Lutheran Asian Association Plans for the Future
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "You are the sign of hope, the future of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America," the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, told members of the Association of Asians - ELCA. Under the theme "Rejoice in Hope: Prayer and Spirituality in Everyday Life," 95...
ELCA Membership Remained Stable in 1996
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- With a total of 5,180,910 baptized members in 10,936 congregations, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) remained largely stable in membership for 1996, according to the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary. The membership figure represented a slight decrease of 9,517 from 5,190,427 in 1995. The...
ELCA Lutheran Global Events Set for Summer
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "Look to Jesus, Run the Race" will be the theme when members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America gather this summer for two Global Mission Events. The events are July 10-13 at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill., and July 17-20 at Texas Lutheran University, Seguin, Texas. In...
World Lutherans to Meet in Hong Kong
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) will hold its Ninth Assembly July 8-16 in Hong Kong, a week after the British dependency's transfer to China. It will be the first major international Christian conference in Hong Kong after the turnover. The assembly will celebrate the LWF's 50th anniversary....
Lutherans Say There is Enough Food for All
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- "There is enough food for all. Decisions made by the United States Congress affect the children of our country, and we must speak on behalf of our children who are hungry. Hunger does have a cure," according to Deborah Martin, Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, Roscoe,...
Opposition Organizing Against ELCA Ecumenical Proposals
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Opposition is organizing within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America against proposals for the church to enter into "full communion" with the Episcopal Church and with three churches of the Reformed tradition -- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ. The ELCA...
ELCA Pension Board Redesigns Survivor Benefits Plan
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Trustees of the Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America unanimously approved a redesigned Survivor Benefits Plan, including the possibility of a terminally ill plan member collecting the benefits before death. The action was taken at the trustees quarterly meeting here May 29-30. The...
ELCA Aids Cyclone-Hit Madagascar
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Cyclone Gretelle tore through south-eastern Madagascar in late January, its high winds in the north and torrential rains in the south left behind a trail of death and destruction that affected more than half a million people. The Malagasy Lutheran Church and Action by Churches Together (ACT)...
Lutherans Writing About Ethics
ROSEMONT, Ill. (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is in the middle of developing a book of essays on Lutheran ethics, "with different perspectives, emphases and topic references." The authors met here May 30-31 to share outlines of their essays and to identify points at which they might...
Dunkin Elected Bishop in ELCA'S West Virginia-Western
DUNKIN ELECTED BISHOP IN WEST VIRGINIA-WESTERN MARYLAND The Rev. Ralph W. Dunkin, 46, was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on June 7. He received 93 votes to 33 votes cast for the Rev. Phillip C....
Augsburg Fortress and Gary Aamodt
AUGSBURG FORTRESS AND GARY AAMODT The Rev. Marvin L. Roloff, president and CEO of Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Minneapolis, announced May 19 that the parties to a matter of litigation have agreed to settle their disputes. The litigation was initiated by Gary Aamodt, former president and CEO of Augsburg Fortress, publishing...
Lutherans Respond to Texas Tornado
LUTHERANS RESPOND TO TEXAS TORNADO The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is responding to a tornado and heavy storms in Jarrel, Texas, through Lutheran Social Services of the South. The tornado killed 28 people and destroyed 300 homes in Jarrel and Cedar Park in May. Needs assesment is under way,...
ELCA JUNE 1997 CALENDAR
ELCA JUNE 1997 Hope Through Faithful Ministry 14-20 Reformed Church in America, General Synod, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 14-21 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 209th General Assembly, Syracuse Convention Center, Syracuse, N.Y. 19-22 Commission for Multicultural Ministries, Phase I Anti-Racism Training Institute, Ramada Plaza Hotel, Rosemont, Ill. 20-21 Division for Congregational Ministries,...
Dr. William Frame Named President of ELCA's Augsburg
FRAME NAMED PRESIDENT FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE Dr. William V. Frame, 56, will become the 10th president of Augsburg College, Minneapolis, on Aug. 1. He succeeds the Rev. Charles S. Anderson, 67, who will retire Sept. 1. Anderson served as the college's president for 17 years. Frame is currently the vice...
Lutheran Women Endow 'Katie's Fund'
LUTHERAN WOMEN ENDOW 'KATIE'S FUND' Fifteen women from across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have responded to "Katie's Fund" with gifts totaling more than $3,700. Katie's Fund, established to mark the tenth anniversary of Women of the ELCA, is a permanent endowment fund set up to provide programs, resources...
Lutheran Teens to New Orleans
LUTHERAN TEENS TO NEW ORLEANS The Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will bring together 35,300 Lutherans in New Orleans, making it the largest five-day gathering of young people in the United States. The senior high gathering, "River of Hope," will take place July 23-27, at the...
Good News for Minnesota Lutheran Teens
GOOD NEWS FOR ADA'S YOUTH As 35,300 young people and adults from across the country prepare to attend "River of Hope," a triennial Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, youth affected by the devastating floods of the Red River Valley "do not have the resources or energy...
Pate to Lead ELCA's African American Lutheran Association
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Sylvia J. Pate, Dayton, Ohio, was elected president of the African American Lutheran Association (AALA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. AALA is a "partnership" between the ELCA and the African American community. Pate was elected by AALA's 200 members when they met May 21-25, for...
Lutheran Services in America Named Board
MILWAUKEE (ELCA) -- About 280 social ministry organizations operating in about 3,000 locations joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in a corporate partnership -- Lutheran Services in America (LSA) -- and named a board of directors. LSA is one of the largest organizations of housing,...
H. George Anderson Visits Lutherans in Flooded Areas
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Riding in Grand Forks, N.D., past street after street with debris piled three to four feet high along the curbs, the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, could only shake his head. Front-end loaders prowled the streets in a losing...
