ELCA Congregations to Host Gatherings, Strive to be Centers of Hospitality
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- People around the world are on the move, and Lutherans are examining some of the reasons why -- climate change, food security, civil and political unrest and more. To address the global and local realities of migration and accompaniment, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is...
LDR, ELCA Synods, Social Ministry Organizations Prepare for Hurricane Earl
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders and members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) living along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States are preparing for Hurricane Earl, while leaders of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) and affiliated organizations have made some preliminary response plans. More http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4623 For information contact: John...
ELCA Commits Additional $110,000 for Pakistan Floods
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response (IDR) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced Aug. 31 it has committed an additional $110,000 to respond to human needs in Pakistan, where widespread flooding from monsoons has greatly affected the country. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4622 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773)...
ELCA Synod Bishop, LDR Director, Preach at Katrina Events in New Orleans
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were guest preachers at services in New Orleans Aug. 29, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the devastation Hurricane Katrina brought to the city and the Gulf Coast region around it. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4619 For information contact: John Brooks, Director...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Joins Christian Leaders in Letter on Mideast Talks
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Writing that they "have no illusions about the difficulty of the task ahead," 28 Christian leaders urged U.S. President Barack Obama and negotiators to continue their efforts to help leaders of the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority reach a peace agreement. The Rev. Mark S....
ELCA Synod Bishop Comments on New York Muslim Center Proposal
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Regardless of whether people approve or disapprove of a possible Muslim community center or mosque in lower Manhattan, a synod bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) wrote in an Aug. 30 public statement that this is a time for all to be sensitive to...
ELCA Missionary Witnesses Miracles in Liberia
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Edna E. Johnson wanted one more great adventure in life. After a 28-year career instructing nursing students at the University of Connecticut, 73-year-old Johnson became a volunteer missionary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and moved to Liberia. There she witnessed miracles. "I knew...
Two ELCA Congregations Give $830,000 to Support Global Ministries
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have given a combined total of more than $830,000 to support global ministries for one reason -- to join hands with Lutherans around the world to "teach, preach, heal, build, grow, give and receive." More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4617 For...
ELCA Presiding Bishop's Next Town Hall Forum September 19
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will answer questions on a variety of topics from members of the denomination on Sunday, Sept. 19. Hanson will take questions during an hour-long "Town Hall Forum" beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern...
Iowa Congregation to Remain in the ELCA
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Zion United Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, Iowa, will remain in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) after an Aug. 22 congregational vote to leave the denomination fell short of the required two-thirds. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4613 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news Twitter:...
Devastation in Haiti Far Worse than Imagined, Says ELCA Leader
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Pictures of the devastation are distressing, but seeing earthquake-ravaged Haiti in person is far worse than what the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla imagined. "It is overwhelming," said Malpica Padilla, executive director for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Global Mission. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4615 For information contact: John...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Discernment, Repentance, Reconciliation
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), addressed a number of topics in an Aug. 24 pastoral letter to the church, including differing views on human sexuality, reconciliation, not bearing false witness against one another and ongoing dialogue about...
40 Years Later, ELCA Pastor Elizabeth Platz Still Serves Maryland Students
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (ELCA) -- For nearly 45 years, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Platz has served here at the University of Maryland (UM), quietly influencing generations of Lutheran students to remain active in the church and in service to others. Those whose lives she has touched speak highly of Platz's...
Lutherans Begin Ecumenical Pilgrimage to Retrace Luther's Steps
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two Lutherans will leave the Augustinian priory in Erfurt, Germany, Aug. 22, and walk one thousand miles to Rome, retracing the footsteps of Martin Luther. But for the Rev. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson and her husband, Dr. Andrew Lars Wilson, it's much more than a long hike --...
Well-known ELCA Missionary to Tanzania, J. David Simonson, Dies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. J. David Simonson, a retired pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and well-known Lutheran missionary who served in East Africa, died Aug. 16 at his home in Arusha, Tanzania. Simonson, 80, spent more than 40 years working with the Maasai tribe in...
Lutherans Learn that Eight Tons of Stone Builds a Hospital
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Imagine having your next board of directors meeting in a field, under a tree. The meeting includes delivering research reports, sharing blueprints and decision-making. This was the case for a group of people in Mumeya, Rwanda, for four years. Their efforts yielded a new health clinic that...
Lutherans to Mark Five-year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The 4.5 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will mark the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina during Sunday worship Aug. 29, the day Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Worship and liturgical resources for the anniversary are available on the ELCA website. More:...
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...
