wfn.org | News in brief

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

 ... Caroline Crook new bishop of Stockholm. The Rev. Caroline Krook has
been appointed as Bishop of Stockholm by the Swedish government. Krook, 53,
received the majority of votes in the election for bishop of the Stockholm
diocese in February. Her consecration will take place in Uppsala Cathedral
May 31. Krook is the second woman, after Christina Odenberg, to become a
bishop in the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden. She succeeds retiring Bishop
Henrik Svenungsson.

 ... LWF program, area secretary positions filled. The Rev. Ginda Harahap,
51, joined the staff of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for
Mission and Development this month as Area Secretary for Asia. Harahap, an
Indonesian citizen, recently completed studies at Luther Seminary in St.
Paul, Minnesota, USA. He previously worked as a lecturer in leadership,
mission and religion at the Theological Seminary of Abdi Sabda in
Indonesia. He also has served as ephorus (bishop) in the Christian
Protestant Angkola Church (GKPA) in North Sumatra. He succeeds Dr. Thomas
Batong who has returned to the Philippines. Also this month, Mr. Hanns P.
Polak has joined the LWF Department for World Service as Program Secretary
for Rehabilitation and Environment. Polak, 47, a German citizen, studied in
Germany, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. He holds a Master of Science
degree in sociology with biology. He has worked for 15 years in various
fields of development cooperation with the German government, UN
organizations and nongovernmental organizations. Prior to joining the LWF
staff Polak worked with World Vision Germany as a program coordinator and
was responsible for 55 projects in eight Asian countries.

 ... Slovak publisher "Tranoscius" celebrates centennial. The Slovak
Christian publisher "Tranoscius" will mark its 100th year with celebrations
April 25-26. One of its publications is the Lutheran church newspaper
"Evanjelicky posol spod Tatier"   "The Lower Tatra Evangelical Messenger".
Besides religious literature, "Tranoscius" publishes textbooks and
liturgical material for the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession
in the Slovak Republic (ECACSR). "Tranoscius" owes its beginnings to
efforts to establish a home mission in Slovakia. Over the years it has
become one of the best-known Slovakian publishing houses, which in 1930
included belles-lettres as well as newspapers and magazines in its
catalogue. In 1953, the firm finally became an institution of the ECACSR.
Its activities were cut down because of the political situation, but were
never interrupted entirely, as its anniversary brochure emphasizes. In
1990, "Tranoscius" resumed full publishing activity as a joint-stock
company. According to the brochure, "Tranoscius" is "probably the only
Slovak publisher which, with the exception of two weeks during World War
II, has kept its production going without interruption for 100 years".

 ... Protestant industrialists in Hungary take initiatives. "Christian
industrialists can trust one another, depend upon one another and profit
from one another," said Otto Strecker, an economist from Bonn who chairs
the board of the German church-related "Initiative Inc. (Incorporated)"
society, during a visit to Protestant churches in Hungary. Since 1996,
reports Lutheran World Information correspondent Gottfried Mierau, the
society has provided management counseling and training courses for
Christian small businesses in the "conversion" countries of central and
eastern Europe. In Hungary, among plans being discussed is a society of
their own, or a foundation, for Christian businessmen. According to
Strecker, "Initiative Inc." is also active in Poland, Romania, Estonia,
Russia and the Czech Republic.

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/