ELCA saves $295,000 on health contributions in 2009
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service* Across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), 15 synods, seminaries and churchwide ministries saved collectively more than $295,000 this year on ELCA health benefit contribution payments, according to a news release from the ELCA Board of Pensions. The savings came from a 2...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Welcomes Travel Policy Change for People with HIV
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joined others in welcoming a decision by U.S. President Barack Obama to remove entry restrictions into the United States for people who are HIV-positive. "Ending discriminatory policies and confronting stigmatizing attitudes toward people living with HIV...
ELCA's 'Grace Matters' Programs Now Available Through Odyssey Networks
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Selected programs of "Grace Matters," the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), are being made available in downloadable and podcast forms at the Web site for Odyssey Networks. Earlier this year ELCA Communication Services stopped production of Grace Matters because of budget reductions....
Lutherans Mourn Deaths of Dickinson State University Students
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Many North Dakota Lutherans have joined people throughout the country in mourning the drowning deaths of three students at Dickinson (N.D.) State University, the result of a tragic accident, law enforcement officials said. The bodies of the students -- Ashley Neufeld, Kyrstin Gemar and Afton Williamson --...
Lutheran CORE Responds to ELCA Congregational Mission Director
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two leaders of the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (CORE) said, with a "resounding yes," they are serious about their endeavors as an organization. They also said they "take no joy in following a process that will likely lead Lutheran CORE to depart from the ELCA's (Evangelical Lutheran...
ELCA Resource Addresses 'Worship in Times of Public Health Concerns'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The declaration of a national emergency has raised a number of questions across the United States about safely assembling for school and worship during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Worship and Liturgical Resources answered many of those questions in a resource...
Paul Manz, Distinguished Lutheran Organist, Composer and Teacher, Dies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Paul O. Manz, a well-known Lutheran organist, composer, church musician and teacher, died Oct. 28 after several weeks of hospice care in St. Paul, Minn. Manz, 90, was surrounded by family at his death as they sang "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come," his most famous choral...
Lutheran Bishops Advocate for Rights of Immigrants and Refugees
WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- Protecting children and keeping immigrant families together were repeated concerns raised by a committee of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) bishops discussing issues of immigration. The group met with Global Refuge staff and others to discuss the status of immigration reform and...
ELCA Wittenberg Center Staff Ends Service Nov. 30, Center's Future Unclear
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The directors of the Wittenberg Center of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will end their service in Germany Nov. 30, the result of "harsh budget realities," according to the Rev. Robert O. Smith, ELCA Global Mission. Smith made the comment in an Oct. 19 letter...
Some ELCA Congregations Vote to Leave or Redirect Funds, Find It's Not Easy
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), leaders and members have responded in a variety of ways to changes in the church's ministry polices, a decision made by voting members of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. Some members agreed with the decision. Some were opposed. Some weren't...
Bishop Margot Kaessmann to Lead German Protestants
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Margot Kaessmann, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hannover, was elected Oct. 28 to chair the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). Kaessmann, 51, is the first woman has become the highest representative of 25 million German Protestants. She is also the youngest chairperson of...
LWF General Secretary-Elect Names Priorities to Strengthen LWF Communion
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Enhancing the quality of relationships among churches in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and embarking on a participatory planning process to ensure the organization's sustainability are priorities for the organization's general secretary elect, the Rev. Martin Junge. The LWF is 140 churches in the Lutheran tradition in...
ELCA University Receives $3 Million Gift For Solmaz Institute
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Solmaz Institute for Obesity will work to prevent and treat childhood obesity in the Catawba Valley region of North Carolina. That work will be made possible by a $3 million gift to Lenoir- Rhyne University, Hickory, N.C. from Gungor and Diana Solmaz of Denver, N.C. Lenoir-Rhyne...
Twelve ELCA Seminarians Receive Full-Tuition Scholarships
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is seeing the "first fruits" of a challenge gift from the ELCA Mission Investment Fund (MIF). Four seminarians received the first full-tuition scholarships from the ELCA Mission Developer Scholarship Fund, and another eight seminarians received full-tuition scholarships from the ELCA...
ELCA Vice President Addresses Dissatisfaction with Assembly Decisions
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Carlos Peña, vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), wrote an Oct. 23 letter to the church's 4.6 million members, asking them to consider actions of the ELCA's 2009 Churchwide Assembly "as a catalyst to further strengthen our church and our relationships with each...
ELCA Congregations Define Mission According to Their Local Contexts
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Joy Mortensen-Wiebe is looking for congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) East-Central Synod of Wisconsin to define mission. "We want mission to come from the community, and we're looking to (congregations) to define what mission means in their local contexts," she said....
Martin Junge Named General Secretary of Lutheran World Federation
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council elected the Rev. Martin Junge on Oct. 26 to a seven-year term as the eighth LWF General Secretary. The former president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile (Iglesia Evangelica Luterana en Chile - IELC) becomes the first general secretary from...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Urges Commitment to Strong LWF
GENEVA, Switzerland (ELCA) -- In a report highlighting changing contexts of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and its respective member churches, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, LWF president, urged the organization's council to make decisions that reflect commitment to "a sustainable and strong LWF going into the future." Hanson is...
Women of the ELCA, 'The Lutheran' Reduce Churchwide Budgets, Staff
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America eliminated seven full-time positions from its churchwide staff, the result of a reduction in the organization's 2010 budget. "The Lutheran," the magazine of the ELCA, will eliminate two positions from its staff in 2010 because of circulation and advertising...
Lutherans Offer 'Good Gifts' for the Upcoming Holiday Season
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- This holiday season the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is offering exclusive gift ideas designed to help change the lives of people close to home and around the world. "ELCA Good Gifts," the church's yearlong giving catalog, features 19 pages of gift ideas designed to support...
