U.S. Workshop on Christian Unity Celebrates Lutheran Agreements
LOUISVILLE, Ky (ELCA) -- Tears of joy and tears of sadness were often the same tears the morning of May 17, as worshipers approached the altar of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, Ky. The Lutheran-Reformed celebration of the Lord's Supper was a symbol of unity and...
Lutherans Address Farm Issues at NCC Mission Board Session
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (ELCA) -- Lutherans were key contributors to an ecumenical meeting here in April that examined a variety of agricultural and rural issues. The Agricultural Mission Board of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC) met in its annual study session with the theme...
Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network Enters New Phase
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has made a series of ecumenical decisions in recent years, and now it's time to digest the resulting ecumenical agreements, said the Rev. Dennis A. Andersen, Bethany Lutheran Church, Seattle. Andersen was named president of the Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives...
ELCA Team Supports Multicultural Strategies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Multicultural strategies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have been implemented with the help of a multicultural initiatives coordinating team of the church. Members of the team met here May 18 to help the church meet its goal for full partnership and participation of African...
African American Lutherans Hear 'State of the Church'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- About 80 African American Lutherans and pastors of African American and Black Lutheran congregations gathered here May 12-13 for one of seven "Proclaiming the Power 2000" events. They came to hear the needs and concerns of the Black community in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)....
ELCA Congregations Focus on Discipleship
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are invited to participate in a yearlong focus on discipleship beginning in September. Under "Living Faith: A Call to Discipleship," congregations will focus on seven key faith practices for discipleship: prayer, study, worship, invitation, encouragement, service and giving....
ELCA Young People Will "Dance at the Cross Roads" this Summer
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will bring together about 40,000 high-school-age= =20 and adult Lutherans in two back-to-back events this year: June 28-July = 2,=20 and July 5-9. The gathering, "Dancing at the Cross Roads," will take place at the America's...
2000 ELCA Global Mission Events Feature 'Pray in the Spirit'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Global Mission Events (GMEs) -- opportunities for members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to learn about the church's mission work -- are scheduled at two sites in the United States this summer. The theme for each is "Pray in the Spirit At All Times."...
Camp Noah Expands to Serve Lutheran Children in Four States
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Camp Noah, a week-long day camp for children who have survived floods and other weather disasters, is expanding its program this summer to meet the needs of children in Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
Lutherans Work to End U.S. Military Operation on Vieques
DORADO, Puerto Rico (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Puerto Rico are working to put an end to U.S. military training on Vieques, an island eight miles east of Puerto Rico. "God is telling us that is it time to claim peace for Vieques,"...
Parish Nurses Attend ELCA Domestic Violence Prevention Conference
SAN ANTONIO (ELCA) -- More than 50 parish and registered nurses from throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) attended "Whole Bodies, Whole Selves: Domestic Violence and the Parish Nurse," May 5-7, at St. John's Lutheran Church here. The conference focused...
'Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace' to Air on PBS Stations June 14
NEW YORK (ELCA) Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor and author who resisted the Nazi regime and was executed near the end of World War II, is the subject of a 90-minute dramatic film that will air in the United States on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) June 14 at...
Lutherans Contribute to Cleanup Efforts after Floods in Missouri
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran=20 Church-Missouri Synod, provided an initial $5,000 grant for emergency=20 needs and recovery efforts after a storm produced floods in east-central=20= Missouri May 13-14. "As much as 14 inches of rain fell...
ELCA Visitors Greet, Learn from Nordic, German Lutherans
The trip was an ecumenical visit. But it was more than that too. The hosts taught the visitors about hospitality; theirs was as warm and inviting as the ever-present candles and flowers at dinners and in meeting rooms. Excited about this historic visit, the hosts created itineraries designed for mutual...
Bjornberg Re-Elected Bishop of ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Allan C. Bjornberg was elected May 19 to a second six-year term as bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the synod's assembly at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. On the first ballot, Bjornberg received 316...
Tiemann Elected Bishop of ELCA Southwestern Texas Synod
SEGUIN, Texas (ELCA) -- The Rev. Ray Tiemann, 47, was elected May 20 to a six-year term as bishop of the Southwestern Texas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at its assembly here at Texas Lutheran University. On the fifth ballot, he received 228 votes to 205...
Mattheis Re-Elected Bishop of ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Robert W. Mattheis was elected May 20 to a second six-year term as bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the synod's assembly at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, Calif. Mattheis received 329 votes on...
Joint Declaration Affects U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- The "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification," signed by representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Vatican on Oct. 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, did more than declare that certain 16th century condemnations between Lutherans and Catholics no longer apply. The formula used...
ELCA Synod Issues Statement on U.S. Military Operation on Vieques
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Caribbean Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) issued a statement May 12 that calls for an end to U.S. military occupation on Vieques, an island eight miles east of Puerto Rico. The synod, one of 65 of the ELCA, is made up of...
AAL Contributes Additional Funds for ELCA Identity Project
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL), a fraternal benefits organization based in Appleton, Wis., provided an additional $250,000 grant to support the Identity Project. The project is a multimedia advertising campaign aimed at raising awareness for the Lutheran Church and specifically the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)....
