Lutherans Join Environmental Justice Conference
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The church's place in the struggle for environmental justice in the United States was the topic of "Christ is in our Midst!" -- an ecumenical conference sponsored by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC). About 30 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church...
Lutherans Urged to "Step up to the Plate" for All Children
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Bouquets of flowers -- wilting, lifeless, dying -- that have memorialized the tragedy at Columbine High School, Littleton, Colo., have become symbols of those who have died and symbols of those children who die every day from gunshot wounds in this country. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
Braaten Named President for Midland Lutheran College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Jennifer L. Braaten, 52, Boca Raton, Fla., becomes president of Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb., effective August 1999. Braaten succeeds the Rev. Carl L. Hansen, 61, who plans to retire at the end of the current academic year. Midland is one of 28 colleges and universities of...
Worship Then-and-Now Is Topic at Lutheran Seminaries
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Mary Collins, OSB, and the Rev. Gordon W. Lathrop said the story of Jesus Christ has been retold around the world for thousands of years through Christian worship. They explored "the principles of the cultural adaptation of Christian liturgy" and other challenges facing modern churches in...
Florida-Bahamas Synod Settles Court Case
CHICAGO (ELCA) The Florida-Bahamas Synod, one of 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will pay $250,000 in a settlement to a Fort Lauderdale woman who was abused in counseling by a former pastor in the synod. In her suit, Kerry Fitzgerald claimed that then-Rev. Conny Sjostrom...
Four ELCA Congregations Model Community Renewal
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Four congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), noted for service and fellowship in their communities, will serve as models for an ELCA community renewal endeavor. Angelica Lutheran Church, Los Angeles, Calif.; Centro Comunitario de la Iglesia Luterana La Sagrada Familia (Community Center of Holy...
Duane Larson Named President of Wartburg Theological Seminary
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Duane H. Larson, 46, was named to become president of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, on July 15. Wartburg is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The board of Wartburg Seminary announced May 4 that Larson will succeed the...
Opponents of Lutheran-Episcopal Agreement Meet, Discuss Strategy
MAHTOMEDI, Minn. (ELCA) -- Opponents of a Lutheran proposal for full communion between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Episcopal Church reaffirmed their determination to defeat the proposal when the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly meets in Denver Aug. 16- 22. About 125 people, mostly Lutherans, expressed numerous...
Fourteen New Lutheran Congregations Gain Training
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Thirty Lutherans came here from nine states for an intensive course designed for congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that have organized or reorganized in the past six months. The ELCA Division for Outreach sponsored the conference April 26-28. Pastors and lay leaders from...
Former Synod Bishop Resigns from Clergy Roster
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Ronald Hasley, 63, the former bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), resigned as an ordained ELCA pastor May 7, following allegations that he engaged in improper sexual conduct and sexual contact with several adult women while he was bishop....
Lutheran Ecumenism a Focus of Christian Unity Workshop
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (ELCA) -- Many of the speakers here May 3-6 for the 36th annual National Workshop on Christian Unity discussed various ecumenical relationships in which the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) finds itself. About 50 ELCA members were among the 400 ecumenical officers and representatives from a number...
Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network Seeks Recognition
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (ELCA) -- The Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network (LERN) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) began an identity-building transition at its annual meeting here May 3-6 during the National Workshop on Christian Unity. The Rev. Robert A. Kriesat, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Chatham, N.J., was elected to...
ELCA Confronts Humanitarian Crisis in Kosovo
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has issued an appeal for funds to help confront the increasing humanitarian crisis with the conflict in and around Kosovo. More than $380,000 has been "received from members of the ELCA for Kosovo relief, and contributions are still increasing," said...
ELCA Continues Aid to Tornado Survivors in Oklahoma and Kansas
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response continues to provide immediate emergency assistance to survivors of a destructive sequence of tornadoes that swept through Oklahoma and Kansas May 3. Lutheran Disaster Response is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). Lutheran Social...
Wounded Student's Family Issues Statement
CHICAGO (ELCA) The family of Anne Marie Hochhalter, a student severely wounded in the shootings at Columbine High School April 20, has issued a statement to their congregation expressing appreciation for "heartwarming cards and letters" and "offers of help and acts of love and kindness." Hochhalter, 17, and her family...
Lutherans Consider Ongoing Work in Littleton, Colo.
LITTLETON, COLO. (ELCA) Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) has committed an initial $10,000 to provide trained counselors to listen to the concerns of pastors and members of Lutheran churches here in the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings that left 15 people dead, said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director....
Board of Augsburg Fortress Publishers Addresses Various Topics
CHICAGO (ELCA) The financial situation of Augsburg Fortress, Publishers (AFP) is "solid," Robert McNulty, vice president, finance, told the AFP board of trustees at its April 22-24 meeting here. Trustees reviewed the 1998 audit report, prepared by Deloitte & Touche LLP, and took action on a variety of other topics....
Lutherans Assists Tornado Survivors in Oklahoma and Kansas
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Domestic Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will provide emergency assistance to survivors of tornadoes that struck Oklahoma and Kansas May 3. Initial reports indicate that at least "45 lives were lost and more than 1,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed,"...
Jolivette Named President of Waldorf College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Thomas L. Jolivette, 44, becomes president of Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa, on June 14. He succeeds William E. Hamm who resigned last December. Waldorf is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Since 1994 Jolivette has been...
ELCA Communicators Earn Religion Journalism Awards
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The communication efforts of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were recognized by the Associated Church Press (ACP), which presented awards for editing, writing, graphics, design and electronic publishing at its convention April 18-21 in Portland, Ore. The ACP encompasses 175 religious publications. The Southern Bulletin...
