ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 9, 2007
ELCA Assembly Hears Final Report of Secretary 07-CWA-023-JI
CHICAGO (ELCA)-- Through a videotaped report to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's churchwide assembly here Aug. 8, the Rev. Lowell G. Almen gave an overview of his 20 years of experiences as the church body's first secretary. Almen, 65, will leave office Oct. 31.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 6 to11 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,068 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"
The video report starts and ends with scenes of Almen at historic Augustus Lutheran Church, near Philadelphia, whose first pastor in the mid 1700s was the Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg.
Almen referred to Muhlenberg as "a model in many ways for all who lead and serve in the church; [truly] a reminder of faithful witness to Scripture."
In his report, Almen often mentioned "surprises" in his ministry that began with his 1967 ordination and first call to a church in North Dakota and the "principle-centered leadership" of pastors and other church leaders through his later years as a campus pastor; editor of The American Lutheran Church's magazine, "The Lutheran Standard," and election as ELCA secretary at the church body's 1987 constituting convention.
He spoke of associations over the years with a wide variety of individuals, groups, and experiences -- from his first congregation's exhibiting "a strong commitment to benevolence support for the wider church," to a multitude of responsibilities as ELCA secretary; to meetings and ecumenical associations with recent popes and other denominational and world church leaders.
Almen said that he was completing his service as ELCA secretary "with only a few regrets:"
+ "... that I have not been able to testify more eloquently to the grand vision of our life together in this church as imagined and expressed within the governing documents of the ELCA."
+ "... that some leaders and members throughout this church have not celebrated fully or undertaken enthusiastically the interdependence and shared ministry to which God calls us."
"I do find my heart filled with gratitude -- gratitude for having been able serve as this church's secretary," Almen said in the video. "I am deeply grateful in so many ways."
Almen also thanked his wife, Sally, and their two adult children for "the unbounded love that they have given me so generously."
Voting members gave Almen two prolonged standing ovations -- first as the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, introduced him on the assembly platform, and again as Almen rose at the end of his report to suggest the assembly sing a hymn, "Your Hand, O God, Has Guided."
Almen said that hymn -- "if I were to select [one] as parting words, [issues] a call for faithfulness in every generation."
In his introductory remarks drawing the first round of applause, Hanson asked the assembly to "join me in a show of appreciation [for Almen's] remarkable ministry as secretary of the ELCA -- profound gratitude to God for this servant who has so faithfully and wisely served this church."
As that applause subsided, Hanson noticed that Almen's usually solemn facial expression had changed.
"Well, we just set a record for the longest continuous smile in 20 years," Hanson said, adding in jest that he was ordering that a visual record of the moment be sent to the church archives.
Hanson later indicated that Almen's video report would be made available to the church.
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Information about the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.ELCA.org/assembly/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog