ELCA Provides $235,000 for Disaster Recovery Efforts Overseas
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In August 2010 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) allocated $235,000 to international church organizations and relief agencies working to reach families and individuals in need of services and supplies following natural disasters. Funds were allocated to meet the specific needs of people in Pakistan, China,...
Eric Shafer, ELCA Pastor, to Preach on 'Day 1' Aug. 29
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Eric C. Shafer, senior vice president for religious media at Odyssey Networks, will preach Aug. 29 on "Day 1," a nationally broadcast radio program. Shafer is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). More http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4606 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773)...
ELCA Presiding Bishop to Visit China Aug. 28-Sept. 5
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Although there are no Lutheran churches in China, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has developed deep, mission-focused relationships with Christian councils and Protestant expressions in the country. At the invitation of Chinese church leaders the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, will visit China...
ELCA Board of Pensions Trustees Approve 2011 Plan Contribution Rates
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Trustees of the Board of Pensions (BOP) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved 2011 plan contribution rates and plan amendments, heard an update on members affected by a reduction in annuity plan payments and discussed possible effects of this year's landmark federal health care...
ELCA Membership 4.5 Million, Offerings More Than $2.6 Billion in 2009
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reported a baptized membership of 4,543,037 in 10,348 congregations in 2009. The information is based on an analysis of membership and income data by the ELCA Office of the Secretary and ELCA Research and Evaluation from parochial reports submitted by...
Haiti Still in Crisis, ELCA Members Continue Response
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Haiti is still in crisis. According to a July 30 situation report from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) the Caribbean nation has yet to move into the recovery phase, following the Jan. 12 earthquake that left 1.5 million people displaced from their homes. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4604...
ELCA Churchwide Organization Details 2010 Budget Reductions
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Aug. 4 actions by the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to reduce the 2010 current fund spending authorization for the churchwide organization affected a variety of ministries, especially those administered by the five program units of the church. More http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4601 For...
ELCA Commits $100,000 for Pakistan Flood Response
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response (IDR) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has committed $100,000 in response to widespread flooding in Pakistan. More http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4600 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news Twitter: http://twitter.com/elcanews
ELCA Council Reduces 2010 Churchwide Spending, Acts on Pensions Resolutions
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) revised the 2010 current fund spending authorization for the ELCA churchwide organization to $65.1 million, a mid-year reduction of $4.2 million or 6.1 percent from the previously authorized $69.3 million for 2010. More http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4599 For information...
Jackson-Skelton Elected LWF Treasurer, Vice President LWF North America
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The council of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) elected Christina Jackson-Skelton to serve as vice president of the LWF North American region and as LWF treasurer. Jackson-Skelton is treasurer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), president and executive director of the ELCA Mission Investment Fund....
ELCA Presiding Bishop Calls for Immigration Reform in Letter to Obama
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- If Congress does not pass comprehensive immigration reform soon, state legislators and local governments will continue to take immigration policy into their own hands, wrote the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in a July 27 letter to U.S....
ELCA Members Elected to Lutheran World Federation's Council
STUTTGART, Germany (ELCA) -- Four members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were elected to the 48-member council of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) July 24 at the LWF Assembly here. More http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4596 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news Twitter: http://twitter.com/elcanews
ELCA Members, Bishops Moved to Ensure Children Don't Go Hungry
WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- Nearly one in four American children are hungry, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Bishops and members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are working together to fight hunger among children. More http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4595 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773)...
Munib Younan Elected President of Lutheran World Federation
STUTTGART, Germany (ELCA) -- The Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), has been elected president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) July 24 at the LWF Assembly here. Younan received 300 votes affirming his election, 23 against and 37...
Lutheran World Federation President Says Ecumenical Commitment to Continue
STUTTGART, Germany (ELCA) -- The Lutheran commitment to ecumenism will not end until members can share the Eucharist with other churches, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, according to a news release from...
Hollywood Movie 'Get Low' Features ELCA Pastor's Extended Family
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Elizabeth C. Birkholz's grandfather loved to tell the story about Felix "Bush" Breazeale, a reclusive man from Cave Creek, Tenn., who threw himself a funeral party -- while still alive -- in 1938, so he could hear what people would say about him. Birkholz's grandfather,...
Lutheran World Federation President Pleads for Unity Despite Differences
STUTTGART, Germany (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), appealed to delegates at the LWF assembly here to hold together and avoid splits in the face of differences over issues of sexuality,...
Lutherans Take Historic Step in Asking for Forgiveness from Mennonites
STUTTGART, Germany (ELCA) -- In what the Rev. Mark S. Hanson described as possibly "the most significant legacy this assembly will leave," the Eleventh Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) here took the historic step of asking the Mennonites for forgiveness for past persecutions, according to a news release...
Lutheran World Federation Meets In 'Confident Hope,' Says President
STUTTGART, Germany (ELCA) -- Lutherans are meeting in Stuttgart, Germany, for their international assembly at a time when "the world is in pain," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, according to a July...
ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod to Receive Seven Pastors by 'Rite of Reception'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is celebrating a "Rite of Reception" service for seven pastors on July 25 at St. Marks Lutheran Church, San Francisco. More http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4588 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news Twitter: http://twitter.com/elcanews
