ELCA, Vatican leaders meet
CHICAGO (ELCA) - In gratitude for the "unity in Christ" between the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson shared with Pope Benedict XVI a sense of urgency between Lutherans and Catholics in responding to the "great needs of poverty and...
ELCA and Missouri Synod leaders continue conversations together
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod met Feb. 8 as the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation to discuss church-to-church cooperation and to share denominational updates. Although leaders of both church bodies have agreed to continue communication and information sharing as...
Ann Svennungsen elected bishop of the ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Ann M. Svennungsen was elected Feb. 18 to a six-year term as bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Elected on the fifth ballot during the synod assembly Feb. 17-18 in Prior Lake, Minn., Svennungsen is the first...
ELCA, North American Lutheran Church leaders meet for the first time
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the North American Lutheran Church met for the first time Feb. 6-7 for conversation on areas of disagreement, mutual interest and concern. The invitation for the meeting came from the ELCA in response to an action of...
Lutherans break ground for a new resettlement village in Haiti
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The commitment between members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the people of Haiti was celebrated Feb. 2 at a groundbreaking ceremony in the nation's Gressier municipality, where a new resettlement village is planned for 2012. A project of The Lutheran World Federation, the...
ELCA leaders' effort to protect families pays off
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) believe progress has been made with a recent policy change that would keep some families living in the United States, without legal residency, to remain here while applying for legal status -- a step intended to keeping families...
ELCA presiding bishop supports Syrian church leaders' call for peace
CHICAGO (ELCA) - In letters to Christian church leaders in Syria, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), offered his support of the churches' collective call for an end to violence and his prayers for the people in the region. "In these...
Palestinian Lutheran pastor to receive 'German Media Award'
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Dr. Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, will receive the German Media Prize award Feb. 24 for his work in founding educational, cultural and health care institutions and his commitment to inter-faith dialogue and peacemaking in the Middle East. "Mitri Raheb is...
Lutherans invite students to help end malaria
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The ELCA Malaria Campaign, a campaign of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the Lutheran Malaria Initiative will provide new opportunities for college and university students attending Lutheran schools and ELCA campus ministries to engage in the global fight against malaria. Supported with a generous...
Lutheran-Anglican-Episcopal meeting a sign of hope for the church
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Lutheran, Anglican and Episcopal leaders from the United States and Canada met in December to explore new possibilities for working together and to deepen their sense of unity for doing God's work in the world. In a report issued from their meeting, the leaders stated that their...
2011 Christmas message from ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), shared a Christmas greeting today with the 4.2 million members of this church. Hanson also delivered his greeting to the ELCA's six full communion, ecumenical and interfaith partners, and member churches of...
Secretary of State Clinton highlights the work of ELCA-related ministries
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton noted the vital work of Lutheran social ministry organizations in welcoming refugees to the United States, during her Dec. 7 address at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugee's ministerial conference in Geneva. In her presentation to world leaders, Clinton shared a...
ELCA, Episcopal presiding bishops remember lives lost to HIV, AIDS
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Episcopal Primate Katharine Jefferts Schori said World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 is "an opportunity for us to remember the 30 million lives that have been lost to the deadly pandemic." In their...
Presiding bishop says ELCA is deeply rooted in God's mission
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In his report to the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson said that the ELCA is "a church deeply rooted in God's mission (and) in the belief that Christ frees us all to serve our neighbor and seek...
ELCA Board of Pensions announces name change to Portico Benefit Services
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- The Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will begin doing business as Portico Benefit Services, effective immediately. The trustees of the ELCA Board of Pensions approved the name change during their November meeting and recommended that the ELCA Church Council amend Continuing...
ELCA Church Council responds to actions of the 2011 Churchwide Assembly
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) acted on several recommendations in response to actions of the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The council, which serves as the ELCA's board of directors, also approved revisions to the 2012 current fund spending authorization and considered...
ELCA Board of Pensions Trustees announce annuity adjustment for 2012
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Trustees of the Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced adjustments in 2012 ELCA Participating Annuity payments and the interest crediting rate for bridge accounts. The Board of Pensions is a separately incorporated ministry of the ELCA. The trustees made the decision...
ELCA bishop visits White House to discuss Israeli-Palestinian conflict
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), attended a Nov. 8 meeting at the White House as part of a group of ecumenical faith leaders. They asked that the United States take a stronger stance in its opposition to...
First ELCA member installed as National Council of Churches president
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Kathryn M. Lohre was installed as president of the National Council of Churches Nov. 9 at a service held at the Lutheran Center here. A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Lohre is the first Lutheran and ELCA member to serve as president of...
ELCA bishops call state immigration laws 'shortsighted'
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Nearly 60 of 65 synod bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) expressed their concern over new state immigration laws in Nov. 2 letters to President Barack Obama and members of Congress. In their letter, the synod bishops asked that both Congress and the administration...
