Lutherans Recount Return from Haiti, Faith, Witness of Haitians
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Cheryl F. Meinschein feels blessed that she survived the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti but struggles with the fact that many people, particularly children, did not survive. "Where do you go with that?" she said to the News Service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
First LWF Relief Convoy Arrives in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (LWI) -- The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) plans to scale up operations and strengthen logistics capacity in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic following the Jan. 20 arrival of the first DWS convoy with urgently needed relief supplies in the Haitian capital of...
ELCA Synod Bishop Asks to Meet with Iowa Congregation President
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has asked for a meeting with the president of Zion United Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, Iowa, to discuss a disputed congregational vote on a resolution to leave the church. The Rev. Steven...
Brad Hewitt Named President and CEO, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans announced Jan. 20 that its board of directors named Brad Hewitt as the organization's new president and chief executive officer. Hewitt currently serves as Thrivent Financial's chief operating officer and will succeed Bruce Nicholson, retiring chairman, president and chief executive officer, effective Feb....
Memorial For Benjamin Larson to be Held at ELCA's Luther College Jan. 22
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A memorial service for Benjamin Judd Larson, 25, believed to have perished in the Haiti earthquake, will be held Jan. 22 at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. The service will begin at 2 p.m. Central Time at the college's Center for Faith and Life. Luther is one of...
Lutheran Federation Staff Reports Damage Extends Beyond Port-Au-Prince
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Severe damage from the Jan. 12 earthquake extends beyond Port-au-Prince, Haiti. According to staff of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) Caribbean/Haiti program, the towns of Gressier, Carrefour and Leogane, west of the Haitian capital, have also been destroyed. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4404 For information...
ELCA Members, Congregations Contribute More Than $1.2 Million for Haiti
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Individuals and congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have contributed more than $1.2 million to fund relief efforts of ELCA partner organizations working on the ground in Haiti, said the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, in a Jan. 19 conference...
ELCA Groups in Haiti Hope to be Home Soon; Seminary Students Return
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A group from Abiding Hope Lutheran Church, Littleton, Colo., is reported to have left Haiti today by boat headed for the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, a pastor with a Pennsylvania group in Haiti, reports the group hopes to leave the country by plane by Monday, and two Wartburg...
He Spent His Last Breath Singing: Wife, Cousin Remember ELCA's Ben Larson
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The past week for Renee Splichal Larson and Jonathan Larson has been filled with danger, uncertainty, heartache and deep pain as they mourn the apparent loss of Renee's husband and Jonathan's cousin, Ben Larson, 25, in the earthquake in Haiti. The two Evangelical Lutheran Church in America...
Lutheran World Federation Worker Describes Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "It looks like a war zone," and "so far no real help is in sight," said Eric Celiz of the situation in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Celiz is a financial officer of the Caribbean/Haiti program of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4399 For...
ELCA Raises Haiti Financial Commitment, Channels Funds Through Partners
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) increased its initial financial commitment to support relief efforts in Haiti to $600,000. The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, made the announcement Jan. 15, emphasizing the significance of a coordinated response by...
ELCA Churchwide Office Phones Open Jan. 16-18 to Accept Gifts for Haiti
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The churchwide office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) here will keep its phone lines open Jan. 16-18 to accept financial gifts to support relief efforts in Haiti. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4396 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news
Lutheran Haitian Says Goodwill Needed for Haiti's Survival
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Haiti will need to rely on the good will and compassion of people and churches if the Caribbean nation is to survive, according to the Rev. Joseph Livenson Lauvanus, president of Eglise Lutherienne d'Haiti (Lutheran Church of Haiti). More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4395 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773)...
ELCA Seminary Student May Have Perished in Haiti Earthquake
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- It is believed that Benjamin Judd Larson, a student at Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, died from the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, according to the Rev. Duane H. Larson, Wartburg president. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4394 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA Seminary President Reports Students' Status Unclear in Haiti
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- At least one student, perhaps two, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Wartburg Theological Seminary are unaccounted for in Haiti, following a severe earthquake that struck Jan.12, according to the Rev. Duane H. Larson, Wartburg president. Wartburg, Dubuque, Iowa, is one of eight ELCA seminaries....
ELCA Members in Haiti Reported Safe Following Earthquake
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) engaged in volunteer work and immersion experiences in Haiti are reported safe following a Jan. 12 earthquake that struck the southern part of the Caribbean nation. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4390 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org...
Presiding Bishop Details ELCA Response to Haiti Earthquake
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is responding to the earthquake in Haiti through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), wrote the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, in a Jan. 13 letter to members. Hanson, who is also president of the LWF, noted that the...
Lutheran Leader of WCC Expresses Condolences, Solidarity with Haiti
CHICAGO (ELCA) --The Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed condolences and solidarity with the people of Haiti, and called for prompt support in the relief efforts, after the Jan. 12 earthquake. More: http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4387 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or...
ELCA International Disaster Response Commits Funds to Haiti Relief
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced it will immediately commit $250,000 to support response efforts to the earthquake in Haiti. It will also advance another $500,000 in anticipation of additional gifts from ELCA members. ELCA members can contribute gifts online at...
Waldorf College Sold, No Longer Affiliated with ELCA
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa, was sold Jan. 8 to Mayes Education, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Southern University (CSU). With its new for-profit status, Waldorf is no longer affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Based in Orange Beach, Ala., CSU is...
