wfn.org | News in brief- GENEVA, 8 June 2000 (LWI)

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

LWF Council to decide on venue of Federation's Tenth Assembly
Among the key decisions to be taken at the meeting of the Council of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) taking place in Turku, Finland, from 13
to 21 June 2000 will be the venue of the Federation's Tenth Assembly.
The last Assembly was held in Hong Kong, China, in 1997. Invitations to
host the next Assembly, which will take place in 2003 or 2004 have so
far been received from the LWF member churches in Canada, Germany and
Iceland. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) is hosting
the Council meeting, under the theme, "I give you a future with hope".
Participants will take part in the ELCF's millennium celebrations, which
will be marked with the theme "Millennium 2000 - Year of Hope".

Successful start of the LWF Endowment Fund
At the last meeting of the Board of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
Foundation, the chairperson, Dr. Carl Gustaf von Ehrenheim, underlined
the importance of the LWF Endowment Fund for the future of the work of
the Federation. The board, during its second ordinary meeting in Geneva
from 17 to 18 April, received reports about the successful start of the
LWF Endowment Fund. The fund, which is managed and administered by the
Foundation, aims at strengthening and supplementing financial support
for the Federation's work. At the April meeting, the LWF general
secretary, Dr. Ishmael Noko, together with a special adviser to the
board, Dr. Eugene Ries, a former director of the LWF Department for
World Service, and the Foundation's secretary, Mr. Friedrich Manske,
director of the LWF Office for Finance and Administration, informed
members about visits to Finland, USA and Indonesia and prepared the
ground for their contributions to the fund. The board received the first
audited financial statement for the period ending 31 December 1999 and
allocated income from the investments to Lutheran World Information
(LWI) and to ecumenical dialogues. Both projects are regarded as part of
the essential functions of the LWF, serving the wider community in
different countries. The board also approved the Foundation's budget for
the years 2000 and 2001. The LWF Foundation was established in Geneva,
Switzerland, in December 1998. Its board members represent churches from
Botswana, Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the
USA.

"La communion ecclesiale"-An analysis of dialogues in the ecclesial
communion
Moving from dialogue between theologies to a consensus between churches
is a major challenge for contemporary ecumenical research. A new
publication in French, "La communion ecclesiale" ("The ecclesial
communion"), presents an analysis of the issues that have marked this
process in the last ten years. The 410-page volume is authored by Andre
Birmele, a Lutheran pastor and professor of systematic theology at the
University of Strasbourg, France, who is among those who have been
involved in the ecumenical dialogue for a long time. The first chapters
focus on the implications of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification between Lutherans and Roman Catholics, an ecumenical
process, which solves a major cause of the 16th century division in the
western church. In this section, the author reflects on the question of
methodologies used, understanding of consensus, the positive implication
of being different, levels of truth and highlights of the historic
condemnations. Chapters in the second part of the book deal with
agreements of church communion among the churches of the Reformation.
This section is a reflection on the model of unity, reception and
compatibility of the agreements. Published in April 2000 with assistance
from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the faculty of Protestant
Theology in Strasbourg, the book may be ordered from Les Editions du
Cerf, 29, boulevard La Tour-Maubourg, 75340 Paris Cedex 07. The price is
about USD 27 (FF 190).

ELCA synod elects woman bishop
The Rev. Margaret G. Payne of Shelburne, Massachusetts, was on 3 June
2000 elected to a six-year term as bishop of the New England Synod of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the first time in its
history that the synod has appointed a woman as bishop. Bishop-elect
Payne, 53, becomes the third woman to hold this position in the
5.2-million-member ELCA. The other two women among the ELCA's 65 synod
bishops are Rt. Rev. April Ulring Larson, La Crosse Area Synod, and Rt.
Rev Andrea F. DeGroot-Nesdahl, South Dakota Synod. Lutheran churches in
the USA have ordained women since 1970. Payne's election brings to 13
the number of women bishops and presidents among the 128 Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) member churches. Ordained in 1984, Payne has been
pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Princeton Junction, New
Jersey and assistant to the bishop of the ELCA New Jersey Synod. She
will succeed Bishop Robert Isaksen who plans to retire at the end of
August 2000. He was elected bishop in 1987, and re-elected in 1991 and
1995. His current term was due to end in 2001. The Rt. Rev. H. George
Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, will install Payne as bishop in
a ceremony on 17 September at Trinity Lutheran Church, Worcester,
Massachusetts.

Latin American church leaders decry poor socio-economic conditions
Members of the Conference of Bishops and Presidents of the Latin
American Lutheran Churches (COP) have expressed great concern about the
unfavourable socio-economic situation in their respective countries. In
a message issued at the end of their annual meeting held in Managua,
Nicaragua from 10 to 15 April, the 12 participants representing Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) member churches in Latin America, said massive
underemployment and unemployment; increasing violence; poor health care
and education services; the loss of moral, cultural and spiritual
values; institutionalised corruption; and, the disruption of the
ecology, result in disasters that have caused loss of life and economic
devastation. However, participants said they were happy about the
experiences that have emerged in the shared hope and mutual support
shown among the region's churches. The church leaders welcomed the
signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the
LWF and the Roman Catholic Church last October, describing it as a step
toward diversity in the unity of churches. They also called for joint
efforts in celebrating the Jubilee Year 2000, as a sign of hope for the
oppressed and beleaguered people who labour under the burden of an
unjust foreign debt. The Latin American and Caribbean region comprises
14 member churches and eight recognised congregations with a membership
of around 1.2 million. The COP normally meets to discuss and plan common
actions relevant to their constituencies.

US Lutheran Council reaffirms pact with Episcopal Church
Despite some lingering resistance, the Church Council of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at its meeting in Chicago from 7 to 9
April 2000, reaffirmed its commitment to full communion with the
Episcopal Church in the USA. Called to Common Mission (CCM), which would
bring the 5.2 million-member ELCA into full communion with the 2.4
million Episcopalians, was adopted by the ELCA last year. The Episcopal
Church will vote on the agreement in July. The ELCA Council decided that
1 January 2001 would be the implementation date for the CCM. A small
minority in the ELCA has opposed the agreement claiming that it violates
Lutheran confessional statements and tradition in consecrating bishops
to the historic episcopate.

Rev. John A. Evenson is new director for LWF Office for Communication
Services
The Rev. John A. Evenson, an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA), presently residing in the United Kingdom, is
the new Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Lutheran World Federation
Office for Communication Services (OCS). Evenson, 58, was appointed via
a mail vote by the LWF Executive Committee and is expected to take up
his position at the Geneva Secretariat in August 2000. He brings to the
Federation more than 30 years' experience in print and electronic media,
working with churches and their related agencies in Africa, Europe and
North America. Evenson has been involved in ecumenical discussions with
the Anglican, Congregational, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed and Roman
Catholic churches, and especially in the Lutheran-Roman Catholic
dialogue in the Lutheran Church in Great Britain. He is experienced in
fund-raising, international affairs and human rights issues, and
pastoral care. Presently, a member and minister of the Lutheran Church
in Great Britain, Evenson is married to Alwina W. M. Coetze. They have a
son, stepdaughter, and one granddaughter. Evenson succeeds Ms. Anneli
Janhonen, from Finland, who held the same position from 1992 to July
1998. The Rt. Rev. Marc Chambron from France has been acting since
February 1999 as coordinator of the OCS.

New title in "LWF Documentation" series
Justification in the World's Context (No. 45) is the title of a new book
in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) "Documentation" series. A
publication of the LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS), it is
a theological working book containing a variety of essays that examine
"justification today" in light of the world's globalized and pluralistic
societies. Through the 258-page volume authors from different parts of
the world representing a variety of disciplines raise a number of
provocative questions for further pursuits. Most of the theologians made
presentations at a consultation held in October 1998 in Wittenberg,
Germany under the theme Justification in the World's Contexts. To order
the book, priced at USD 10, CHF 12 or DEM 14, please write to: LWF
Office for Finance and Administration, General Services, P. O. Box 2100,
CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland.

2000 edition of the LWF Directory now available
The 2000 edition of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Directory is now
available. The handbook provides information on the Federation, its 128
member churches, 12 recognized congregations and 24 national committees,
updated statistics on membership, as well as listings of other bodies
with which the LWF is in contact. Information is also provided on the
Federation's structure, its Constitution and Bylaws, in both English and
German. To order the Directory, please write to: LWF Office for Finance
and Administration, General Services, P. O. Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2,
Switzerland. The handbook costs USD 15, CHF 18 or DEM 20 (incl. hard
cover). An annual update, without the cover, costs USD 12, CHF 15, or
DEM 18.50.

New president for church in Hong Kong
Chung Wan Yau has been appointed the new president of the Tsung Tsin
Mission, Hong Kong, China. He replaces Poon-Ki Simon Sit, who has served
the church for the last 16 years. The church, which joined the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) in 1974, has a membership of 7,000. It is one of
the four LWF member churches in Hong Kong.

Head of Brazilian church opposed to law on deforestation
The president of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in
Brazil (IELCB), Rev. Huberto Kirchheim, has urged deputies of the
Brazilian Congress to reject a proposed law that would allow for
increased deforestation in the Amazon region. In a message on 17 May to
deputies of the Brazilian legislative assembly, Kirchheim said the IELCB
was joining its voice to that of many other representatives of the
Brazilian and international communities who are opposed to the revised
text of the Forest Code, already approved by the Environmental
Commission of the Congress. He said the Lutheran church is concerned
about the welfare of the Brazilian people and committed to the
preservation of the environment.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 59 million of the world's 61 million Lutherans. Its highest
decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years.
Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which
meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its
various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

*       *       *
Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/