New ELCA Mission Personnel Begin Service this Fall
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- More than 270 mission personnel of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are serving in 48 countries, and about 30 more Lutherans -- plus 14 members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (PCUSA) and three members of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) -- will begin mission...
Repentance a Theme of Reformation, U.S. Lutheran Bishop Says
LUTHERSTADT WITTENBERG, Germany (ELCA) -- Repentance is God's gift to the world through Jesus Christ, and it is one central theme of the ongoing Lutheran Reformation, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the 68.3 million-member Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Geneva, and presiding bishop of the 4.7 million-member Evangelical...
'Luther Decade' Significant for All Lutherans, Says Lutheran World Leader
LUTHERSTADT WITTENBERG, Germany (ELCA) -- The Sept. 20-21 kickoff of the "Luther Decade" here was significant for all Lutherans because it offered opportunities for evangelism and "deep theological conversation" among Lutherans and ecumenical partners, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America...
ELCA college and seminary presidents in Gettysburg greet Bushes
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The presidents of Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pa., and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (LTSG), greeted President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush as they toured the new visitor center of the Gettysburg National Military Park on Sept. 5. President Bush requested...
Lutherans join others around the world to pray for peace Sept. 21
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will pray for peace Sept. 21, 2008, as part of the International Day of Prayer for Peace. The day is an opportunity for churches worldwide "to pray and act together to nurture lasting peace...
Online Registration for ELCA Youth Gathering Passes 22,000 in 36 Hours
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- As many as 22,417 participants registered during the 36 hours after registration opened online for the 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The registrants were from at least 1,392 congregations by midday Sept. 16. Registration is possible only online and is limited...
Lutherans Help Support the Needs of Flood-Affected Families in India
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- More than 2 million people have been affected by floods in Bihar, India, according to Megan E. Bradfield. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gave $100,000 Sept. 15 to help provide "life sustaining assistance" to 10,000 families affected by the flooding. The Kosi River...
ELCA Synod Bishop Calls on Public Officials to Take Action on Poverty
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Elected officials and candidates for public office should remember people living in poverty and speak about specific proposals to alleviate poverty, said the Rev. James F. Mauney, bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Virginia Synod, at a Sept. 16 prayer vigil on the steps of the...
Lutherans Mark September as 'National Preparedness Month'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) and several other Lutheran organizations have joined a coalition of almost 3,000 organizations to promote September as "National Preparedness Month." The coalition is working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to increase public awareness about emergency preparedness through a variety of activities....
ELCA's Gustavus Adolphus to host Nobel Conference Oct. 7-8
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., will host the 44th Nobel Conference, "Who Were the First Humans?" Oct. 7-8. "We will consider the full range of recent evidence about the first modern humans and what we may stand to learn from them about surviving...
ELCA Synod Office Temporarily Relocates in Wake of Hurricane Ike
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In the wake of Hurricane Ike, the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Houston, has temporarily moved its office operation to St. Paul Lutheran Church of Phillipsburg, Brenham (Phillipsburg), Texas, reported the Rev. Michael W. Rinehart, bishop, ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast...
Lutherans Brace for Hurricane Ike
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- More than 1 million people have evacuated along the U.S. Gulf Coast in anticipation of Hurricane Ike, which is expected to make landfall Sept. 12-13, according to the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, director, Lutheran Disaster Response -- a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America...
Lutherans Work to Meet the Needs of People in Cuba, Haiti
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Some of the greatest needs in Cuba and Haiti are securing food and clean water for survivors of the 2008 hurricane season, according to Megan Bradfield. In an effort to respond to the needs of people in the two Caribbean islands, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church...
ELCA anti-racism leaders gather Sept. 11-13 in Baltimore
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service More than 100 anti-racism leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are meeting Sept. 11-13 in Baltimore for "At the Intersection of Race and Poverty: An ELCA Capacity Building and Network Gathering." The gathering brings together ELCA synod bishops, members of...
Registration for ELCA's 2009 Youth Gathering opens Sept. 15
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service Registration opens online Sept. 15 at 1:01 a.m. (Eastern Time) for the 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA plans churchwide youth gatherings every three years, and there are some new features to registering this time, said Heidi...
ELCA Congregations Prepare Care for Veterans Returning from War
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are preparing to create caring and welcoming places for returning veterans and their families. "Care for Returning Veterans" is a series of workshops being held through January across the United States. The workshops are designed to prepare pastors,...
Lutheran Disaster Response in the Eye of 2008 Hurricane Season
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are responding in the aftermath of tropical storms and hurricanes, waiting to assess the damage of Hurricane Gustav and preparing for the remainder of the 2008 hurricane season. "We are in difficult days," said the Rev. Kevin A....
ELCA Congregation Partners with Local School, Impacts Young Lives
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of Trinity Lutheran Church, Ashland, Ohio, believe their mission is "doing for others in our community." When personnel from a school in the area approached the congregation about using its new gym for an after-school program, Trinity saw an opportunity. But neither the congregation nor the...
Two ELCA Congregations Celebrate 'Mission Partners' Covenant in Ohio
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two Ohio congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) -- one urban, one suburban -- will celebrate a "mission partners" covenant Sept. 6-7. The covenant commits Redeemer Lutheran Church, Toledo, and Zoar Lutheran Church, Perrysburg, to several activities "for the purpose of mutual support as...
Wallis to lecture on 'prophetic politics' at Trinity Lutheran Seminary
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service "The Meaning of Prophetic Politics in an Election Year" is the theme of Trinity Days 2008 at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. Trinity is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Rev. Jim Wallis, editor-in-chief, Sojourners magazine, Washington, D.C.,...
