News

New officers and executive board members of Women of the ELCA were installed July 24, 2014, during the closing service of the Ninth Triennial Convention of the Women of the ELCA, which took place at the Charlotte Convention Center here July 22-24. They will serve a three-year term concluding in 2017.

The Rev. Kevin L. Strickland, Nashville, Tenn., has been named new director for worship formation and liturgical resources at the ELCA churchwide organization effective Aug. 24, 2014.

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip further escalates, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton expressed her profound concern for members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land in a July 17, 2014, letter to that denomination's bishop, the Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan.

United in the common mission and purpose of acting boldly on their faith, about 2,000 women will gather in Charlotte, N.C., for the ninth Triennial Gathering of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA), July 24-27, 2014. Under the theme, “of many generations,” women of all ages will share their faith experiences through worship, featured speakers, workshop sessions and more.

To learn more about the recent arrival of unaccompanied children into the United States, a group of ELCA leaders will travel July 16-18 to Texas. Their time there will include visits to children shelters and facilities managed by Lutheran Social Services of the South, based in Austin, Texas, and meetings with ELCA pastors and members to hear about their experiences and response efforts.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has designated Sunday, June 22, as Refugee Sunday, “when every Lutheran congregation is invited to lift up refugees and receiving communities in their prayers,” said the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop, and Linda Hartke, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, in a letter written to ELCA pastors. The letter was also signed by three ELCA synod bishops.

As a church that pursues justice, peace and human dignity for all people, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is committed to helping the thousands of unaccompanied children coming to the United States to escape violence and difficult situations in their home countries. To address this crisis, ELCA members are working through Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service to help find foster care for these children.

In support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule on carbon emissions, the presiding bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Episcopal Church said in a June 5 joint statement that the rule is a "critical step toward safeguarding the lives and livelihood of future generations."

The Rev. Michael L. Rhyne, East Freedom, Pa., was elected June 7 to a six-year term as bishop of the ELCA Allegheny Synod during the Synod Assembly June 5-7 at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, Pa.

The ELCA provided a second contribution of $1 million to Lutheran World Relief to support the next phases of disaster response work in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan struck there this past fall.

The Rev. John S. Macholz, Rochester, N.Y., was elected June 3 to a six-year term as bishop of the Upstate New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the Synod Assembly June 1-3 at the Riverside Convention Center in Rochester.

More than 30 U.S. Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders -- including the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop -- have declared that "the time for Israeli-Palestinian peace is now." In a May 21 letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the leaders also wrote that "achieving peace needs your continued, determined engagement."

In observance of May’s National Mental Health Awareness Month, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) recall their commitment to providing a community of support for all those who suffer from mental illness, their families and caregivers.

The Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, Appleton, Wis., was elected May 17 to a six-year term as bishop of the East–Central Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the Synod Assembly May 16-17 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wis.

The Rev. Patricia J. Lull, St. Paul, Minn., was elected May 17 to a six-year term as bishop of the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod during the Synod Assembly May 16-17 held at Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minn.

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Abraham D. Allende, Canton, Ohio, was elected May 17 to a six-year term as bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod during the Synod Assembly May 15-17, 2014, held at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, Ohio.

The Rev. David J. Lose, Kennett Square, Pa., has been named president of The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia effective at the start of the 2014 academic year. The seminary is one of eight of the ELCA.

The Rev. Terry A. Brandt, Fargo, N.D., was elected May 11 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod during the Synod Assembly May 10-11 in Grand Forks, N.D.

The Rev. Ronald T. Glusenkamp will become director of Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America effective June 16. Glusenkamp is senior pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are offering prayers and support for survivors and communities impacted by tornadoes and severe weather that struck the Midwest, southern and eastern parts of the United States. To date, 28 people are confirmed dead, and thousands have been impacted by storm systems since April 25. There are no reports of any ELCA congregations with property damaged by the severe weather.