retire as Director of ELCA Division for Ministry
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Joseph M. Wagner will retire at the end of May 2002 as executive director of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Ministry, a position he has held since November 1987. He informed the division's staff and board of his decision on Jan....
Lutheran College Students Gather in the Desert
PHOENIX (ELCA) -- Lutheran students from across the United States met here Dec. 28-Jan. 1 for the annual National Gathering for Lutheran College and University Students hosted by the Lutheran Student Movement-USA (LSM). The gathering brought about 550 students and campus ministry staff to the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort...
Childs to Lead ELCA Studies on Sexuality
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. James M. Childs Jr. will direct a four- year study on homosexuality for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The study is meant to help the church answer questions about the ordination of homosexual clergy and the blessing of same- gender relationships. The study...
ELCA Mission Builders Needed for 2002 Projects
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Mission Builders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) hope to work with a dozen congregations in 2002, building or rehabilitating church-related facilities. Dean Hiner, North Platte, Neb., Mission Builders program director, said more congregations have asked for help, but 20 volunteers are still needed to...
Sept. 11 Disaster Response Named Top ELCA Story of 2001
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The response to the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York and attack on the Pentagon near Arlington, Va., on Sept. 11 was one of the most significant news events that involved the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 2001, according to the ELCA...
Lutheran Leaders Find Ways to Nurture Children
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders in children's ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gathered for a "Future Search" conference, "Treasured and Safe: A Future for Children in Families, Congregations and Communities," here Jan. 4-6. Participants discussed ways in which the ELCA can provide direction to families, congregations and...
ELCA Publisher Discontinues 'Sunday/Monday WOMAN'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Augsburg Fortress, publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced it will discontinue publication of Sunday/Monday WOMAN, a non-denominational, consumer magazine it launched in September 2000. Publication of the magazine had become a larger project than the company was able to sustain financially, said...
ELCA Mission Investment Fund Introduces New Interest Rates
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Mission Investment Fund (MIF) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced new interest rates effective Jan. 1 for its adjustable-rate and fixed-rate investments. "When they invest in the Fund, ELCA members, congregations and ELCA-related institutions earn interest on their financial resources while they help...
Lutherans Provide Funds for Refugee Relief in Angola
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) provided $50,000 Dec. 28 to support the work of Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in the Angola provinces of Moxico and Lunda Sul. People there have fled their homes as a result of civil conflict. Angola is...
ELCA Web Site Unveils New Look
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Web site of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) -- http://www.elca.org -- began 2002 with a new look. The redesign was guided by the results of an online survey conducted January through May 2001, said Rex Paisley, Web manager, ELCA Department for Communication. The December...
Lundblad Lutheran Radio Speaker on the Protestant Hour
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and associate professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary, New York, will be the Lutheran speaker for the first quarter of 2002 on The Protestant Hour radio program. The Protestant Hour is...
ELCA Lectures Address Preaching to Those Without Basics
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Preachers can no longer assume their listeners know basic Bible stories or understand some of the words familiar to the Bible's English translators of the 17th century. That's the premise of "Biblical Preaching in Babel: Preaching in a Post-Christian World," a series of lectures to be delivered...
Lutherans Minister in Complex Middle East Situation
JERUSALEM (ELCA) -- Two-thousand members of a Lutheran church -- vastly outnumbered by Jews and Muslims -- are among the many people of faith who live and work in the Middle East. Thanks to significant longtime financial support from Lutherans in Europe, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan...
Lutherans Develop Unified Response to September Tragedies
NEW YORK (ELCA) -- Members and leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) continue to develop and deepen their relationship here through a single, unified response to the destruction of the World Trade Center. The September 11 terrorist attacks in New York resulted...
Farm Workers Weather Storms of Immigration and Indifference
Dade City, Fla. (ELCA) -- As daylight dawns on the horizon, farm workers -- dressed in mudded blue jeans, frayed long-sleeved shirts and bandannas wrapped around their heads underneath straw hats or baseball caps -- gather at the edge of a huge strawberry field. Bent forward at the waist, women,...
Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson's Christmas Message
PRESIDING BISHOP MARK HANSON'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE I greet you after just returning from New York City. I know that I will hear Luke's Gospel and sing familiar Christmas carols differently this year because of my experience. Oh, how silent are the nights for those who still mourn the deaths of...
