http://www.elca.org/news/blog Official News Blog of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 2009-11-05T16:53:30 by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service* Across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), 15 synods, seminaries and churchwide ministries saved collectively more than $295,000 this year on ELCA health benefit contribution payments, according to a news release from the ELCA Board of Pensions. The savings came from a 2 percent discount on health contributions the Board awarded to employer groups after 75 percent of their eligible employees and spouses completed the online Mayo Clinic Health Assessment. Nearly two- thirds of all ELCA-primary plan members completed the 2009 assessment, which closed Sept. 30. In the last month of the program, the ELCA Northern Great Lakes Synod qualified to save $3,750; the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia saved $3,000; and the ELCA Lutheran Center in Chicago saved $32,000 on health contributions from October through the end of 2009. Twelve other synods, seminaries and churchwide ministries received the discount earlier in the year. The ELCA Board of Pensions will make a few changes to this program in 2010. The online assessment will be open for nine months again, but ELCA- primary health plan members and eligible spouses must take it in the first four months -- by April 30, 2010 -- for their respective employers to get the 2 percent discount. Employer groups will receive the 2 percent discount after 65 percent -- instead of 75 percent -- of their eligible employees and spouses complete the assessment. The discount will be applied to all 2010 health contributions, retroactive to Jan. 1, and not just those months remaining in the year. Since contribution rates increase 2 percent in 2010, the discount would offset that increase for the year. If all churchwide ministries, the eight seminaries and employers within all 65 synods earned a full-year discount on their 2010 health plan contributions, the ELCA would save collectively approximately $2.5 million. *Information provided by Kami Lund, marketing and communications, ELCA Board of Pensions http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=362 2009-10-09T09:39:04 by John R. Brooks, ELCA News Service The Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent letters to 12,500 plan members in its Participating Annuity and Bridge Fund, notifying them of reductions in their monthly annuity payments and the interest-crediting rate for non-annuitized funds. The actions were taken Sept. 21 by trustees of the Board, which manages health and pension plans for ELCA professional leaders, other staff and their eligible spouses. The downturn in investment markets in late 2008 and early 2009 resulted in a gap between the net assets in the Fund and projected lifetime obligations to members, John G. Kapanke, Board president, said in a report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops, which met Oct. 1-6 in Chicago. Effective Jan. 1, 2010, monthly annuity payments will be decreased by 9 percent, he said. Kapanke said the Board anticipates monthly annuity payments will be decreased "by an additional 9 percent in 2011 and 2012." The interest-crediting rate for the non-annuitized portion in the "bridge component" of the Fund will be cut 3.5 percent for each of three years beginning in 2010, Kapanke said. "The annuity and bridge fund did suffer very significant losses, like many similar plans suffered, especially in the 4th quarter of 2008 and the first two months of 2009," Kapanke said. The result was a funding deficit of 26 percent as of Aug. 31, he said. To ease the effect on plan members, the Board decided to implement the reductions over a three-year period instead of all at once, Kapanke said. To answer questions about the reductions, Kapanke told the bishops, he hosted a series of conference calls for plan members. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=361 2009-10-08T16:23:45 by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Lutheran World Relief (LWR), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), received a $1.49 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to extend the reach of malaria control in Mali, according to an Oct. 7 LWR news release. "Lutheran World Relief is pleased to partner with USAID in the fight against malaria in Mali, the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the country. With this grant, we can broaden our malaria control efforts in Mali, reaching even more people at risk," said Alissa Karg, LWR's deputy regional director for Africa. With the grant, LWR will work to build awareness about malaria and improve agricultural incomes in Mali. "Integrating malaria and agricultural work will help address the economic and information barriers that prevent rural communities from seeking timely malaria care," according to the release. LWR aspires to reach 480,000 people in more than 400 communities in Mali, including more than 70,000 pregnant women and 90,000 children under the age of 5. These are two groups of people vulnerable to malaria infection. At the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly this past summer, the ELCA agreed to partner with the LCMS, LWR and the United Nations Foundation to raise awareness about malaria and funds through the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. The initiative is designed to mobilize nearly 8 million Lutherans in the United States to join the battle against malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that kills more than one million people a year. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=360 2009-09-25T12:50:19 by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service People in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) primary health plan are approaching a Sept. 30 deadline. ELCA pastors, associates in ministry, deaconesses, diaconal ministers, employees and their eligible spouses have been able to take the online 2009 Mayo Clinic Health Assessment since Jan. 1. Those completing the assessment by Sept. 30 earn $100 to offset out-of-pocket medical expenses, and they have until Nov. 30 to earn an additional $300 by completing various health improvement activities. The financial incentive was developed by the ELCA Board of Pensions to encourage the health plan's members to tend to their well-being by taking at least one small step each year to consider the state of their health. ELCA synods, seminaries and churchwide ministries earn a 2 percent discount on health contributions for the rest of 2009, once 75 percent of their respective eligible ELCA-primary plan members and spouses complete the assessment. Six seminaries, five synods and the ELCA Board of Pensions have already earned the discount this year, collectively saving nearly $253,000. The ELCA Board of Pensions is collecting opinions on why only six in 10 health plan members have taken the assessment, despite the $100 and 2 percent discount incentives. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=359 2009-09-15T16:58:24 by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will pray for peace Sept. 21, 2009, as part of the "International Day of Prayer for Peace." The day is an opportunity for the 4.6-million-member denomination "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 is a member of the WCC. The 2009 theme for the day is "One Love: Building a Peaceful Caribbean." "The International Day of Prayer for Peace is a global call for cease- fire and nonviolence. The Caribbean is a place of extreme beauty, and it is a place of extreme poverty, HIV and AIDS, poor housing and environmental degradation. We join hands with our sisters and brothers in the Caribbean region and around the world as we pray for peace and justice for all," said Loretta E. Horton, co-chair, ELCA Task Force for a Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence. The task force offers worship resources in addition to liturgical resources of the WCC, and a series of videos introducing the International Day of Prayer for Peace. The idea for the International Day of Prayer for Peace was proposed in a 2004 meeting between the Rev. Samuel Kobia, WCC general secretary, and Kofi A. Annan, former general-secretary of the United Nations. The day is an initiative of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence and coincides with the United Nations'International Day of Peace. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=358 2009-09-15T15:43:43 By Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society ranks first as the largest not-for-profit senior living organization in the United States, according to the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and Ziegler Senior Living Finance. Based in Sioux Falls, S.D., the society tops the "2009 AAHSA Ziegler 100" report in three categories as the largest not-for-profit multi-site senior living organization in "senior living units," "assisted living units" and "nursing care beds." "It was never the intent of our founder or our current organization to be the largest of what we do in the country, but we are blessed and privileged to be able to serve a large number of people. And for us, that's a wonderful thing," said Mark Dickerson, director of communication, Good Samaritan Society. "Our organization strives to provide quality care" and "services to seniors and others in need. That is the mission of our organization." The society operates more than 230 sites in 24 states, Dickerson said. "We care daily for about 27,000 people with 22,000 national staff." Good Samaritan is one of about 300 members of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), an alliance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and their 300 social ministry organizations. LSA serves more than 6 million people annually in the United States and Caribbean. More than 10 other Lutheran social ministry organizations made the 2009 AAHSA Ziegler report. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=357 2009-08-28T16:45:18 by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA) has scheduled several College Fairs for Fall 2009 with the promise of more locations coming soon. August 30 -- St. Luke Lutheran Church, Middleton (Madison), Wis. 30 -- Lake Country Lutheran High School, Hartland, Wis. 31 -- St. Paul Lutheran Church, Grafton, Wis. September 1 -- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, Wis. 2 -- Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Weston (Wausau), Wis. 3 -- English Lutheran Church, La Crosse, Wis. 13 -- Luther Memorial Church, Seattle 14 -- St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Beaverton (Portland), Ore. 20 -- King of Kings Lutheran Church, Omaha, Neb. 21 -- Bethany Lutheran Church, Overland Park, Kan. 22 -- St. Pauls Lutheran Church, Des Peres (St. Louis), Mo. 28 -- Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Cloud, Minn. 29 -- St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie, Minn. Formed in 1910, LECNA represents 41 Lutheran colleges across Canada and the United States, including the 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Admissions representatives from various Lutheran colleges conduct the fairs in the fall and spring to interact with college-bound youth and their families. College fairs are sponsored in part by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans -- a Minneapolis- ased, not-for-profit financial services organization serving members of the ELCA and other Lutheran church bodies. Each 90-minute fair is preceded by on-site registration and a 30-minute financial aid seminar. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=356 2009-08-14T13:44:26 by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Youth across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are saying "no" to hunger and poverty through "Change the World: 2009 Lutheran Youth Challenge" to raise $1 million for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. In an effort to support the challenge, high-school-age Lutherans contributed $154,488 at the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering. About 37,000 Lutheran teenagers, adult leaders and volunteers attended the gathering held in New Orleans, July 22-26. Teenage members of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Stafford, Va., who attended the gathering, contributed more than $1,800 to support the challenge. As part of their fundraising efforts to pay for gathering expenses, the teenagers decided to tithe 10 percent of their earnings to support ELCA World Hunger, said John Irby, youth director at St. Peter. Sixteen members of the church attended the gathering. "When added to an additional $33,000 in gifts that have been mailed and $68,000 raised as part of the 2009 Souper Bowl of Caring effort earlier this year, our total for the challenge stands at $255,489 as of Aug. 7," said Laury Rinker, associate director for marketing communication, ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal. "At a time when one out of every seven people face hunger, these gifts are especially important. We are so grateful for the generosity shown by gathering participants." Gifts to the challenge are accepted through the end of the year. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=355 2009-08-13T13:26:25 by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Jill A. Schumann, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), Baltimore, has been named in The NonProfit Times' 2009 "Power and Influence Top 50." Schumann is one of few leaders included in the list for seven consecutive years, according to a LSA news release. "Lutheran health and human service organizations in the United States have been compelled and sustained by their call to love and serve our neighbors," said Schumann. "In preparation for LSA's 10th anniversary, we asked our members how LSA should live that out in the next decade. It is our members who inspire me and the whole system to shape the future with enthusiasm, savvy and resolve to create communities that are generous, inclusive and just," she said. There are 300 Lutheran health and human service organizations that participate in LSA, serving more than 6 million people annually in the United States and Caribbean. The aggregated budgets of these organizations total over $10 billion. LSA is an alliance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and their 300 social ministry organizations. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=354 2009-08-13T11:24:16 by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) commended the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for taking steps to improve the immigration detention system and remains "hopeful" that such comprehensive reform continues. LIRS is one of the nation's leading agencies in welcoming and advocating for refugees and immigrants. Based in Baltimore, LIRS works on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security -- announced Aug. 6 it will provide more oversight and direct management of immigrant families and individuals held in federal custody, move away from utilizing a penal detention system and develop alternatives to prison and jail detention for immigrants who pose no threat to the community or flight risk. It also plans to ensure timely provision of health care for immigrants held in federal custody and discontinue the use of the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility in Taylor, Texas, for family detention. "Our nation must commit to a major shift in its view of immigrants who seek freedom, protection and opportunity on America's shores," said Anne P. Wilson, LIRS executive vice president. "It is time to recognize that indefinitely imprisoning families and those fleeing prosecution -- who have committed no crime in seeking this protection -- is fundamentally anti-American and goes against our core values of 'liberty and justice for all,'" she said. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=353 2009-07-31T07:19:43 by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service For more than 20 years members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have brought and continue to bring comfort, healing and assistance to people affected by disasters. The ELCA works with such partners as Action by Churches Together (ACT) to meet the needs of people caught in crisis situations overseas. To help sustain the "rapid response" efforts of ACT in such situations, the ELCA sent $50,000 to ACT in July. ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergency situations worldwide. It is based in Geneva with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The ELCA is a member of the WCC and the LWF. Funds are used to respond to disasters such as the fires in Goma, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fires broke out in the Birere/Mapendo quarter of Goma July 8. "About 300 to 400 houses burned to the ground, and 777 families were left homeless," said Megan Bradfield, associate director for international disaster response, ELCA Global Mission. One household typically consists of six people, so the total number of people affected is likely to be more than 4,500, she said. Some of the affected families are taking shelter at two churches, but living conditions there are compromised with the lack of clean water, Bradfield said. "Contributions sent by the ELCA allow for the immediate response to this and other emerging needs" around the world, Bradfield said. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=352 2009-07-20T09:32:45 by Carrie Draeger, ELCA News Service* Dr. Gebisa Ejeta, a professor of agronomy at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., was named the recipient of the World Food Prize for his research on sorghum plants in his native Africa. Considered the Nobel Prize of Agriculture, the prize is given to people who have improved the "quality, quantity or availability or food in the world," according to the World Food Prize Foundation's Web site. Ejeta and his family are members of Our Saviour Lutheran Church, West Lafayette, Ind., where they have worshipped since 1984. Our Saviour is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Ejeta was born in Ethiopia, where he received his bachelor's degree in plant science at Alemaya College, Alemaya, Ethiopia, in 1973. He earned his master's degree in 1976 and doctorate in 1978 in plant breeding and genetics in from Purdue. He spent his career advancing the production and availability of sorghum. The grain helps feed more than 500 million people in Africa. The award was announced in Washington, D.C., by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and the World Food Prize Foundation President Kenneth Quinn. Ejeta will be honored and receive a $250,000 prize Oct.15 at the Iowa State Capitol, Des Moines. *Information provided by Purdue University and the World Food Prize Foundation. * Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a concentration in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=351 2009-07-17T11:39:51 by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service The 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are taking part in a program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help military veterans pay tuition. Under the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program degree-granting institutions in the United States can agree to cover "tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate," according to the Veterans Affairs Web site. Schools can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses, and Veterans Affairs will match the school's contribution. Benefits are payable for training pursued on or after Aug. 1, 2009. A news release from Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D., said the school "has agreed to admit 15 students under the Yellow Ribbon Program and will contribute $9,000 per student/per year. Admitted students will have access to all programs and courses." A news release from Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, said the school will pay up to 50 percent of tuition. "The GI Bill also provides veterans with a housing allowance (based on location) and an annual allowance of up to $1,000 for books and supplies. In addition, veterans also qualify for fixed-rate federal loans to cover other expenses." http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=350 2009-07-10T12:00:02 by Jodi Deike, ELCA News Service Representatives of nearly 30 religious organizations gathered July 7 in Washington D.C. for a "Faith Leader Summit on Health Care." The summit kicked off a collective effort to build support among Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu leaders for comprehensive reform of the U.S. health care system. "I think the faith community has a critical role in interpreting where we are in terms of the crisis to our people, raising the issue that this is a moral imperative and asking people to sign on to be participants in advocating for health care reform not only for ourselves but for the least of these," said the Rev. Jessica Crist, bishop, Montana Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and participant in the summit. According to Crist the faith community wants health care reform but does not agree on the particularities such reform should take. "Health care reform needs to be addressed in a bipartisan and multifaith way," said Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary, National Council of Churches USA, in the July 7 news conference. "Every human being is a child of God," he said. Although this is the first "Faith Leader Summit on Health Care," support has been building for such work. In the last week of June, thousands of activists went to Washington to ask for health care reform. In addition, a faith-based ad campaign urging health care legislation was launched nationally during the Independence Day holiday. Summit participants met with White House officials and members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=349 2009-07-09T10:35:09 by Carrie Draeger, ELCA News Service* A $325,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, New York City, to the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), will help the seminary continue its Asian initiative and the Asian Theological Summer Institute. LTSP is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The institute is part of LTSP's effort to promote cultural diversity in theological scholarship. It began in 2007 with a $75,000 grant from the Luce Foundation to complement the Black Church Studies and Latino Ministry programs of the seminary. The new grant will fund the institute for five more years. Henry Luce, co-founder of Time Inc., established the foundation in 1936 to honor his parents, who were missionary educators in China. The foundation's mission is to "foster innovation and leadership in academic, policy, religious and art communities," according to its Web site. * Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a concentration in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=348 2009-06-29T09:03:24 by Carrie Draeger, ELCA News Service St. Olaf College was named Minnesota's second most energy efficient business by Xcel Energy. The public utility company recognized 10 companies and organizations for their efforts to conserve energy. St. Olaf, located in Northfield, Minn., is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. St. Olaf saved 6.91 million kilowatt-hours of electricity last year. The other recipients for electric efficiency saved a combined 80 million kilowatt-hours of electricity -- enough to power 36 big box retail stores, Xcel said in a recent press release. St. Olaf was also awarded the top spot for natural gas efficiency with 417,840 therms saved. The bulk of St. Olaf's energy savings came from Regents Hall -- a new 200,000 square-foot science building. The building uses lighting and temperature control systems that reduce energy use in empty spaces, fewer fume hoods, and reflective roofing materials that reduces the need for air conditioning. All reduce energy consumption, according to the St. Olaf Web page on the building. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=347 2009-06-25T13:28:38 by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service According to a June report of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), hunger is increasing. World hunger is predicted to reach "a historic high" in 2009 with more than 1.02 billion people experiencing hunger every day. That's 100 million people more than 2008. The FAO attributes the increase in hunger to soaring food prices and the global economic downturn. "Thirty-five years ago the world faced a similar challenge, rising food prices and decreased income in poorer nations. In response, Lutherans chose to birth an appeal for world hunger," said the Rev. Daniel Rift, director, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) World Hunger Appeal. "Over that time the percent of the world's population at risk by lack of food has been cut in half, and the number of people with adequate access to food has nearly doubled. That is the good news," he said. "The FAO's analysis is that there is enough food in production to feed the world's population. That too is good news. The challenge is that the economic crisis and the high price of food have, as the FAO said, proved to be a devastating combination for the world's most vulnerable populations." Rift said the FAO report is a call to action for those who care for people living in poverty. Lutherans "are well positioned to respond to the call," he said. The ELCA World Hunger Appeal is aimed at relief and support for development that creates sustainable solutions to ending hunger. "Seed banks, water projects, livestock sharing, small loans and market assistance are hallmarks of our work," Rift said. He suggested that congregations continue to respond by adding some activity this year to examine the current state of the world's food needs and to benefit ELCA World Hunger. "I believe this is a matter of faithfulness. The church needs to be present in bringing daily bread to the world, and the world needs the church to be present in its time of food crisis," he said. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=346 2009-06-25T11:56:37 by Carrie L. Draeger, ELCA News Service* Retreat-style events will take place this summer to give Lutheran pastors and lay leaders a fresh view of Holy Week services. They are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) "Worship at the Center 2009" events said Scott Weidler, associate director for worship and music, ELCA Worship and Liturgical Services. The first event was held June 15-18 at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn. "I left motivated to share the information in my home congregation," said Janet Dembo, Harlingen, Texas, who attended the first event. Each retreat consists of liturgies for Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the vigil of Easter. After services, small- and large-group sharing provides for "an opportunity for focusing on pastoral, theological, musical or artistic and practical concerns," Weidler said. The final retreats are June 29-July 2 at Messiah Lutheran Church, Fairview Park, Ohio; and July 7-10 at Christ Lutheran Church, Long Beach, Calif. Online registration closes the Thursday before the first day of the retreats, but walk-in registrations are welcome, Weidler said. The format gives participants a chance to step out of their normal leadership roles and experience Holy Week from the pews, Weidler said. "You experience things very differently as a worshipper," he said. Weidler hopes that participants will get useful ideas from the retreats, not a set way of how the services should go. "These (services) don't have to look and sound exactly the same from congregation to congregation," he said. * Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a concentration in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=345 2009-06-17T14:42:22 By Carrie L. Draeger, ELCA News Service* The Rev. Jon V. Anderson was elected June 12 to a second term as bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Anderson was re-elected on the first ballot for bishop, receiving 488 of the 623 votes cast at the synod assembly at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn. The other 135 votes were cast for the Rev. Scott M. Grorud, a pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, Minn. Gustavus Adolphus is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities. Anderson and Grorud were the only nominees. Anderson, 49, was born in Glenwood, Minn. He earned a bachelor's degree in religion from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., in 1981. Anderson earned a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., in 1985. St. Olaf College is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities; Luther Seminary is one of eight ELCA seminaries. Anderson served as a pastor of Lutheran congregations in New Ulm, Minn., St. Cloud, Minn., and as an associate pastor in Houston before being elected bishop in 2003. Anderson and his wife Robyn are parents of three children and live in New Ulm, Minn. The Southwestern Minnesota Synod has 133,094 baptized members in 269 congregations. The synod office is in Redwood Falls, Minn. * Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a concentration in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=344 2009-06-12T09:44:14 by Jodi Deike, ELCA News Service This summer the federal government is considering comprehensive reform of the U.S. health care system. "It is no exaggeration to say that this summer might be the best opportunity in a generation to achieve any sort of comprehensive health care reform," said Robert Francis, director for domestic policy, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Washington Office. "This is why it is so important for people of faith to come together, talk about this issue and make their voices heard." On June 24 the ELCA and other faith communities around the country are uniting in Washington, D.C., to mobilize for "An Interfaith Service of Witness and Prayer." Lutherans are invited to join this effort by raising awareness of health care issues in their own communities and congregations, according to Francis. To foster discussions about health care, the ELCA created "Health Care Sunday" and "Health Care Cafe" congregational tool kits. The tool kits offer suggestions such as healing prayers, inviting someone to speak about health care and hosting a health care cafe to discuss health and health care reform. "We tried to create resources that are very accessible and open," said Francis. "Our hope is that these resources are just the first step in contemplation, education, and eventual action in the health care reform discussion." A Health Care Sunday is also a way to affirm and support one of the missions of the ELCA as stated in the "Caring for Health: Our Shared Endeavor" social statement, said Francis. http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Blog/News-Blog-Archive.aspx?a=343