June 2017 news

Young adults called to serve

More than 85 young adults (below) accepted the call in April to serve as part of the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program, an international mission opportunity for 21- to 29-year-olds. Calls were extended as part of the program’s Discernment-Interview-Placement event, which matches young adults with service opportunities in one of 10 countries. In August they will embark on a year of service with ELCA companion churches and organizations around the world.

Church Council member receives Wentz Prize

The Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic has announced the winner of its 2016
A.R. Wentz Prize in American Lutheran History. Hans Becklin, a Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago student and member of the ELCA Church Council, won for his paper “Herbjorn Gausta’s Good Shepherd (1895) at First Lutheran Church, Decorah, Iowa: Printed American Visual Culture as Painted Norwegian-American Propaganda.” The society awards the prize annually for papers addressing Lutheranism in North America.

ELCA pastor closes out LWF Assemby

Lydia Posselt, pastor of Family of God Lutheran Church, Buckingham, Pa., delivered the closing worship sermon at the Lutheran World Federation 12th Assembly May 16 in Windhoek, Namibia. Posselt, 32, was selected from a pool of 10 young finalists by an international jury as well as online voters. Nearly 800 participants, including approximately 400 delegates from the 145 LWF member churches in 98 countries, participated in the assembly.

United Lutheran Seminary names first president

On April 20, Theresa F. Latini was named the first president of United Lutheran Seminary, the consolidation of the ELCA seminaries in Gettysburg, Pa., and Philadelphia. Latini, who will begin her term July 1, is a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor and professor at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Mich. “I am honored and humbled to be called to serve as the first president of United Lutheran Seminary,” she said. “Grounded in the promises of God, this bold and innovative union of two historic Lutheran institutions will enable us to educate and empower public Christian leaders for confessionally rooted, ecumenically connected and interculturally competent ministry in the 21st century.”

ELCA Church Council focuses on future

Meeting March 30-April 2 in Itasca, Ill., the ELCA Church Council spent much of its time focused on the Called Forward Together in Christ process that will determine goals and priority areas for the ELCA. Among actions taken, the council designated Milwaukee as the site of the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly; affirmed the direction of the ELCA Foundation Task Force on Structure and Governance to move toward a structure that transfers the ELCA Foundation’s deferred giving programs to the Endowment Fund of the ELCA; and designated 5 percent of the 2018 fiscal year churchwide seminary grant for a project among all seminaries to increase the number of people of color preparing for rostered ministry in the church.

Fund for Leaders surpasses $50 million

For the first time, the ELCA Fund for Leaders’ endowment has passed $50 million. As the Fund for Leaders celebrates 20 years of ministry, the endowment is supporting approximately 250 future church leaders through ELCA seminary scholarships. The program’s vision is to eventually support every candidate for rostered ministry with full-tuition scholarships to ELCA seminaries.

LIRS launches refugee campaign

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) announced in April its new $5 million #WelcomeOurNeighbors campaign to benefit ongoing work with refugee resettlement in the U.S. LIRS called on individuals, foundations, corporations and congregations to join forces to create welcoming communities. “As the world faces a vast humanitarian crisis that has forced millions from their homes—like the Syrian families and children brutalized by their own government—we have the opportunity to invest in our new neighbors and transform the lives of refugees and their communities,” said Linda Hartke, LIRS president and CEO.

Defense Department recognizes more religions

The Department of Defense announced in March that its list of formally recognized religions has almost doubled. Military personnel who practice and adhere to minority faiths are now guaranteed the same rights, privileges and protections given to their peers who practice more mainline faiths. The list, now standing at 221 religions, includes earth-based faiths and an additional eight Protestant faiths, among others. Jewish military personnel may now also choose from different branches of Judaism rather than just marking “Jewish.” Along with the new list, the Defense Department will also work to have a more accurate count of each recognized religious group.

ELCA, WELCA communications receive awards

Living Lutheran won four awards at the 2017 Associated Church Press convention April 28 in Chicago. Two awards of merit were received in the “feature writing” and “department” categories, while two honorable mentions were earned for “editorial and opinion piece” and “convention meeting coverage” categories. Women of the ELCA (WELCA) received eight awards at the ceremony and four awards in March at the Religion Communicators Council convention, also in Chicago. Awards were given for work completed in 2016.

LIRS launches refugee campaign

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) announced in April its new $5 million #WelcomeOurNeighbors campaign to benefit ongoing work with refugee resettlement in the U.S. LIRS called on individuals, foundations, corporations and congregations to join forces to create welcoming communities (lirs.org). “As the world faces a vast humanitarian crisis that has forced millions from their homes—like the Syrian families and children brutalized by their own government—we have the opportunity to invest in our new neighbors and transform the lives of refugees and their communities,” said Linda Hartke, LIRS president and CEO.

Defense Department recognizes more religions

The Department of Defense announced in March that its list of formally recognized religions has almost doubled. Military personnel who practice and adhere to minority faiths are now guaranteed the same rights, privileges and protections given to their peers who practice more mainline faiths. The list, now standing at 221 religions, includes earth-based faiths and an additional eight Protestant faiths, among others. Jewish military personnel may now also choose from different branches of Judaism rather than just marking “Jewish.” Along with the new list, the Defense Department will also work to have a more accurate count of each recognized religious group.

Supreme Court to hear LCMS case

On April 19, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a closely watched dispute over supplying taxpayer money to religious entities in which Trinity Lutheran, a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod congregation in Columbia, Mo., accuses Missouri of violating its religious rights by denying it state funds for a playground project. Trinity runs a preschool and day care center. Three-quarters of U.S. states have provisions similar to Missouri’s barring funding for religious entities. The court will issue a decision in June.

Megachurch requests own police force

An Alabama Presbyterian megachurch may become the first in the nation to form its own police force, which will be invested by the state with the rights of “regular” police. Church officials say Briarwood Presbyterian, with 4,100 congregants and a 2,000-student school, needs the protection of a church-run police force. The state Senate voted 24-4 on April 11 to give Briarwood permission to hire its own police. At presstime the vote was being considered by the House, and if it passes there as expected, it will go to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature. Critics of the bill fault Briarwood and the Senate for blurring the line separating church and state.

Consecration of gay bishop against church law

In April, the United Methodist Church’s (UMC) top court ruled 6-3 that the consecration of an openly gay pastor as bishop is against church law. The court also ruled that Karen Oliveto, the denomination’s first openly gay bishop, “remains in good standing.” Oliveto was consecrated as bishop of the UMC Mountain Sky Area last July. A lay delegate filed a motion asking for a declaratory decision on whether the nomination, election and assignment or consecration of an openly gay bishop is lawful under the denomination’s law book. The Judicial Council’s jurisdiction pertains only to consecration.

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