August 3, 2005

Dear ELCA leader:

Within the next few days more than two thousand people, including voting members, advisors, staff, and visitors, will be traveling to Orlando, Florida for the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

The best way to follow the churchwide assembly without being present in Orlando is through the assembly Web site, www.elca.org/assembly/05, which will feature live webcasts of assembly plenary sessions. The site will also include regular assembly updates and links to ELCA news releases about the assembly and its actions. You may want to bookmark this site for regular visits beginning next Monday evening, August 8.

You can also call 773-380-2477 for a daily-updated recorded telephone message about assembly actions. If you wish, you can sign up now to have ELCA news releases sent directly to your e-mail address. Go to www.elca.org/subscribetonews to subscribe.

Please continue to hold the assembly and its participants in your prayers. I will be writing again late next week with updates on the assembly's actions and decisions.

Living in God's amazing grace,

Mark S. Hanson
ELCA Presiding Bishop