Title: ELCA Council Prepares for 60th Anniversary of Lutheran World Federation ELCA NEWS SERVICE
November 20, 2006
ELCA Council Prepares for 60th Anniversary of Lutheran World Federation 06-183-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) called on the church's 65 synods, 10,549 congregations and 4.85 million members to support the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and join in preparations to celebrate the LWF's 60th anniversary in 2007.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. The council met here Nov. 11-13. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is here Aug. 6-11, 2007.
The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF has 140 member churches in 78 countries around the world, with a total membership of 66.2 million.
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, is president of the LWF. The ELCA is the second largest member church of the LWF. The Church of Sweden has nearly 7 million members.
The ELCA Church Council adopted a resolution "that the synods and congregations of this church commit to hold the Lutheran World Federation in prayer."
The resolution encouraged ELCA synods and congregations to use resources -- prayers, litanies, devotional readings and stories -- that will be available to mark the anniversary and LWF Sunday, usually the first Sunday of each October, "to become better informed and also to understand more deeply the relationship of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the global Lutheran family."
The council also urged ELCA members "to support the work of the LWF with gifts and special offerings for the LWF Endowment Fund" so that the LWF will continue to be "strong and vital" for the next 60 years. -- -- --
The home page of the Lutheran World Federation is at http://www.lutheranworld.org/ on the Web. Resources to mark the anniversary will be available online through the LWF Regional Office for North America at http://www.ELCA.org/lwf/ on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog