ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 7, 2007
ELCA Assembly Affirms 'Evangelical Lutheran Worship' 07-CWA-006-LL*
CHICAGO (ELCA)-- "Evangelical Lutheran Worship" was affirmed as the church's primary worship resource by the 2007 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on Aug. 7. "This recommendation to affirm Evangelical Lutheran Worship commits the ELCA to renewing worship in the world in which we are called in and serve," said Carlos Pen?a, Galveston, Texas, vice president, ELCA Church Council.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 6 to 11 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,071 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"
Released on Oct. 3, 2006, Evangelical Lutheran Worship is the outcome of a project initiated by the Church Council in 2000 to renew the worship life of the ELCA. The worship resource is published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Minneapolis, the publishing ministry of the ELCA. Approximately 725,000 volumes of the book have been distributed since its release, according to the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop.
The resolution, which was approved with 965 votes of 1,036 cast, applauds "The Use of the Means of Grace: A Statement on the Practice of Word and Sacrament" -- a 1997 statement that contributed to the development of new worship resources. It also acknowledged the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly actions that encouraged the completion of the new primary worship book, and acknowledged members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) for their participation in its development.
"As more people become familiar with Evangelical Lutheran Worship there is more affirmation and reason to give thanks," said Rev. Michael L. Burk, executive, ELCA Worship and Liturgical Resources. "We are confident that it supports the teachings of this church and, at its best, that it helps us to be connected to one another and remember why we give thanks to God."
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* Lauren A. Lamb is a senior public relations and speech communication major at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.
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