wfn.org | LWI News in Brief No. 03/2005 (Additional)

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

LWI News in Brief No. 03/2005 (Additional)

+ Rev. Frank Otfried July New Bishop in Wuerttemberg, Germany
+ LWF Directory Part II Now Available
+ Ecumenical Research Institute Celebrates 40 Years

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Rev. Frank Otfried July New Bishop in Wuerttemberg, Germany

On March 10, the synod of the Evangelical Church in Wuerttemberg, Germany,
elected Rev. Frank Otfried July as its new bishop. The director of German
diakonia organization Schwäbisch Hall, obtained the required two-thirds
majority during the first round of elections. He received 65 votes from a
total of 96 votes cast. Contender Dean Dr Marie-Luise Kling-de-Lazzer, 57,
the first woman to stand for the highest position in the church, garnered
31 votes.

July, 50, will succeed Bishop Dr Gerhard Maier, 68, who will be retiring
at the end of July 2005. The bishop-elect will be consecrated in the
Stiftskirche, Stuttgart's city church, on July 23.

July will be the tenth and youngest bishop in the history of the church.
The election went considerably fast, compared to 1993 and 2000, when
several ballot rounds were needed before a new bishop could be ascertained.
July studied Protestant theology in Tuebingen, Germany, and in Vienna,
Austria. Between 1980-1983, he was an assistant pastor in Reutlingen-Betzingen, and subsequently worked as a research assistant at the Faculty of
Protestant Theology,  University of Heidelberg.

July is married and has four children.

The Wuerttemberg church is one of the 14 Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
member churches in Germany. It has around 2.3 million members, and joined
the LWF in 1947. (222 words)

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LWF Directory Part II Now Available

Part II of the Directory of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has been
printed. This section includes the LWF organigram, constitution & bylaws
in both English and German; information on the LWF Endowment Fund; Geneva
secretariat units and staff; and the Department for World Service field
programs. A list of member churches in their local and the Federation's
four official languages is also included.

Additional copies of the Directory (both Parts I & II) are available at
the normal price of CHF 22, EUR 15 or USD 18 (incl. binder) or CHF 18, EUR
12 or USD 15 (minus binder). To order, please contact: The LWF Office for
Communication Services, 150 Route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva
2, Switzerland, Tel. +41/22-791 6111, Fax +41/22-791 6630, E-mail,
info@lutheranworld.org

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Ecumenical Research Institute Celebrates 40 Years

On April 3, the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France,
marked its 40th anniversary. Inaugurated on 1 February 1965, the institute
brings together scholarly research and service to the churches in
theological research; ecumenical dialogues; and in the communication and
reception of such dialogues. It was established under the Lutheran
Foundation for Inter-confessional Research, called for by the Fourth
Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Helsinki, Finland, in
1963. The foundation was set up to assist Lutheran churches in fulfilling
their ecumenical ministry in the area of theology.

Staffed by six research professors, two doctoral students and two
administrative assistants, the Strasbourg institute plays a central role
in Lutheran ecumenism. Research done there has made significant contributions to contemporary ecumenical thought introducing such key notions as
"unity in reconciled diversity" and "differentiated consensus," thus
laying the conceptual foundation for much of Lutheran ecumenical
dialogue.

Danish theologian Dr Niels H. Gregersen is chairperson of the institute's
board of trustees. (168 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of
nearly 66 million Christians. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication,
and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat
is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. 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.]

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LWI online: http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Welcome.EN.html

LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
PO Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: (41.22) 791.63.54
Fax: (41.22) 791.66.30
Editor: pmu@lutheranworld.org