News

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA) has issued a message in observance of World Refugee Day.

The Rev. Robert F Humphrey, Harrisonburg, Va., was elected June 11 to a six-year term as bishop of the Virginia Synod of the ELCA. The election was held during the Synod assembly May 9-11 at Roanoke College in Salem, Va.

The Rev. S. John Roth, Jacksonville, Ill., was re-elected June 3 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the ELCA. The election was held during the Synod Assembly June 1-3 at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Ill.

Ninety-six young adult volunteers from the ELCA have accepted the call to serve with the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission during the 2017-2018 program year. This is a record number of volunteers for the year-long program that started in 1999 with eight young adults who volunteered to serve in the United Kingdom.

CHICAGO (May 18, 2017) – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, have issued a joint statement calling for prayer, fasting and advocacy addressing cuts to public programs that are vital to hungry people who are living in poverty.

The Rev. Michael K. Girlinghouse, Tulsa, Okla., was re-elected May 5 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the ELCA. The election was held during the Synod Assembly May 5-7 at The Lutheran Ministry Center in Tulsa.

The Rev. Donald P. Kreiss, Detroit, was re-elected May 5 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Southeast Michigan Synod of the ELCA. The election was held during the Synod Assembly May 4-6 at the Blue Water Convention Center in Port Huron, Mich.

The Church Council of the ELCA met at the Eaglewood Conference Center, Itasca, Ill., March 30-April 2. The council, which serves as the ELCA’s board of directors, met in plenary on Friday, March 31, and spent the remainder of its time in retreat, focused on the Called Forward Together in Christ process that will determine goals and priority areas for the ELCA.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has issued a pastoral message on Syria.

More than 7 million people in South Sudan need humanitarian assistance as a result of drought and renewed violence. According to UNICEF, famine was recently declared in the north-central part of the country, where 100,000 people are facing imminent starvation.

The ELCA's first comprehensive campaign, Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA, is celebrating the beginning of its fourth year with $113 million in cash gifts and gift commitments, representing 57 percent of the five-year, $198 million goal by Jan. 31, 2019.

The Conference of Bishops of the ELCA emphasized leadership development and congregational growth when it met here March 2-7.

In observance of International Women’s Day, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, has issued a pastoral letter.

In the preeminent U.S. observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation (Oct. 31, 2017), the ELCA Conference of Bishops' Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Committee and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee gathered March 2 for a Lutheran-Catholic service of Common Prayer. The service followed the Common Prayer liturgical guide, developed for the joint ecumenical commemoration held in Lund, Sweden, on Oct. 31, 2016, co-hosted by The Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, and leaders from The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada have issued an Ash Wednesday statement addressing refugees and migrants.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, has issued a letter in response to recent attacks and threats on the Jewish Community.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has issued the following pastoral message in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will participate in nationwide commemoration activities Jan. 14-15.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, delivers her Christmas message.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, asked the president to allow Palestine’s application for full membership in the United Nations to move forward before he leaves office in January.