ELCA's Lenoir-Rhyne College became Lenoir-Rhyne University
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service Lenoir-Rhyne College, established in 1891, became Lenoir-Rhyne University with a vote of its trustees on Aug. 23. The school in Hickory, N.C., is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. About 1,000 students, staff, faculty, alumni and community...
Chinese Congregation Gives ELCA Funds for Midwest Floods
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla said he is rarely at a loss for words, but the generosity he and others witnessed Aug. 10, half a world away in China, left him speechless and grateful for the partnership of Luzhou Christian Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
Former Lutheran bishop to direct seminaries' contextual education program
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The Rev. Richard J. (Rick) Foss, former bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Eastern North Dakota Synod, became director of the Contextual Leadership Initiative (CLI) for Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS), Berkeley, Calif., on Aug. 1. Luther...
ELCA Deaconess Community Presents Annual Grants, Tithe
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Deaconess Community of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) awarded $250,000 in grants to 13 domestic and international nonprofit programs in an effort to expand the church's outreach to those in need. It also presented the ELCA...
ELCA Synod Bishop Joins Minnesota Governor in ONE Campaign Declaration
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) declared Minnesota a "ONE State," joining the ONE campaign against global poverty and disease by signing a pledge in a ceremony Aug. 20 in St. Paul. The Rev. Peter Rogness, bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Saint Paul Area Synod, joined Pawlenty,...
ELCA Board of Pensions Continues Wellness Plan
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions voted to continue wellness incentives for health plan sponsors, just as the unit continues its incentives for plan members. Trustees met here July 31-Aug. 2. The incentives are part of a three-year transition to a...
John Schreiber, Lutheran Bishop of Southeast Michigan, Dies
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. John H.K. Schreiber, bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Southeast Michigan Synod, died suddenly Aug. 16 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. He was 47. A service of Christian burial will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 21 at St. Blase Roman Catholic Church, Sterling...
Bible to Basketball -- Lutheran Men in Mission Adopts Resolutions
OMAHA, Neb. (ELCA) -- Delegates to the Eighth Assembly of Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), adopted resolutions affirming the organization's "coming of age" and an initiative of the ELCA to read the Bible more often. They also instructed their...
ELCA-Supported Hospital to Open in Tanzania in October 2008
ARUSHA, Tanzania (ELCA) -- A new, state-of-the-art medical facility, designed to provide holistic care, is scheduled to open here in October thanks in part to the financial support of members and congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod and other donors. The new...
ELCA Congregations Report 4.7 Million Members in 2007
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reported a baptized membership of 4,709,956 in 10,448 congregations in 2007. The ELCA Office of the Secretary analyzed membership and income data obtained from parochial reports that ELCA congregations submit at the end of each year. David D. Swartling, ELCA...
ELCA Pastor Darlene Grega appointed to Valparaiso Chapel staff
by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service Valparaiso (Ind.) University appointed the Rev. Darlene E. Grega, Trinity Lutheran Church, Canton, Ohio, to serve as an associate pastor of its Chapel of the Resurrection beginning Aug. 23. She joins the Rev. Joseph R. Cunningham, university pastor and dean of the Chapel, and...
Wartburg College Regent Dies in Wyoming Plane Crash
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Ralph E. Otto, 67, Wilmette, Ill., died Aug. 10 in an airplane collision near Rock Springs- Sweetwater County Airport, Rock Springs, Wyo. Otto was a board of regents member of Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
Minnesota Lutheran Dies, Spouse Injured in Beijing Attack
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Todd and Barbara Bachman, Farmington, Minn., members of Christiania Lutheran Church, Lakeville, Minn., a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), were attacked Aug. 9 while touring the Drum Tower in Beijing, China. Todd Bachman, 62, chief executive officer of Bachman's Floral, Home and Garden,...
Speakers, Musicians Highlight Lutheran Men's Gathering
OMAHA, Neb. (ELCA) -- The Lutheran Men's Gathering of Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), featured several keynote speakers to talk about men's faiths, ministries and relationships spanning generations. About 600 men were here Aug. 1-3 for the 2008 Lutheran...
Churches 'Won't Give Up' on Travel Restriction Issue, Says Lutheran Leader
MEXICO CITY (ELCA) -- The religious community "will not give up" until travel restrictions that limit the movement of people living with HIV are lifted worldwide , said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran World Federation...
Lutheran Men in Mission Offers Variety of Workshops, Retreats
OMAHA, Neb. (ELCA) -- About 600 men attended workshops Aug. 2 during the 2008 Lutheran Men's Gathering here at the Hilton Hotel and Qwest Center. Sessions featured programs of Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and other ELCA ministries. LMM...
Osborne Tells Lutheran Men in Mission that Discipline, Grace are Critical
OMAHA, Neb. (ELCA) -- Tom Osborne, athletic director, University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), said spiritual discipline and experiencing God's grace are critical for men to make a difference in their own lives, in their families, in their communities and in the world. He gave the Aug. 2 keynote address here...
Lutheran Men in Mission Raises $1.5 Million for Endowment Fund
OMAHA, Neb. (ELCA) -- Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced it had exceeded a financial goal to raise $500,000 in cash and $500,000 in deferred gifts for the LMM Endowment Fund. The announcement was made at an Aug. 1...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Washes Feet of HIV-Positive Women
MEXICO CITY (ELCA) -- Engaging in an act of "humility and repentance," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Chicago, and president of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, began an Aug. 1 presentation here by washing the feet of two HIV-positive women....
Lutheran Men in Mission Helps Complete Habitat for Humanity Project
OMAHA, Neb. (ELCA) -- At the 2008 Lutheran Men's Gathering of Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), an Aug. 2 ceremony marked the completion of a building project that LMM coordinated with Habitat for Humanity of Omaha and Thrivent Financial...
