ELCA Publishing House Leader Expresses Concern for Board's Action
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The president and chief executive officer of Augsburg Fortress, publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said he is "deeply concerned" by actions the board for the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) took when it met here last month. The Rev. Marvin L....
Bitner Elected Chair of ELCA Division for Church in Society
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Denver W. Bitner, Zion Lutheran Church, Rockford, Ill., will chair the board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Church in Society (DCS) for two years, beginning in August. The board elected Bitner when it met here Feb. 22-24. Bitner will succeed...
ELCA Board Asks for Possible Publishing Alternatives
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- To ensure support for the 10,851 congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the board for the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) authorized the division's executive directors to "investigate alternative" means of "publishing, producing and distributing resources" designed to assist congregations in carrying out...
ELCA Safe-Haven Resource Now Available in Spanish
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- About 350 Spanish-speaking congregations and social ministry organizations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will receive the Spanish text version of "Safe Haven for Children: Hope for Congregations and Communities" this year. "Safe Haven for Children: Hope for Congregations and Communities" is a resource designed...
ELCA Advisory Committee Examines Fair and 'Predatory Lending'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) advisory committee on corporate social responsibility discussed fair lending and "predatory lending" when it met here Feb. 2. Members heard presentations on various lending practices of U.S. financial institutions and how to identify abuses. John E. Lind, executive director, California/Nevada...
2001 Rural Ministry Conference Highlights Art, Faith March 11-13
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Art, faith and life in rural America will be the focus for Lutherans attending the 2001 Rural Ministry Conference March 11-13 at the Holiday Inn and Five Flags Center, Dubuque, Iowa. Under the theme "Patchwork of Faith and Rural Culture," participants will engage in Bible study, receive...
ELCA Web Site Doubles in Size, Accesses, Advisory Committee Told
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Web site of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) grew significantly in the past year, nearly doubling the number of its pages as well as nearly doubling accesses by viewers, the ELCA Department for Communication advisory committee was told here Jan 26. From 1999...
Lutherans Continue Support for Earthquake Survivors in India
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) continue to support survivors in western India, after an earthquake and its aftershocks killed thousands there Jan. 26. The church's International Disaster Response initially provided $20,000 for emergency assistance. It contributed an additional $50,000 on Feb. 6. The...
Lutherans Continue Aid for Earthquake Survivors in El Salvador
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) continue to support relief efforts in El Salvador, after an earthquake and its aftershocks struck the Central American country Jan. 13. The church's International Disaster Response initially provided $50,000 for emergency assistance in El Salvador and parts of...
ELCA Calendar for March 2001
ELCA CALENDAR FOR MARCH 2001 1-6 Conference of Bishops, Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas 2-4 Division for Congregational Ministries, Living Faithfully in a Violent World, YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colo. 9-10 Peace Prize Forum, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa 9-11 Division for Ministry, Board, Lutheran Center, Chicago 9-11 Division...
Lutherans Continue Recovery Efforts Across the United States
CHICAGO (ELCA) Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), continues to "bring help and hope" to survivors of disasters across the United States. "This past year, our country experienced 'no-name storms,' quickly out of the news but leaving...
Lutherans Help Make Winning Touchdown for "Souper Bowl"
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- As the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League claimed victory on "Super Bowl Sunday" Jan. 28, thousands of Lutherans also made the "winning touchdown" in a challenge of a different kind. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) participated in "Souper Bowl of Caring,"...
World Council Asks Member Churches to Study Intervention
POTSDAM, Germany (ELCA) -- The World Council of Churches (WCC) asked its 342 member churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), to study the ethical implications of international intervention into situations where armed conflict threatens civilians. The WCC central committee met Jan. 29-Feb. 6 near Berlin and forwarded...
Lutherans Plan to Visit Vieques March 22-25
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will head a delegation of church leaders and staff to Puerto Rico, in response to an invitation of ELCA members there concerned about the live ammunition and bombing practices of the U.S....
Lutheran Disaster Response Renews Understanding with the Red Cross
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders of Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), and the American Red Cross revised and signed a "Statement of Understanding" on Jan. 17 at the offices of the Red Cross, Washington, D.C. The purpose...
Lutheran Disaster Response Distributes Grants for Disasters
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod (LCMS), has distributed about $500,000 this month to support extended recovery efforts and preparation for possible disasters in the United States and U.S. Virgin Islands. Grants provided by...
U.S. Lutherans Join Launch of 'Decade to Overcome Violence'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was involved Feb. 4 in the international launch of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches Seeking Peace and Reconciliation (2001-2010) in Germany. ELCA members worshiped at Berlin's Memorial Church and walked in a candlelight procession...
Lutherans Aid War Relief in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed $20,000 to the church's International Disaster Response fund to support relief efforts from war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The war that began in August 1998 still continues today in the Democratic Republic of Congo,...
Lutheran Synods Conduct Elections for 27 Bishops in 2001
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Twenty-seven of the 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are set to elect bishops in 2001. At least 12 synods will be electing new bishops; 15 bishops may be re-elected to subsequent six-year terms. When the ELCA was formed in 1987, each synod...
Lutheran College Students Gather for "A Faith Odyssey"
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Lutheran students from colleges and universities across the United States met here Dec. 28-Jan. 1 for the 31st annual gathering of the Lutheran Student Movement-USA (LSM-USA) under the theme "2001: A Faith Odyssey." The 450 students gathered for Christian fellowship, workshops, Bible study, community service projects,...
