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DENVER (ELCA) -- Voting members of the 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) chose a total of 93 people to serve on the ELCA Church Council and on 11 churchwide boards and committees. Those elected at this assembly will serve six-year terms. The churchwide assembly,...

DENVER (ELCA) -- "Look to the rock," proclaimed the Rev. John H. Thomas, newly elected general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, as he preached during the closing worship at the 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "You are Peter, and on...

DENVER (ELCA) -- On an average Sunday in the United States, 33 percent of worshipers are adult men, down from 47 percent in the 1950s, said Charlie Schwartz, president of Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), in greetings to the 1999 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly. LMM is...

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (ELCA) -- The 1999 Lutheran Men's Gathering brought together more than 600 grandfathers, fathers, sons and friends to explore what it means to "build a legacy of faith and life" that will make a difference in families today and for generations to come. The gathering took place here...

DENVER (ELCA) -- "If it were not for the convocation, a smaller percentage of young adults would be present," Arthur Norman told the 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Norman, ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, helped deliver the young adult convocation report to the assembly,...

DENVER (ELCA) -- A proposal that would have strengthened the role of the 65 synod bishop in disputes between congregations and their pastors failed narrowly Aug. 22 at the 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Model ELCA synod and congregation constitutions require a two- thirds...

DENVER (ELCA) -- Military chaplains do more than just "stay with the troops," said Lt. Col. Howard D. Stendahl, in greetings Aug. 22 to the 1999 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly. Stehdahl is an ELCA pastor serving Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The churchwide assembly,...

DENVER (ELCA)-- The 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Aug. 21 asked for a variety of efforts from the church to help those in rural America suffering from the effects of the severe drought afflicting many regions of the United States. The churchwide assembly, the...

DENVER (ELCA)-- Representatives from the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) brought greetings to the 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and thanked the ELCA for its partnership. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, met...

DENVER (ELCA) -- Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) discussed how they can participate in the "healing process" that must occur among members of the church who may feel "disenfranchised" by the decision of the 1999 Churchwide Assembly to approve a full communion agreement with The Episcopal...

DENVER (ELCA) - "Today's actions by the Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA in Denver represents a missed opportunity to end discrimination against gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships," said the Rev. Cynthia Witt, president of the Network for Inclusive Vision, San Diego, one of five national organizations affirming lesbian...

DENVER (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are responding to God's call to feed the hungry and seek justice in the world. The 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly passed a resolution Aug. 21 that encourages the church to recommit to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. The...

DENVER (ELCA) -- In Kansas City, Mo., the 1993 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) struggled through several days of debate and amendments to approve "Together for Ministry," the final report and recommendations of a five-year study of ministry. Six years later, the 1999 ELCA Churchwide...

DENVER (ELCA) -- The closing minutes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) 1999 Churchwide Assembly were spent addressing concerns that linger across the ELCA after an intense debate over a proposal to enter a relationship of full communion with The Episcopal Church. The assembly approved the proposal Aug....

DENVER (ELCA) -- While a mariachi band played and Southwest cuisine was served, voting members and participants of the 1999 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly learned about churchwide units and ministry projects at the Festival Plaza built to resemble a marketplace of the Southwest United States. The...

DENVER (ELCA) -- We are the church of now and we are the church of the future, Sarah Helminski, 18, told the 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Aug. 20. Helminski, Epiphany Lutheran Church, Toledo, Ohio, helped deliver the youth convocation report to the assembly....

DENVER (ELCA) -- One thousand two hundred fifty people picked up 1,250 chunks of multi-colored glass, placed them carefully on a pre-mapped = table, which had been readied for a special project of the 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The churchwide assembly, the chief...

DENVER (ELCA) -- "The priesthood of all believers" is an ancient Lutheran principle, but it is a matter of daily life for 5.2 million members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly received a progress report focusing the church's attention on the work of...

DENVER (ELCA) -- In Philadelphia the 1997 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) established a program to transform the lives of people inhabiting the hearts of U.S. cities and, in turn, transform their congregations and communities. The ELCA's 1999 Churchwide Assembly received a progress report Aug....

DENVER (ELCA) -- The 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved the development of a social statement on health and ethical challenges of health care Aug. 20. The social statement will be considered by the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative...