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,...
ELCA News Correction: U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis. 3rd)
ELCA NEWS CORRECTION: U.S. REPRESENTATIVE RON KIND (D-Wis. 3rd) ELCA News & Information issued "Twenty Lutherans in the 107th Congress" on December 13, 2000. The story indicated that 17 members of the U.S. Congress are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and three are members of The...
Lutheran Services in America Challenges Bush to Stay Involved
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Services in America (LSA) welcomed President Bush's initiative to give faith-based organizations more leverage in securing government grants. The organization went on to remind him that government is a necessary partner in addressing human needs. "We're heartened that President Bush says he wants faith-based organizations to...
Lutherans Help Provide Aid to Earthquake Survivors in India
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed $20,000 to the church's International Disaster Response fund to provide emergency aid to survivors in western India, after an earthquake and its aftershocks killed thousands there Jan. 26. The most damaged area is Bhuj, a city on...
Twenty-two Lutheran Congregations among 'Excellent' 300
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Seventeen congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and five congregations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) were among 300 "outstanding Protestant churches" in the United States identified by Paul Wilkes, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, after a two-year study....
Rick Steves to Host ELCA Video on Martin Luther
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Popular television host and travel writer, Rick Steves hosts the video "Opening the Door to Luther" which will be released March 1. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Department for Communication produced the video as an introduction to Martin Luther, the 16th century German theologian who...
ELCA Leaders Travel to Mexico City, Learn about People in Poverty
MEXICO CITY (ELCA) -- Thirteen leaders of the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) traveled to and met here Jan. 7-11, learning first-hand about the experiences of people living in poverty. The group's experiences were centered in the work of the Lutheran Center here, an ELCA-sponsored...
Lutherans Host Spring 2001 College Fairs
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will participate in "Lutheran College Fair" programs in seven states this spring. Prospective students, their families and other interested individuals are invited. Lutheran college admission representatives will be present to discuss academic programs, student life, housing...
Lutherans Help Provide Emergency Assistance in El Salvador
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed $50,000 to the church's International Disaster Response fund to provide emergency assistance to people in El Salvador and parts of Guatemala, after an earthquake and its aftershocks struck the Central American countries Jan. 13. More than 650...
ELCA Bishops Honor Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Headd
BALTIMORE (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) honored Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr., president of Baltimore-based Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), at a Jan. 9 reception at the Lutheran Center here. The Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the ELCA's...
Full Communion, Middle East Issues Named Top ELCA Stories of 2000
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A full communion agreement between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was the most significant story involving the ELCA in 2000, said the staff of ELCA News & Information, part of the church's Department for Communication. Another series of stories in 2000...
Peace Prize Forum on March 9-10 Focuses on Humanitarian Aid
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Kerry Kennedy Cuomo and Dr. Morten Rostrup will address the 13th annual Peace Prize Forum, "Striving for Peace: Crossing Borders, Challenging Boundaries," March 9-10 at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. Luther is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Students attending...
Lutheran-Episcopal Coordinating Committee Begins Work
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- In its first meeting, the 14-member Lutheran-Episcopal Coordinating Committee discussed how to communicate its work, listed a variety of mission-related areas in which the churches may work together and adopted a charter for its work that emphasizes trust, cooperation and mission. The committee is to "assist...
ELCA Mission Investment Fund Issues Current 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 investment options. "The MIF offers opportunities for ELCA members, congregations and ELCA-related institutions to earn interest on their financial blessings while helping...
Lutherans Team up for "Souper Bowl of Caring"
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- As two teams compete to become champion of the National Football League on "Super Bowl Sunday," Jan. 28, thousands of Lutherans will engage in a challenge of a different kind. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will participate in "Souper Bowl of Caring," a...
