http://www.elca.org/news/blogOfficial News Blog of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americahttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssen-usFri, 14 Nov 2008 15:45:04 GMTEvangelical Lutheran Church in America. All Rights Reserved.20http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=305http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=305Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMTby Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service To equip the 4.7 million members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to help end hunger in the world, an ELCA World Hunger Resource Packet is now available. The packet contains a variety of resources to help Lutherans learn more about the causes of world hunger and work together to end it. Available twice a year, the packet illustrates how ELCA World Hunger is a connected, comprehensive and compassionate program that helps individuals and communities rise above poverty into self-sufficiency, said Sue Edison-Swift, communication director, ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal. "The program is connected because it's relationship-driven. It's comprehensive because there are many causes to hunger, so solutions need to be equally diverse, and it's also compassionate because it focuses on meeting the needs of the most vulnerable," she said. New resources in the packet include a congregational bulletin about water; Taking Root -- a hunger education curriculum for children and youth; and 1-2-3 Contact! -- a sign-up form to receive the resource packet and/or LifeLines by mail. The packet also includes the 2007-2009 ELCA Good Gifts giving catalog; reproducible stories for bulletins and newsletters that show how gifts to the ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal make a difference in the lives of people; and "God's Math 40-day calendar" designed to raise awareness, commitment and funds for the ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal and Stand With Africa. It also carries copies of Congregation Connections and ELCA World Hunger Top 40 Resource Catalog, two popular resources updated every year. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=304http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=304Fri, 7 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMTby Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service To envision a world free from violence, about 25 Lutherans and other Christians examined the origins and principles of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" at an Oct. 30-31 consultation on human rights. The declaration was adopted Dec. 10, 1948, by the General Assembly of the United Nations; 2008 marks its 60th anniversary. Hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) inter-unit task force for the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence, the consultation offered a series of case studies on the right to property and how migration, corporate social responsibility and climate change affect human rights. Other presentations included the public church and peacemaking, advocacy and campaigns, women organizing for human rights, exceptionalism in United States foreign policy and its impact on human rights, and more. "We hope that people in our congregations, synods and throughout the church would become more familiar with what's in the declaration," said Dennis W. Frado, director, Lutheran Office for World Community, New York. He said Lutherans have been involved in advocating for human rights since World War II. "It's part of our background that calls us to be involved, and our belief that each person is created in the image of God," said Frado. "The consultation served to outline the many situations where human rights are being violated or have the potential to be violated, such as in climate change. What (role) does the international community have in receiving people who are affected by climate change?" he said. Discussions produced some action steps and recommendations to be compiled in a report, said the Rev. Ronald W. Duty, assistant director for studies, ELCA Church in Society. "Among the recommendations was the drafting of a message on human rights tied to the (ELCA) social statement, 'For Peace in God's World,'" he said. Papers presented at the consultation will be published online in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=303http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=303Wed, 1 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The Rev. Gregory P. Kaufmann, assistant to the bishop, Northwest Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Rice Lake, has been named director of Fisher's Net Select. Fisher's Net Select is a combination of Fisher's Net and Select, two online services providing educational resources to ELCA members. Kaufmann remains on the synod staff and is director of the synod resource center. Jodi F. Hanson, an associate in ministry and director, Faith Builders lay academy, ELCA South Dakota Synod, Sioux Falls, serves as director for course administration and marketing for Fisher's Net Select. "I'm pleased that these two very talented people, who have years of experience in the area of teaching in and directing a variety of educational programs, have agreed to assume the leadership of Fisher's Net Select," said the Rev. Richard J. Bruesehoff, director for lifelong learning, ELCA Vocation and Education. "The need for theological education that people can use for their work in the church and in the world is great. Fisher's Net Select is helping to address this need," he said. Fisher's Net uses the Internet to share resources and information regarding theological learning opportunities. It serves as a network for theological education providers and learners. Select provides such multimedia resources as digital videos, study guides, and books and courses including an online component, to facilitate continuing theological education in small group settings. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=302http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=302Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will pray for peace Sept. 21, 2008, as part of the International Day of Prayer for Peace. The day is an opportunity for churches worldwide "to pray and act together to nurture lasting peace in the hearts of people, their families, communities and societies," according to the World Council of Churches (WCC) based in Geneva. The ELCA Task Force for a Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence encourages Lutherans to participate and offers worship resources in addition to prayer and liturgical resources of the WCC. The ELCA is a member of the WCC. "When we pray for peace it may seem at first to be a futile pious wish in the face of the bewildering, frightening and sometimes overwhelming reality of violence and hostility in the world. What good, after all, could it possibly do to pray for peace? Or, it seems that we must pray for peace because we feel powerless to do anything about the conflicts in our lives, our communities and the world around us. What else, therefore, can we do but pray? We can pray in the confidence that God is actually in the midst of war and community conflict -- not standing far off above it -- and so is well-placed to bring peace," said the Rev. Ronald W. Duty, assistant director for studies, ELCA Church in Society. "What we usually don't realize is that often, when God brings the blessing of peace, God gives that blessing through us. So when we pray for peace, we are actually praying, often unknowingly, that God will prepare and send us to be God's ambassadors of peace and to be God's peacemakers in our settings, just as Jesus called 12 ill-prepared but gifted disciples and prepared and sent them to spread the gospel to the world." The idea for the day of prayer was proposed in a 2004 meeting between the Rev. Samuel Kobia, WCC general secretary, and Kofi A. Annan, former United Nations secretary-general. The day is an initiative of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence and coincides with the UN's International Day of Peace. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=301http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=301Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The presidents of Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pa., and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (LTSG), greeted President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush as they toured the new visitor center of the Gettysburg National Military Park on Sept. 5. President Bush requested that Dr. Gabor Boritt, founder and director, Civil War Institute, and the Robert C. Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies at Gettysburg College, lead the battlefield tour. Boritt introduced the Bushes to Dr. Janet Morgan Riggs, interim president, Gettysburg College, and the Rev. Michael Cooper-White, LTSG president. Gettysburg College is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); and LTSG is one of eight ELCA seminaries. "What we thought would be just a 'meet and greet' moment turned into a lively conversation with the president and Mrs. Bush," Cooper-White said in a seminary news release. President Bush praised the new center as the product of a partnership between public institutions and private interests, including the two ELCA schools. In the 1990s, Gettysburg College entered into a close relationship with the Eisenhower Institute, a distinguished center for leadership and public policy based in Washington, D.C. In 2006 the institute became a program of the college and established a second site on the Gettysburg campus. Also in 2006 the seminary acquired Luther Institute, a faith-based organization created in 1983 to address public issues within the framework of Lutheran theology. Luther Institute is located in Washington, D.C. "Forging strong partnerships with others is a key to effective civic engagement and public witness. Though the current U.S. presidency is in its final days, I hope that in some small way our conversation with the Bushes witnessed to the depth and richness Lutheran voices can bring to bear in public life," Cooper-White said. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=300http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=300Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., will host the 44th Nobel Conference, "Who Were the First Humans?" Oct. 7-8. "We will consider the full range of recent evidence about the first modern humans and what we may stand to learn from them about surviving the global challenges we face as a species today," said Timothy Robinson, director, Nobel Conference, in an online invitation. Gustavus Adolphus is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Scheduled speakers include: + Robin Dunbar, evolutionary anthropologist and director, Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom + Marcus Feldman, mathematical biologist and director, Morrison Institute for Population and Resource Studies, Stanford University, Calif. + J. Wentzel van Huyssteen, theologian and professor of theology and science, Princeton Theological Seminary, N.J. + Curtis Marean, paleoanthropologist and professor, Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe + Svante Pääbo, leading authority on paleogenetics and director, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany + Dennis Stanford, archaeologist and division head, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. The college expects about 6,000 people to attend the conference, which "links a general audience, including high school students and teachers, with the world's foremost scholars and researchers in discussion centered on contemporary issues relating to the natural and social sciences," according to a Gustavus Adolphus news release. It is "the first ongoing education conference in the United States to have the official authorization of The Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden." http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=299http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=299Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service More than 100 anti-racism leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are meeting Sept. 11-13 in Baltimore for "At the Intersection of Race and Poverty: An ELCA Capacity Building and Network Gathering." The gathering brings together ELCA synod bishops, members of the ELCA Church Council, churchwide staff, ecumenical partners and others to explore "the next stage" of anti-racism work in the 65 synods of the church, according to Shenandoah M. Gale, coordinator for anti-racism education and training, ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop. "This powerful networking and capacity building event is the largest gathering to date in direct support of the ELCA's commitment toward becoming an anti-racist church," said Gale. She said the purpose of the event is three-fold: to engage in reflection, mutual support, networking and team formation and strengthening; cultivate an increased analysis of race, poverty and wealth; and explore practical skills, resources and strategies for coordinated analysis and action. Keynote speakers include Dr. Shakti Butler, executive director, World Trust Educational Services, Oakland, Calif., Dr. Paul C. Gorski, founder of EdChange, St. Paul, Minn., and Maggie Potapchuk, president, MP Associates, Baltimore. "They are nationally and internationally recognized leaders in racial and economic justice arenas," Gale said. rossroads, Lutheran Human Relations Association, and Paso Training and Consulting are hosting workshops. A blog about the gathering is available, and "Lazarus at the Gate," a new ELCA resource on poverty and wealth, will be introduced at the gathering. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=298http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=298Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service Registration opens online Sept. 15 at 1:01 a.m. (Eastern Time) for the 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA plans churchwide youth gatherings every three years, and there are some new features to registering this time, said Heidi Hagstrom, director for youth gathering, ELCA Vocation and Education. The gathering will be July 22-26, 2009, in New Orleans with a "Jesus, Justice, Jazz" theme. Recent gatherings were offered twice in consecutive weeks to accommodate as many as 40,000 high-school-age and adult leaders from the United States and around the world. Next year's one-week event will be limited to 36,000 registrants, Hagstrom said, and registration will be possible only online. Registration will close Jan. 15 or when the 36,000 limit is reached, whichever comes first, she said. Registration will require the congregation's ID number and a non-refundable deposit of $125 per person. The process will be easier if a draft worksheet for everyone attending the gathering is on hand. "Bus transportation is a growing issue for us in light of rising fuel costs," Hagstrom said. The gathering will rent 200 buses in the New Orleans area, but there is a need for another 100 buses. Congregations that are renting buses to transport their youth to and from the gathering are being asked for information that staff may need to use to sublease those buses during the gathering while they're in New Orleans. A Definitely-Abled Youth Leadership Event and a Multicultural Youth Leadership Event will be July 19-22, 2009, at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. Registration for those events will be possible while registering for the gathering, Hagstrom said. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=297http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=297Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service "The Meaning of Prophetic Politics in an Election Year" is the theme of Trinity Days 2008 at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. Trinity is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Rev. Jim Wallis, editor-in-chief, Sojourners magazine, Washington, D.C., will present the 2008 Kantonen Lecture on Sept. 25. He is the president and chief executive office of Sojourners ministries, with a mission "to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church and the world." Raised in Detroit, Wallis attended Michigan State University, East Lansing, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Ill. In the early 1970s Sojourners ministries grew out of discussions among fellow seminarians about the relationship between their faith and political issues. With November elections approaching in the United States, Wallis will engage a Trinity Lutheran Seminary audience in the meaning of "prophetic politics." http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=296http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=296Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMTby 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 members gathered outside the university's McCrorie Center for the official announcement. The new university logo and seal were unveiled, according to a Lenoir-Rhyne news release. Students were given baseball caps embroidered with the logo. Lenoir-Rhyne offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science and bachelor of music education degrees in more than 60 majors and concentrations. Graduate degrees are offered in education, business administration, counselor education and occupational therapy. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=295http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=295Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMTby 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 and PLTS are two of eight ELCA seminaries, and they comprise the ELCA's Western Mission Cluster -- a cooperative venture of both seminaries and other partners to coordinate the theological education resources of the church in the western United States. CLI places students from both seminaries in internships and other contextual learning assignments. Foss, 63, served as bishop of the ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod since 1992 and was ineligible for re-election in 2008. The Rev. Gary A. Wilkerson served as interim director of CLI since July 2007. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=294http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=294Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMTby 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 the Rev. James A. Wetzstein, university associate pastor and associate dean of the Chapel. Cunningham and Wetzstein are pastors of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). Grega, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is the first non-LCMS pastor on the Chapel staff. Valparaiso University is an independent Lutheran institution. Grega, 53, was born in Cleveland and graduated from Valparaiso University and the Lutheran Deaconess Program housed on campus. She earned a master of arts degree in theology from Duke University, Durham, N.C.; a master of arts degree in counseling from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks; and a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Grega brings 25 years of experience in higher education to Valparaiso. She was director of international students at St. Cloud (Minn.) State University and director of the international center at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. She also has nine years of experience in campus ministry at colleges and universities in North Carolina, Minnesota and Texas. "We are delighted that Rev. Grega has accepted the call to join the ministry team at the Chapel of the Resurrection," Cunningham said in a Valparaiso news release. "The ministry of the chapel benefits from the presence of a pastor from the ELCA. There are many areas of campus ministry where Pastor Wetzstein and I are looking forward to cooperating with Pastor Grega within the guidelines of our respective church bodies." Cunningham said Grega will play a significant role in residential ministry and will be encouraged to develop new initiatives for international students at the university while collaborating with chapel staff associated with the LCMS in meeting the spiritual needs of the university community. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=293http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=293Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northwest Synod of Wisconsin has become the first of 65 ELCA synods to earn a 2 percent discount on 2008 contributions it makes to the church's health benefits plan for its employees. The synod qualified for the discount when more than 75 percent of its employees and their spouses receiving ELCA primary health coverage completed the Mayo Clinic Health Risk Assessment. The ELCA Board of Pensions, Minneapolis, offered the assessment to ELCA plan members as a health plan benefit through its EmbodyHealth Web portal. The ELCA Northwest Synod of Wisconsin includes 105,139 Lutherans in 211 congregations across 23 counties. The synod office is in Rice Lake. The Rev. Duane C. Pederson, bishop, ELCA Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, said the synod promoted the assessment at every synod gathering. A computer was available at the 2008 Synod Assembly for ELCA health plan members to complete the assessment on the spot. Pederson wrote to congregation presidents and sent a personal e-mail to every clergyperson in the synod encouraging them, their spouses, and their staffs to participate, according to a Board of Pensions news release. "The wellness initiative of our church is about living out healthy relationships between self, others and God," Pederson said. "God has entrusted us with the stewardship of our health." ELCA Board of Pensions is a $7 billion nonprofit corporation providing retirement, health and other benefits and related services for ELCA pastors, lay ministers, employees and their families. It has offered the health risk assessment to its plan members for four years. 2008 is the first year it is offering a financial reward to plan members and their spouses who take the assessment -- $100 into a personal wellness account to help offset medical costs. It is offering the discount to ELCA employers -- synods, institutions, churchwide organization -- as an additional incentive for plan members to complete the assessment. As of June, more than $1 million in ELCA health care contribution savings was still available for ELCA synods, seminaries and organizations that reach 75 percent health risk assessment participation. The 2008 health risk assessment closes Sept. 30. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=292http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=292Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Three members of Wittenberg University's Class of 2007 will embark on a 22-day, 17-city national tour to meet with as many of the university's 26,000 alumni as possible. Wittenberg, Springfield, Ohio, is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Covering more than 7,000 miles, Wittenberg staff -- Ashley Peterson, assistant director of alumni relations, Brian DeSantis, assistant director of the Wittenberg Fund, and Ross Ballinger, new media assistant for interactive communication -- started their quest July 11 to learn how Wittenberg is defined through the voices of its alumni and to affirm that the university's mission remains relevant in an ever-changing, complex world, according to a Wittenberg news release. "The focus of this trip is on our alumni and how they 'lead personal, professional and civic lives of creativity, service, compassion and integrity,'" which Wittenberg has prepared them to do, said Linda Prain Beals, director of the university's alumni relations and Class of 1987. Wittenberg alumni donated the cost of decorating the van being used for the tour, offered to cover the cost of gas, donated money to environmental funds that will make the trip carbon neutral, and provided cell phone headsets and coffee for the crew. The tour -- "Witt Nation" -- ends Aug. 2. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=291http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=291Wed, 9 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Western Iowa Synod will send 21 of its youth to Tanzania July 21-Aug. 13 to visit with youth of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) Southern Diocese, work on service projects and visit area institutions. The three-week trip will coincide with parish youth rallies in Tanzanian churches. Students will work with ELCT youth on two service projects. They will visit the Igumbilo Lutheran Girls' Secondary School, Chimala, a school started through a $25,000 donation from the ELCA Western Iowa Synod. They've also proposed a visit to the new Center for Agricultural Development, Lupembe, a partner project of the ELCA Western Iowa Synod that seeks to "improve Tanzania's capacity in sustainable agricultural development." Some of the ELCA students worked on a project to raise funds for purchasing mosquito nets to help combat malaria in Tanzania. At the ELCA Western Iowa Synod Assembly, Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa, June 6-7, students collected $941 to buy nets for the approximately 500 students at the Igumbilo Lutheran Girls' Secondary School and the Ilembula Lutheran Hospital. They received $2,500 for the project from ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission. *Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News Service. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=290http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=290Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service The Rev. Steven L. Ullestad was re-elected June 28 to a six-year term as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northeastern Iowa Synod during the synod assembly in Cedar Falls, Iowa, June 27-29. The assembly was rescheduled from June 13-15 at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, following flooding along area rivers. Ullestad was re-elected on the third ballot for bishop with 232 votes. The Rev. Gary G. Hatcher, St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene, Iowa, received 45 votes; the Rev. Marshall E. Hahn, Norway Lutheran Church, St. Olaf, Iowa, received 25 votes; and the Rev. Mark A. Anderson, assistant to the bishop, ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod, received one vote. There were 40 candidates nominated on the first ballot. Ullestad, 55, was born in Minneapolis. He earned a bachelor's degree from Wartburg College and master of divinity and master of sacred theology degrees from Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. Wartburg College is one of 28 colleges and universities of the ELCA, and Wartburg Theological Seminary is one of eight ELCA seminaries. Ullestad was pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Hudson, Iowa, and served as assistant to the bishop, ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod. In 1992 the synod elected Ullestad to succeed the Rev. L. David Brown as bishop. Ullestad and his wife Ruth are the parents of three adult children. The ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod includes approximately 91,600 Lutherans in 181 congregations across 24 counties. The synod office is in Waverly. *Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News Service. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=289http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=289Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service The Rev. Wilma S. Kucharek was re-elected June 28 to a six-year term as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Slovak Zion Synod during the synod assembly in Union, N.J. Kucharek was re-elected on the second ballot for bishop with 48 votes. The Rev. Gary D. Schreckengost, St. John Lutheran Church, Youngstown, Ohio, received six votes, and the Rev. Matthew C. Staniz, Temple Lutheran Church, Havertown, Pa., received two votes. There were seven nominees. Kucharek, 53, was born in Johnson City, N.Y. She graduated from Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind. She earned master of divinity and master of sacred theology degrees from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Gettysburg, Pa., one of eight ELCA seminaries. Kucharek was pastor of Holy Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Mahanoy City, Pa.; St. John Lutheran Church, St. Clair, Pa.; St. John Lutheran Church, Nanticoke, Pa.; and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Torrington, Conn. She was elected to succeed the Rev. Juan Eobrda as bishop of the ELCA Slovak Zion Synod in 2002. Kucharek is married to the Rev. Thomas J. Drobena, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. They have two sons. The ELCA Slovak Zion Synod includes approximately 4,600 baptized members in 25 congregations across seven states and one congregation in Ontario. It is the only ELCA synod organized on an ethnic basis, with historic roots in Slovakia and the surrounding regions of Eastern Europe. The synod office is in Torrington. *Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News Service.http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=288http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=288Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service Mountain View Lutheran Church, Edgewood, Wash., a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was one of six Christian churches awarded "Cultures of Call" grants from the Fund for Theological Education (FTE), Atlanta. According to FTE, the grant "provides financial support for activities and reflection designed to help congregations nurture the principles and practices that support vocational discernment" and the call to ministry, particularly among youth and young adults. Mountain View received $12,000 for its initiative, "Called by Name: Vocation and God's Sense of Call," which is comprised of a children, youth and family ministry; annual congregation retreats; and an educational center for pastors and lay leaders. As part of its ministry, Mountain View plans to hold biannual events, beginning Oct. 10 with "Dream-Discover-Discern," focusing on challenges facing churches and opportunities for youth and family involvement. FTE awards grants from $3,000 to $12,000 through its Calling Congregations initiative. It plans to award nearly $300,000 by 2009. The ELCA is one of five Christian denominations represented among the congregations that received grants. *Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News Service. http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=287http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=287Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Luke Tatge*, ELCA News Service The Small Town and Rural (STaR) Ministry Alliance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will hold its annual gathering July 16-19 at Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb. "The annual gathering provides a place where participants hear, witness and learn about concrete models of hope," said Sandra A. LaBlanc, Des Moines, Iowa, director for rural ministry networking and resourcing, STaR, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission (EOCM). The theme for this year's gathering is "Wellness of body, mind and spirit." Three speakers will be featured at the event: the Rev. Harry Wendt, president and founder of Crossways International, Minneapolis; the Rev. Kathryn Love, director for prayer and renewal and associate director for evangelism, EOCM; and Arvel Bird, award-winning instrumentalist and winner of the 2007 Artist of the Year award from the Native American Music Awards. "Each workshop, presentation and exhibit contains tangible models of hope that you can use or adapt in your own ministry setting," LaBlanc said. Affinity groups, which are groups that focus on specific topics important to rural congregations and communities, will meet. This year's schedule will include a "wellness minute" before each keynote and two workshops on financial health and physical wellness provided by the ELCA Board of Pensions. *Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News Service.http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=286http://archive.elca.org/News/blog/list.asp?a=286Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMTby Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northeastern Iowa Synod has postponed its synod assembly due to flooding along area rivers. The assembly was to be held June 13-15 at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa. The announcement to the synod's clergy and other voting members said, "Please remember in prayer those who have been affected by the floods." The synod later announced the assembly is rescheduled for June 28 at Nazareth Lutheran Church, Cedar Falls, Iowa, according to the Rev. Marshall E. Hahn, synod secretary. The city of Waverly predicted June 13 that the Cedar River would crest at 15 feet at Waverly on June 14. The regional chapter of the American Red Cross is operating a shelter at the Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center, Wartburg College. Wartburg is one of 28 colleges and universities of the ELCA. The ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod consists of approximately 91,600 Lutherans in 181 congregations across 24 counties. The synod office is in Waverly. http://www.elca.org/ScriptLib/CO/ELCA_News/emblemforreleases.gifhttp://www.elca.org/news/blog