CHICAGO (ELCA) - In letters to Christian church leaders in Syria, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), offered his support of the churches' collective call for an end to violence and his prayers for the people in the region. "In these difficult days, I will continue to pray and encourage members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to pray for you and your efforts to sustain the courage and faith of your communi...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) believe progress has been made with a recent policy change that would keep some families living in the United States, without legal residency, to remain here while applying for legal status -- a step intended to keeping families together. Such "policies have significant human consequences that affect the lives and well-being of our neighbors," said the Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop of the ELCA Southeas...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - Dr. Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, will receive the German Media Prize award Feb. 24 for his work in founding educational, cultural and health care institutions and his commitment to inter-faith dialogue and peacemaking in the Middle East. "Mitri Raheb is a pastor with passion in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Persistently working for a lasting, just peace in the Middle East, Pastor Raheb is a visionary l...

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The ELCA Malaria Campaign, a campaign of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the Lutheran Malaria Initiative will provide new opportunities for college and university students attending Lutheran schools and ELCA campus ministries to engage in the global fight against malaria. Supported with a generous gift from Arne and Ruth Sorenson of Washington, D.C., the campaign and initiative will help equip and inspire young leaders to help make a differenc...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - Lutheran, Anglican and Episcopal leaders from the United States and Canada met in December to explore new possibilities for working together and to deepen their sense of unity for doing God's work in the world. In a report issued from their meeting, the leaders stated that their conversation and work together "are hopeful signs for the church." "There was truly a spirit of Advent expectant hope as we met to pray and plan for greater cooperation in ministry and ...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), shared a Christmas greeting today with the 4.2 million members of this church. Hanson also delivered his greeting to the ELCA's six full communion, ecumenical and interfaith partners, and member churches of The Lutheran World Federation. The full text of the presiding bishop's message follows: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all (Titus 2:11). ...

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton noted the vital work of Lutheran social ministry organizations in welcoming refugees to the United States, during her Dec. 7 address at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugee's ministerial conference in Geneva. In her presentation to world leaders, Clinton shared a story about Fatuma Elmi, who applied for asylum in the United States after civil war broke out in her native Somalia in 1991. Settled in Minneapolis, Elmi ha...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Episcopal Primate Katharine Jefferts Schori said World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 is "an opportunity for us to remember the 30 million lives that have been lost to the deadly pandemic." In their first joint letter about the international observance, the presiding bishops said, "The struggle against HIV and AIDS is our own struggle as churches and, as the pandemic continues into its...

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In his report to the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson said that the ELCA is "a church deeply rooted in God's mission (and) in the belief that Christ frees us all to serve our neighbor and seek the common good." The council, which serves as the ELCA's board of directors, met here Nov. 11-13. "Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to bring forth fruit from our labors. (In 2005), this ...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) acted on several recommendations in response to actions of the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The council, which serves as the ELCA's board of directors, also approved revisions to the 2012 current fund spending authorization and considered other matters when it met here Nov. 11-13. The council appointed a six-person advisory committee to continue the work of the "Living into the Future Tog...

MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- The Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will begin doing business as Portico Benefit Services, effective immediately. The trustees of the ELCA Board of Pensions approved the name change during their November meeting and recommended that the ELCA Church Council amend Continuing Resolution 17.20.A11 at its Nov. 11-13 meeting in Chicago. The Church Council unanimously approved the amendment. "Changing our name to Portic...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), attended a Nov. 8 meeting at the White House as part of a group of ecumenical faith leaders. They asked that the United States take a stronger stance in its opposition to the rapid expansion of Israeli settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The construction threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state, thus precluding a two-state solution and...

MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Trustees of the Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced adjustments in 2012 ELCA Participating Annuity payments and the interest crediting rate for bridge accounts. The Board of Pensions is a separately incorporated ministry of the ELCA. The trustees made the decision here at their Nov. 4-6 meeting. The trustees reduced payments for 2012 by 3.8 percent for ELCA Participating Annuity members and set the interest...

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Kathryn M. Lohre was installed as president of the National Council of Churches Nov. 9 at a service held at the Lutheran Center here. A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Lohre is the first Lutheran and ELCA member to serve as president of the council and the youngest woman to serve in that role. While her presidency marks these two historic firsts, it will also be the first time a woman succeeds a woman as president of the council. ...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - Nearly 60 of 65 synod bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) expressed their concern over new state immigration laws in Nov. 2 letters to President Barack Obama and members of Congress. In their letter, the synod bishops asked that both Congress and the administration work together on a complete federal overhaul of the U.S. immigration system and offered provisions for what the reform should entail. The synod bishops said federal reform sh...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - In Nov. 1 letters to President Barack Obama and members of Congress, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has called for comprehensive immigration reform and support for the DREAM Act (the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act), legislation that would provide a path for citizenship for undocumented high school graduates. In his letter, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson wrote that the absence of reform has left several...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are responding to record-level rainfall in Central America that has caused flooding and mudslides in rural and urban areas. Through ELCA Disaster Response, $23,000 has been allocated for Lutheran companion churches in Guatemala and Nicaragua to address immediate humanitarian needs. The ELCA is also working with Lutheran companion churches and local partners in El Salvador and Honduras, as damage assessments...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Dr. S. John Roth will be installed as bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Oct. 15. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson will preach and preside at the installation. "I am overwhelmed by the trust the people of the synod have placed in me," said Roth. "It is a humbling thing to be inundated with so many hopes and prayers and expressions of support." Roth was elected June 4 to a six-year...

CHICAGO (ELCA) - "We are exceedingly grateful" for the two churches' full communion partnership, the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori told the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Conference of Bishops during its meeting here Sept. 29-Oct. 4. The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church that includes the ELCA's synod bishops, presiding bishop and secretary. Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the 2.4 million-member Episcopal Church, spo...

Online registration opens Oct. 9 for the 2012 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The gathering will be July 18-22 in New Orleans with the theme of “citizens with the saints.” The ELCA hosts churchwide youth gatherings every three years. Registration opens online only at 2:00 p.m. EDT and will close on May 26, which is also the deadline for final payment. There will be no onsite payment option in 2012. The registration fee is $315 per person...