Twenty-Two Lutherans in the 106th Congress
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- There are 22 Lutherans in the 106th Congress of the United States, according to the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), Washington, D.C., the federal public policy advocacy office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Nine of the 17 Lutherans in the U.S. House are...
Statement of ELCA Presiding Bishop at Close of Impeachment Trial
"With the end of the impeachment trial in Washington today, a difficult = chapter in our history is over. We have weathered a crisis that has tested our nation's = system of checks and balances. I join with other leaders in faith communities in = calling for prayer.=20 We must...
Opposition to Lutheran-Episcopal Proposal Organizing
MAHTOMEDI, Minn. (ELCA) -- While expressing support for a relationship of "full communion" between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Episcopal Church, almost 200 Lutherans gathered here at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church and resolved that the current Lutheran proposal, "Called to Common Mission," is not the way...
Trinity Lutheran Seminary Unveils Holocaust "Remember" Project
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, breaks ground Feb. 14 for "Promise for Life," a project memorializing the Holocaust -- the systematic annihilation of millions of Jews and other "undesirables" by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during World War II. Trinity is a seminary of the Evangelical...
Now More than 61.5 Million Lutherans in the World
GENEVA (ELCA) -- The number of Lutherans worldwide rose from 61.2 million in 1997 to 61.5 million in 1998, with significant increases registered in Africa, while Europe showed a general reduction in numbers. The number of Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches remained steady at 124 as did that of...
Two ELCA Global Mission Events Change Locations
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Planned locations for two of three Global Mission Events for 1999 have changed since initially announced. The Division for Global Mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sponsors the events each year. "Walking Together into the Next Century" is the theme for the 1999 Global...
Bishop Anderson, Cardinal George Discuss Consensus of Joint Declaration
PARK RIDGE, Ill. (ELCA) -- Representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Vatican are expected to sign the proposed "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" this year, saying condemnations of the 16th century no longer apply and declaring consensus on an important issue that has divided Lutherans and...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Signs Letters Opposing Confiscation ID
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), this month signed letters of support for church leaders in Jerusalem who oppose the Israeli policy that has resulted in confiscations of Jerusalem residency cards from Palestinians. Since 1996 there has been...
ELCA Identity Project off to an Exciting Start
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Identity Project, designed to raise awareness of the 5.2-million member denomination among several generations of unchurched people, has generated considerable excitement around the church, the advisory committee for the church's Department for Communication was told during its annual meeting here....
ELCA Teams up with Other Churches for 'Souper Bowl' Sunday
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Denver Broncos of the National Football League was not the only team victorious on "Super Bowl Sunday," Jan. 31.=20 Homeless shelters, food pantries and other services also won, thanks to more than 9,000 churches in the United States, including congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
Lutherans Surpass $1 Million-Mark in 'Millions for Mitch' Campaign
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "Millions for Mitch" -- a campaign that involves millions of Lutherans contributing millions of dollars for recovery efforts in Central America following the devastation of Hurricane Mitch -- has surpassed the $1 million-mark since the campaign began in November 1998. The World Hunger and Disaster Appeal of...
Task Force Revises Lutheran Proposal on Economic Life
CHICAGO (ELCA) Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) wanted a statement on economic life and the Christian faith that integrates biblical and theological understandings throughout the document and that is more prophetic in tone than the first draft distributed in March 1998, said Dr. Annette Citzler, chair...
1999 Peace Prize Forum:'Machinery and Morality of Modern Conflict'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The contemporary and traditional modes of warfare as well as new and traditional avenues of conflict resolution will be topics of the 11th annual Peace Prize Forum, "Striving for Peace: The Morality and Machinery of Modern Conflict," Feb. 19-20 at Augsburg College, Minneapolis. Augsburg is a college...
Lectures Explore 'Worship in the 21st Century'
CHICAGO (ELCA) Top Lutheran and Roman Catholic liturgists will explore "Worship in the 21st Century" through a series of lectures at seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The 1999 Hein-Fry lecturers will be Dr. Mary Collins, OSB, chair of the Department of Religion and Religious Education, The...
Lutherans Respond to Tornadoes in Arkansas
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will help bring relief to the people of Arkansas after 38 tornadoes struck the state Jan. 21. Response efforts will be organized through Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). "There were at...
ELCA and LCMS Youth Encourage Dialogue Between Church Bodies
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (ELCA)-- More than 300 young Lutherans passed a resolution "to affirm the Lutheran Student Movement-USA's (LSM) support of both the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) and to encourage further dialogue between the ELCA and LCMS on how greater ecclesiastical unity might be...
ELCA Man Says Death Penalty Solves Few Problems
BALTIMORE (ELCA)-- A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) whose sister was brutally murdered, and who later witnessed the execution of her murderer, told a story of forgiveness to a national symposium on criminal justice here Jan. 22-24. Ron Carlson's sister, Deborah, was one of two people...
ELCA Hosts Multicultural Writers' Workshop
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is taking steps to increase diversity in its resources, Bible studies and devotional materials. One way to meet that effort is through the ELCA Multicultural Writers' Workshop, designed to introduce experienced writers to the range of opportunities for ELCA publications....
ELCA Answers Call for Help after Colombia Earthquake
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent $15,000 to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia (Iglesia Evangelica Luterana de Colombia) Jan. 28 in response to a request that Lutheran churches around the world provide $73,000 in immediate assistance for survivors of a major earthquake and aftershocks....
ELCA Youth Gathering Team Leaders, Volunteers Meet in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS (ELCA) About 150 team leaders and volunteers from throughout the United States and Caribbean met here Jan. 8-10 to plan the 2000 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Youth Gathering, an international worship and learning event for young people, most of whom are Lutheran. The gathering will bring...
