ELCA member named president of Lutheran Services in America
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Charlotte Haberaecker will be installed Aug. 22 as president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America. A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Haberaecker is the fourth president of Lutheran Services in America. In alliance with the ELCA, Lutheran Services in America is made...
Cost adjustments to ELCA benefits program lower than national average
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Trustees of Portico Benefit Services approved 2013 cost adjustments to the benefits program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that fall below the national average of health premiums. At their Aug. 2-4 meeting here, Portico's board of trustees approved an overall cost increase of between...
ELCA celebrates its 25th anniversary
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is celebrating its 25th anniversary beginning January 2013. Under the theme, "Always being made new" the 4.2 million-member church will embark on a year-long reflection on the people and events that have shaped this church and the life-changing ministries across...
ELCA presiding bishop expresses sympathy to the U.S. Sikh community
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- On behalf of the 4.2 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop, expressed sympathy, love, solidarity and prayers in an Aug. 6 letter to the American region of the World Sikh Council in response to the Aug. 5 shooting at...
ELCA members cite progress toward sustainable HIV response, but not enough
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) attended the 2012 International AIDS Conference July 22-27 in Washington, D.C., as advocates of the ELCA Strategy on HIV and AIDS." We are at a critical moment in the response to HIV," according to Dennis Frado, who directs...
About 35,000 ELCA youth, adults and volunteers build a community of love
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) - Dane Bakken wanted to know what it was like to haul a 41.5-pound jug of water on foot for 3.7 miles -- the average for what a woman or girl in Africa will walk to bring clean water for her family. "You can read about (such...
ELCA, Episcopal bishops say 2012 is a defining moment for HIV, AIDS
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The presiding bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Episcopal Church welcome the 20,000 people traveling from 200 countries to the United States for the 2012 International AIDS Conference taking place July 22-27 in Washington, D.C. In a letter to participants, ELCA Presiding...
ELCA youth celebrate diversity, abilities and faith
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) - For Emily Schmidlin of Trinity Lutheran Church in Kent, Ohio, it is important to know that people with disabilities have a lot in common with those who do not. "Although we in the definitely abled community may look or act differently than (what) you're used to,...
ELCA leaders support Christian leaders' call for immigration reform
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Three top leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) strongly support a recent statement by ecumenical Christian leaders who are calling for a bipartisan solution to U.S. immigration reform. In a July 2 response, ELCA leaders said that the "Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration...
ELCA college awarded Second Nature Climate Leadership Award
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, was presented a 2012 Climate Leadership Award from Second Nature in recognition for the steps the institution has taken to be a leader in reducing its carbon footprint. Luther is one of 26 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
ELCA congregation returns home after Colorado wildfire evacuation
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- After spending several days evacuated from their building and homes, members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., were able to return to their church building July 1 for worship. Christ the King's building sustained no damage, although four of the congregation's families lost...
35,000 ELCA teenage, adult members to descend on New Orleans, July 18-22
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- For the past 25 years, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has been deeply committed to the faith formation of its teenagers, namely through ELCA Youth Gatherings - the largest event organized by the 4.2 million-member church. Held every three years, ELCA Youth Gatherings bring together...
ELCA congregations face challenges after a week of natural disasters
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- After a week of natural disaster across the United States, the congregations and ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are now in the process of assessing damages and getting to work in the recovery process. In Colorado, where four separate wildfires have consumed over...
ELCA leader grateful for halt in some youth deportations, but more to do
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Calling the Obama administration's decision to stop the deportation of young undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria a step in the right direction, the Rev. H. Julian Gordy said there is still more to do. Gordy said the administration's policy change, announced June 15, follows an action...
A year later, ELCA members remain committed to restoring Minot, N.D.
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Souris River began rising June 22, 2011, in Minot, N.D. Five days later it would crest nearly 13 feet above the flood stage, driving 12,000 people from their homes and damaging more than 4,100 homes and businesses, including four church buildings of the Evangelical Lutheran Church...
James Hazelwood elected bishop of ELCA New England Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. James E. Hazelwood was elected June 9 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He was elected on the fifth ballot at the synod's assembly June 8-10 in Springfield, Mass. Hazelwood is...
ELCA experiencing growth in the number of long-term mission personnel
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Tessa Moon Leiseth, her husband, Jon, and their two children will soon call Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, home for the next four years. Tessa is among 15 new missionaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) beginning service in July. The ELCA is one of...
Brian Maas elected bishop of ELCA Nebraska Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Brian D. Maas was elected June 2 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He was elected on the fourth ballot with 432 of the 702 votes at the synod's assembly June 1-2...
Stephen Talmage re-elected bishop of ELCA Grand Canyon Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Stephen S. Talmage was elected May 30 to second a six-year term as bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He was re-elected on the first ballot with 228 of the 261 votes at the synod's assembly May...
Clayton Schmit named first provost of ELCA seminary
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Clayton J. Schmit has been named founding provost of the new School of Theology, which is to be formed when Lenoir- Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., merge July 1. The seminary is one of eight of the...
