Lutherans Reflect on Concerns over the Y2K Computer Problem
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Internet connects most of the 11,000 congregations and 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), so concerns about computer disruptions when entering the year 2000 (Y2K) were mixed with theological reflections on God's power in times of uncertainty. It is 2000, and Lutheran...
ELCA Receives Funds to Teach the Faith and Deepen Worship Life
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- To support the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) efforts to teach the faith and deepen worship life, the Lutheran Brotherhood Foundation, Minneapolis, provided $170,000 for the work of the church's initiatives. "Deepen Our Worship Life" and "Teach the Faith" are two of seven ELCA "Initiatives to...
Lutherans Support Return of Elian Gonzalez to His Father
CHICAGO (ELCA) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) supports the return of Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba. Gonzalez, 6, was brought to the United States last year after he was found clinging to a life preserver in the waters off the coast of Florida. His mother drowned...
Possible Changes Offered in Full Communion Implementation
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Eighteen people with differing views on a Lutheran proposal for full communion with the Episcopal Church met in an unofficial, facilitated dialogue in Milwaukee Feb. 16-18. The group approved a "Common Ground Resolution" suggesting "a possible path" in implementing the full communion proposal that could enable those...
ELCA Youth Organization Implements Open Space Technology
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In an attempt to connect with "young people in the pew," the Council of Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Presidents (CSLYOP) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has implemented a new plan called "open space technology." More than 95 high school- and college-age Lutherans gathered here...
Augsburg Fortress Announces New Staff Appointments
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Augsburg Fortress Publishers, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced appointments Feb. 21 of three current staff members to new responsibilities. The company named the Rev. Henry F. French vice president of the academic and professional development strategic business group, Keith Moore...
"Legacy" Stewardship Materials Available from Augsburg Fortress
LISLE, ILL. (ELCA) -- "Legacy: That Your Faith May Live," a new stewardship resource and educational series, is now available to congregations and stewardship leaders through Augsburg Fortress Publishers, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The CD-ROM (compact disc) materials were presented for the first...
ELCA Division Explores the Future of the Church in Society
LISLE, Ill. (ELCA) -- To erase hunger from the face of the earth and to draw clear connections between the Christian gospel and justice are some of the goals Lutherans brought to a strategic planning session here Jan. 22-24. Staff of the Division for Church in Society (DCS) of the...
ELCA Members Learn More about Specialized Pastoral Care
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has taken a significant step in learning more about individuals who serve ministries in chaplaincy, counseling and clinical education. Representatives from ELCA ministries in specialized settings met here Feb. 11-13 to examine results of a survey that revealed the reality...
Lutherans Learn Key Stewardship Strategies, Share Ideas
LISLE, ILL. (ELCA) Successful stewardship in the church must be mission- and vision-focused and requires constant attention and hard work. Those were some of the ideas expressed as Lutheran stewardship leaders met here Feb. 3-6 to learn about stewardship in its broader context. Under the theme "Stewardship at the Heart...
Correction: Synod Representatives Discuss Ecumenical Agreements, Dialogues
Editors: In the story, "Synod Representatives Discuss Ecumenical Agreements, Dialogues," issued Feb. 16, 2000, there is an incorrect spelling and place of residence for the president-elect of Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network (LERN), identified in the second paragraph. The last sentence of the paragraph should be corrected to read: "The Rev....
Wartburg Seminary to Host "Called to Common Mission" Conference
CHICAGO (ELCA) Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, will host "Mission in Ecumenical View," a March 23 conference to explore possibilities created by "Called to Common Mission" (CCM). CCM is a Lutheran proposal for full communion with the Episcopal Church. Wartburg Seminary is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran...
Synod Representatives Discuss Ecumenical Agreements, Dialogues
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Representatives from most of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) 65 synods met here Feb. 11-12 to discuss ecumenism and its connection to the mission and identity of the church. Speakers addressed these issues from national and global perspectives. The representatives are part of the Lutheran...
Timothy Wengert, ELCA Seminary Scholar, Earns Melanchthon Prize
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "It's a little bit like the town of Gettysburg honoring a German for research and writing about the Civil War in America." That's how the Rev. Timothy J. Wengert, a professor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), said about an honor to be conferred upon...
'Mosaic' Spring 2000 Edition Focuses on Elder Care
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The spring 2000 edition of MOSAIC, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), focuses specifically on elder care and includes segments on the "sandwich" generation, care options and planning. The spring edition will be available March 1, and includes these stories: + "The...
ELCA Youth Workers Hold 'Youth Extravaganza'
ST. LOUIS (ELCA) -- Youth workers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), committed to strengthening the Christian faith lives of young people and their families, gathered here for the fourth annual "Youth Extravaganza 2000" Feb. 4-7. The extravaganza is an annual training event sponsored by the ELCA Youth...
ELCA Identity Project Training, Grants Significant in 1999
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Identity Project, a multimedia effort aimed at raising awareness for the Lutheran Church, and specifically, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), grew significantly in 1999. By year's end, 52 of the church's 65 synods had hosted training events, and nearly $1.2 million in matching grants...
ELCA Will Not Require Youth to Stay at Adam's Mark Hotel, St. Louis
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) does not intend to assign participants in this summer's Youth Gathering 2000 to the Adam's Mark Hotel in St. Louis, nor will it use any meeting facilities at the hotel, said the Rev. William H. Kees, director of the ELCA...
Celebration Honors Lutheran-Moravian History and Future
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.(ELCA) -- Two parallel histories converged here Jan. 27, when the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Moravian Church in America celebrated their new agreement, "Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion." After six years of dialogue and study, two provinces of the Moravian Church in America passed the...
ELCA Congregations Experience New Vitality and Growth
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Hundreds of congregations, with Sunday morning worship attendance averaging between 100 and 300 people, are experiencing new vitality and growth as a result of the Mid-Size Congregation Transformation Project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "Congregations with a worship attendance of 100 to 300 people...
