wfn.org | LWI News in Brief No. 04 & 05/2005

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

LWI News in Brief No. 04 & 05/2005

- Luther Opera Premiered in Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- Alfred Eichholz New Bishop in Kyrgyzstani Lutheran Church
- Munich to Host Germany's Second Ecumenical Kirchentag in 2010
- Lutheran Minority Churches in Europe Launch New Web Site
- Botswana Lutherans Elect New Bishop
- Hong Kong Lutheran Church Elects New Leader, Changes Title to Bishop
- Zambian Lutheran Church Ordains its First Female Pastors

Luther Opera Premiered in Bratislava, Slovak Republic

The premier of an opera dedicated to Martin Luther was staged May 22 in
Bratislava, Slovak Republic. The 70-minute performance depicts the
important stages in the life of Reformer Martin Luther. Its leitmotiv is
Luther's famous citation, "Here I stand, I can do no other."

The opera is an ecumenical project, with actors drawn from the Orthodox,
Roman and Greek Catholic churches in the Slovak Republic, and from the
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic
(ECAC-SR). The performance was put together by Slovak music professor
Vitazoslav Kubicka.

"The objective is to generate interest for Martin Luther among the current
generation," said Eva Bachlétova, ECAC-SR media consultant, the
project's main initiator. Stage lighting and video projections are
synchronized to portray the historical context. A performance is planned
in June in Prague, the capital of neighboring Czech Republic, during a
major meeting of Christians drawn from four nations namely Germany,
Poland, Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic. The opera will then be
staged in church congregations in the Slovak Republic and in a theater in
Nitra town, western Slovakia.

An opera about Martin Luther was performed for the first time in December
2000 at the National Opera of Finland in Helsinki. "Luther's" composer and
librettist Kari Tikka, was awarded the year 2000 Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Finland cultural prize. (228 words)

* * *

Alfred Eichholz New Bishop in Kyrgyzstani Lutheran Church

At its synod meeting in May this year, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Kyrgyzstan elected Rev. Alfred Eichholz as its new bishop. Eichholz, 44,
succeeds Bishop Emanuel Schanz, who retired at the end of May. The
Kyrgyzstani church belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia
and Other States (ELCROS), the regional body bringing together Lutheran
congregations of German tradition in Russia and other successor states of
the former Soviet Union. ELCROS joined the Lutheran World Federation in
1989.
(87 words)

* * *

Munich to Host Germany's Second Ecumenical Kirchentag in 2010

The second ecumenical "Kirchentag" - German Protestant Church Convention
will take place in 2010 in Munich, Germany. The convention's executive
committee and the assembly of the Central Committee of German Catholics
decided on the event's venue at their end of April meetings in Fulda and
Bonn. Both bodies based their decision on the expectation that "the local
host churches would jointly submit an invitation to host the event, and
that the financial conditions for such an undertaking would be fulfilled."
The exact dates for the large joint event of Christian lay organizations
in Germany and the finer details about its planning are yet to be
clarified. The first ecumenical Kirchentag took place from 28 May to 1
June 2003 in Berlin under the theme, "You Shall Be a Blessing," and was
attended by over 200,000 people attended. (142 words)

* * *

Lutheran Minority Churches in Europe Launch New Web Site

The Communication Committee for Lutheran Minority Churches in Europe
(KALME) has a new Web site. Launched during its April meeting in Vienna,
Austria, www.kalme.net offers Lutheran minority churches in Europe the
opportunity to publicize and exchange their press releases. The bilingual
(English and German) Internet platform provides wide ranging information
on KALME's member churches, and also allows for the exchange of projects.
(71 words)

* * *

Botswana Lutherans Elect New Bishop

The 18th Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botswana (ELCB)
elected Rev. Dr Cosmos Moenga as its new bishop. The synod met April
19-24. Moenga, 48, currently principal of the "Woodpecker" Lutheran
Theological Seminary will be succeeding Rev. Philip J. Robinson, ELCB's
first bishop, who has led the church for 24 years. The 20,000-member ELCB
joined the LWF in 1986. (66 words)

* * *

Hong Kong Lutheran Church Elects New Leader, Changes Title to Bishop

At its synod meeting in March this year, the Evangelical Lutheran Church
of Hong Kong (ELCHK) elected Rev. Dr Nicholas Tai to succeed Rev.
Josephine Tso as head of the church. The synod also changed the title of
the church leader from "President" to "Bishop." The bishop-elect will be
installed on June 12, and will assume office on July 1. Tso, who is also a
member of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission, has served three
terms as church president since 1996. The 13,500-member ELCHK joined the
LWF in 1957.
(97 words)

* * *

Zambian Lutheran Church Ordains its First Female Pastors

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia (ELCZA) has ordained its first
female pastors. At a colorful ceremony attended by church leaders from
neighboring South African countries, Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa
(LUCSA) Executive Director, Rev. Dr Ambrose Moyo, presided over the
ordination of three candidates who included two women, Matilda Banda and
Doreen Mwanza.

The issue of women's ordination had been on the ELCZA agenda for years.
Banda and Mwanza had waited several years after completing their theological studies in Tanzania, before the Church Council called them at its
January 2005 meeting. "It was a joyful experience for both the men and
women who attended the service, and for the women it was a dream [come]
true," ELCZA acting administrative secretary, Rev. Collins Chinsembu said
of the 20 March 2005 ordination at the Lutheran Church in Matero, Lusaka.
Chinsembu, who had graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Umpumulo, South Africa, more than two years ago was the other candidate,
and all three have been assigned parishes.

The presence of church representatives from the neighboring sister
churches, including two female pastors from Zimbabwe was intended to
affirm the significance of the historic action taken by the Zambian church
to ordain women, Chinsembu said.

The ordination ceremony was preceded by a LUCSA women and youth leaders'
workshop on HIV/AIDS. LUCSA brings together 13 Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) member churches in eight Southern Africa countries. The ELCZA has
around 5,300 members, and joined the LWF in 2002. (253 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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