News

In her Easter message, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said,“On Easter morning we will gather to greet the risen Son and give thanks to God for the new life we have in Jesus Christ.”

The ELCA's first comprehensive campaign, Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA, is celebrating the completion of its second year with $80 million in cash gifts and gift commitments, representing 40 percent of the five-year, $198 million goal by Jan. 31, 2019. In addition, the ELCA has received another $17 million in planned gifts commitments to the priorities of the campaign.

The Conference of Bishops of the ELCA is discerning the denomination’s future directions and priorities in a new process known as “Called Forward Together in Christ.”

The Rev. Wolfgang D. Herz-Lane, bishop of the ELCA's Delaware-Maryland Synod based in Baltimore, traveled with an interfaith delegation to the Vatican for a March 2 meeting with Pope Francis. The group met the pope following his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square and received a blessing for their ecumenical work in the aftermath of the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray.

Members of the ELCA are offering prayers for the congregation of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Duluth, Minn., whose church suffered major damage in a fire Feb. 18.

Heidi Hagstrom, former program director of the ELCA Youth Gathering, was presented with the Tom Hunstad Award for Excellence in Children, Youth and Family Ministry during the ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza held Feb. 4-8 in Anaheim, Calif.

In response to the water crisis in Flint, Mich., members from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Livonia, Mich., delivered more than 3,000 gallons of donated water Jan. 31 to the congregation of Salem Lutheran Church in Flint.

Members of the ELCA offer prayers to those impacted by program and staff reductions at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI). On Jan. 22 the nonprofit social service agency of the three ELCA Illinois synods announced the cuts due to the state’s inability to pass a budget for the past seven months.

Building on a path toward greater unity, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Catholic Church will participate in a joint ecumenical commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on Oct. 31, 2016, in Lund, Sweden.

The ELCA has received a $1 million grant as part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders. The endowment is giving a total of $28 million through this initiative, which supports religious organizations across the country as they address the financial and economic struggles that often impair the ability of pastors to lead congregations effectively.

In simultaneous meetings held on their respective campuses January 12-13, the boards of Gettysburg and Philadelphia Lutheran seminaries adopted identical resolutions calling for “the creation of a new school of theology and leadership formation.”

Portico Benefit Services, a ministry of the ELCA, has launched what it calls the ELCA wellness reformation and is inviting ELCA pastors and church leaders to pursue healthier lifestyles in 2016 through its annual wellness program, the GO! Challenge. Portico provides benefits and services to enhance the well-being of ELCA rostered leaders and lay employees.

After a December visit to the Chicago Immigration Court of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton reaffirmed the ELCA's commitment to work as "church together" to bear witness and respond to the significant number of children and families fleeing Central America and Mexico.

Lifting up this church’s commitment to the 500-year-old Lutheran intellectual tradition, the ELCA has created the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities, established in collaboration with the ELCA’s 26 colleges and universities to promote their shared mission and identity.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, met with Syrian refugees living in the Za’atari refugee camp during a Dec. 12-15 trip to Jordan.

In her Christmas message, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said although the evidence of Christmas is all around, “We are also still in Advent.”

Affirming this church’s commitment to caring for God’s creation, the ELCA supports the outcome of the 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which met in Paris Nov. 30-Dec.11. The summit concluded with the approval of the Paris agreement, which includes a commitment to keep global warming well below two degrees.

In a Dec. 11 letter to the Muslim-American community, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said, “I am writing on behalf of many Christians in this country who wish to share a word of solidarity, love and hope with you in these difficult days.”

The ELCA is hosting its first Grace Gathering, an event to help prepare Lutherans for the observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It will be held in partnership with the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans.

On the 45th anniversary of the ordination of Lutheran women in the United States, "I give thanks for my sisters who were the first women pastors," said the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA. "I give thanks for all women in ministry. We are doing what Mary, the mother of our Lord, and Mary Magdalene did before us – proclaiming the gospel."