Lutheran Pastors, Congregations Benefit From Renewal Program
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- She may look like just another tourist, or it may seem like a family on vacation, but there's something more meaningful and more spiritual going on here. A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and its pastor are participating in the National Clergy Renewal...
ELCA Pastor Speaker on 'Day 1' Radio Program Oct. 2
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Ann M. Svennungsen, president, The Fund for Theological Education, Atlanta, and a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is the featured speaker on the Oct. 2 broadcast of "Day 1," heard on radio stations throughout the United States and on the Internet....
Fall 2005 Lutheran College Fairs Start Oct. 2
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A series of free Lutheran college fairs are scheduled Oct. 2-Nov. 13 throughout the United States. Prospective students and their parents interested in learning more about Lutheran colleges and universities -- most of which are affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) or Lutheran Church-Missouri...
Lutherans in the Gulf Coast Area Demonstrate Resiliency
BATON ROUGE, La. (ELCA) -- On a calm sunny September afternoon, massive piles of wreckage line the ocean coast of Biloxi, Miss. Wood planks and other debris can be seen floating in the ocean almost one month after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. "I was overwhelmed with the magnitude...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Marks 10th Anniversary of Peace Statement
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted the social statement, "For Peace in God's World," Aug. 20, 1995, at its Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of that decision, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, issued a letter Sept. 21....
Lutheran World Relief Working to Reverse Food Deficits in Niger
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Kathryn Wolford, president, Lutheran World Relief (LWR), visited West Africa in early September to see firsthand the effects of chronic food deficits in Niger, to offer additional assistance to partner agencies there and to return with information for U.S. Lutherans. LWR is the overseas relief and development...
ELCA Representatives Part of Sept. 18-23 Middle East Journey
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are part of a group of 17 Christian and Jewish leaders who will visit Israel and Palestine this week with the purpose of engaging in a "transforming dialogue" about Israeli-Palestinian relations. The trip, organized through the National Council...
ELCA Seminary President Reisz Plans to Retire in 2006
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. H. Frederick Reisz announced Aug. 28 his plans to retire Aug. 1, 2006, after 14 years as president of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS), Columbia, S.C. LTSS is one of eight Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) seminaries. "It has been a great privilege to...
Lutherans' Gifts Exceed $6.1 Million for Hurricane Katrina Relief, Recovery
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Financial gifts to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) through Sept. 15 totaled more than $6.1 million to support disaster relief and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Many of the church's 4.9 million members and others contributed the funds by mail, by phone...
ELCA Presiding Bishop Joins Call for Halt in Federal Budget Process
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Calling the federal budget "a concrete expression of our shared moral values and priorities," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), joined with four other U.S. religious leaders and called on the U.S. Congress to stop the federal budget...
Lutherans Remember, Care For Disaster Survivors
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- This past Sunday Lutherans prayed and remembered the loss of life from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and from Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast Aug. 28-29. Lutherans across the United States and Caribbean continue to offer their time, prayers and resources to meet the...
ELCA Observes 'A Day for Darfur' to Stop the Genocide
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was one of more than a dozen human-rights and faith-based organizations that hosted a rally and vigil to mark the one-year anniversary of the Bush Administration's declaration of genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan in Africa. "A Day...
Lutherans Raise $1.5 Million for Hurricane Response
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has raised $1.5 million as of Sept. 8 to support Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts. The funds were not only contributed by the 4.9 million members of the ELCA but from Lutherans around the world, who have shared prayers...
Lutherans Celebrate God Gathering the World's 'Fragments'
BALTIMORE (ELCA) -- Almost 1,100 Lutherans gathered Aug. 25- 28 at the Baltimore Convention Center for a Global Mission Event (GME) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The theme "Gathered by God's grace for the sake of the world" inspired plenary sessions, "Global University" sessions, worship, prayer, song,...
Lutheran Leaders Discuss Hospital Case with Israeli President
JERUSALEM (ELCA)-- Leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), including the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), discussed prospects for Middle East peace and expressed specific financial concerns about the future of Augusta Victoria Hospital in a 35-minute meeting with Israeli President Moshe Katsav. The Rev....
Lutheran Disaster Response Leader Meets with President Bush
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- At the invitation of U.S. President George W. Bush, Heather L. Feltman, director for Lutheran Disaster Response, attended a special meeting with religious leaders from across the country at the White House Sept. 6 to discuss Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery operations. Lutheran Disaster Response is a...
ELCA Presiding Bishop, LWF Leaders Meet With Palestinian President Abbas
GAZA CITY -- Three top leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) met here Sept. 3 with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, to discuss Middle East peace, prospects for Lutheran schools, services offered by Augusta Victoria Hospital and interfaith relations. The LWF is a global communion of 138...
Lutherans Deploy Volunteers for Hurricane Debris Removal
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Lutheran Disaster Response has gained access to areas of Alabama and Mississippi devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and it is ready to deploy volunteers for debris removal within a week, according to Heather L. Feltman, director for Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
Lutheran Disaster Response Leader Visits Astrodome, Houston
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a Sept. 2 visit to the Astrodome in Houston, Heather L. Feltman, director for Lutheran Disaster Response, said thousands of people there are "suffering and hurting. Many have not had food or water for days." The Astrodome is shelter for more than 11,000 people who escaped...
Letter From Presiding Bishop Hanson On Hurricane Katrina
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) issued the following letter on Sept. 2, 2005: Letter from Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson on the Devastation of Hurricane Katrina I write to you from Bethlehem where I am meeting with leaders of the Lutheran...
