wfn.org | ELCA Lutheran, Episcopal Bishops Meet

[ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

NEWSBRIEF

September 30, 1996

LUTHERAN, EPISCOPAL BISHOPS MEET

The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) and the Episcopal House of Bishops will hold a
first-ever joint meeting Oct. 3-8 at the Mountain Laurel Lodge in
White Haven, Pa.  They will consider a proposed "Concordat of
Agreement" that would establish "full communion" between the two
churches.  While the bishops will take no official action on the
Concordat, they will look ahead to the 1997 meetings of the
governing bodies of both churches that will vote on its adoption.
Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey will attend a
portion of the meeting and will preside at the Sunday morning
Eucharist.  He will be joined by Dr. Gunther Gassmann, former
director of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council
of Churches, in discussing the international aspects of the
Concordat.  Presentations will be given by the Rev. Eric W.
Gritsch, professor emeritus of church history at the Lutheran
Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa., and the Rev. John Booty,
former dean of the School Theology of the University of the
South, Seanee, Tenn.  The Rev. Martin Marty, Fairfax Cone
Professor of Church History at the University of Chicago, will
offer theological reflections and will preach on Sunday.  ELCA
Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson and Episcopal Presiding
Bishop Edmond Browning will offer concluding reflections in the
final joint session Oct. 8.  In addition to meeting in shared
sessions.  The two groups of bishops will meet independently.

For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service,
(312) 380-2958 or AHAFFTEN@ELCA.ORG; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir.,
(312) 380-2955 or FRANKI@ELCA.ORG