ELCA Health Plan Rates to Rise in 2000
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) health plan contribution rates for sponsored members will increase an average of 10 percent next year. The ELCA Board of Pensions trustees met here Aug. 4-6 and approved the increase to keep pace with rising health care costs. Board trustees approved...
Lutherans Respond to Flood-Affected Areas in Iowa
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Four counties in northeastern Iowa have been declared federal disaster sites and seven counties have been declared state disaster sites after extensive flooding this summer, said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director for Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and...
Halverson Named Director for ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Cynthia J. Halverson, former vice president of The Alford Group, a national nonprofit consulting firm based in Chicago, began a new position Aug. 2 as director for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Fund for Leaders in Mission. Halverson will work with the ELCA Foundation and...
ELCA Members Continue Contributions for Kosovo Relief
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed an additional $450,000 Aug. 5 for the=20 post-crisis reconstruction and rehabilitation in and around Kosovo. Funds will be used by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) for social development projects in Mitrovica, Pec/Decani and Prizren/Orahovac, Kosovo. Professional psychologists...
Lutherans Host College Fairs
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) will hold "Lutheran College Fair" programs in 16 states this fall. Prospective students, their families and other interested individuals are invited. Lutheran college admission representatives will be present to discuss...
Mission Development, Justice Issues Highlight GME Workshops
LINCOLN, NEB. (ELCA) -- More than 70 workshops and seminars, known as the "Global University" highlighted a variety of Christian concerns at this summer's Global Mission Events (GMEs). The annual events, which highlight domestic and international ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), are sponsored by the ELCA...
Lutheran Church Sends Missionaries into the World
CHICAGO (ELCA) After finishing a three-week orientation session Aug. 2, 33 missionaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will depart for 17 countries on four continents, said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communications, ELCA Division for Global Mission. An additional 15 missionaries will be deployed...
ELCA International Disaster Response Is Present Around the World
An avalanche of water, rock and mud wiped out entire neighborhoods and hundreds of acres of farmland within minutes when the crater lake of the Casita volcano, Posoltega, Nicaragua, collapsed. The avalanche, killing more than 2,000 people, was the single worst disaster spawned by Hurricane Mitch Oct. 29-31. "The area...
Global Mission Event Speakers Focus on "Walking Together" Theme
LINCOLN, Neb. (ELCA) More than 2,400 people attended the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) 1999 Global Mission Events and heard speakers address the church's mission in the new millennium and a variety of social justice issues in the United States and abroad. Global Mission Events (GMEs) were held this...
Lutherans Work Toward Ministerial Health, Wellness
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In an effort to strengthen and support the health of ministry candidates and rostered leaders, and their spouses and families, a task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is developing a strategic plan for 2000-2006. The Rev. Stephen L. Ganzkow-Wold, consultant for ministerial health...
ELCA Men's and Women's Organizations Receive Financial Gift
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The men's organization and women's organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) received grants from Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL), a fraternal benefits organization based in Appleton, Wis. Lutheran Men in Mission, the men's organization of the ELCA, received a $40,000 grant to help 1,000...
ELCA Churchwide Assembly Sponsors Live Web Chats
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Those unable to attend the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Aug. 16-22 in Denver can participate in 11 real-time online chats on the World Wide Web through the ELCA home page. The online chats will generally follow presentations and churchwide votes, said...
Chicago Lutheran, Presbyterian Seminaries Share Grant
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) and McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, are sharing a $505,000 grant from The Teagle Foundation of New York to investigate ways of combining administrative tasks, technology and facilities. LSTC is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
Lutherans to Vote on Full Communion with Moravians
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- When the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) meets in assembly Aug. 16-22 in Denver, its 1,039 voting members will consider a proposal, "Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion," which would affirm full communion with the Moravian Church in America. The Northern and Southern Provinces of the...
Independent Lutheran Journals Debate Full Communion Proposal
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Several independent journals addressing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) presented various positions on a proposal which outlines a relationship of "full communion" between the ELCA and The Episcopal Church. The Lutheran Commentator opposed the proposal; two publications of the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (ALPB), Delhi,...
Horizon Internships Give Seminarians Learning Experiences
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- More than 35 students at seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will spend their third year of seminary education on internships in rural, urban and multicultural settings with the help of the Horizon Internship program, said the Rev. Gregory J. Villalon, director for ethnic...
ELCA Black Rostered Leaders Engage the Future
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two hundred and fifty African American and Black leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met here June 21-23 for the first Black Rostered Leadership Summit. Under the theme "Remembering the Past ... Engaging the Future," the goal of the gathering was to strengthen the...
Lutheran African Americans Focus On Criminal Justice
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- African American members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are concerned about the disproportionate number of Black men and women incarcerated in the United States. During its seventh biennial convention here June 23-26, members of the African American Lutheran Association (AALA) voted to communicate to...
ELCA Receives Funds to Deepen Worship Life and Teach the Faith
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In an effort to deepen worship life and teach the faith, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) received $250,000 from the Lutheran Brotherhood Foundation, Minneapolis, to support and expand the work of the church's initiatives. "Deepen Our Worship Life" and "Teach the Faith" are two of...
Lutherans Join "Journey Against Hate"
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were among those on the July 22-24 "Journey Against Hate" to combat the rise of hate groups in America. A group of religious and civic leaders traveled through Illinois and Indiana, following the path Benjamin Nathaniel Smith took...
