ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 7, 2005
Presiding Bishop Thanks Women, Comments On ‘State Of The ELCA’
05-114-JB
SAN ANTONIO (ELCA) - The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), thanked delegates to the
Women of the ELCA convention here for their faith, for the work they do in
congregations and for supporting the wider church with gifts totaling
$1.75 million in the past three years.
Hanson spoke to the delegates July 7, as did other Women of the ELCA
officers who reported on their activities since their elections in 2002.
Women of the ELCA's Sixth Triennial Gathering is meeting here July
5-10 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The organization's
three-year theme, “Act Boldly,” is being unveiled at the convention amid
Bible study, keynote presentations, workshops, community service, business
sessions and elections. More than 2,100 women from across the United
States and around the world are participating.
Women of the ELCA President Mary Ellen Kiesner, Menomonee Falls,
Wis., said the past three years have been “full of growth, challenges and
delights.” Kiesner’s term as president expires at the gathering.
“The most amazing thing to me is how each one of you worked
diligently to discern God’s call,” she told the delegates. “I have
received much joy and encouragement from your love.”
Kiesner introduced Women of the ELCA executive board members, staff
and her family to the delegates. Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive
director, Women of the ELCA, and Kiesner’s daughter Amy performed and
signed the hymn “I the Lord of Sea and Sky,” concluding Kiesner’s remarks.
Carmen K. Richards, Hope, N.D., treasurer, Women of the ELCA,
emphasized the organization’s need for financial support and
communication. “We’re losing our faithful givers,” she said.
The organization needs to work on its communication, Richards said.
“We need to spread the word,” she said. “If what you’ve learned here stays
here, we’ve accomplished very little.”
Bushkofsky presented a video report, emphasizing the organization’s
award-winning communication tools, its work to serve the wider church and
its new emphasis on women’s health over the next three years.
Delegates were also informed that offerings from the opening worship
service July 6 totaled $25,121. Half will be given to the churchwide
organization of Women of the ELCA and half is earmarked for global
ministry projects.
Hanson on the ‘State of the ELCA’
Hanson told the delegates that, to comment on the state of the ELCA,
the best way to prepare is to ask the church’s 5 million members about the
state of their faith.
“The state of the ELCA depends on the vitality of the faith of the
baptized of this church,” he said, noting that to be Lutheran is to
recognize “all the baptized are called.”
The ELCA is unique because it is not organized in a hierarchy but on
the principle of interdependence with many groups inside and outside the
ELCA, Hanson said. He emphasized the church’s interdependence “with the
body of Christ ecumenically and globally.”
The ELCA is a “mature” 18-year-old church, which must be
interdependent with others. At next month’s ELCA Churchwide Assembly,
voting members will decide whether to adopt a proposal for interim
Eucharistic sharing with the United Methodist Church, Hanson said. In
his role as also president of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva,
Switzerland, Hanson said he will meet Pope Benedict XVI on Nov. 6 at The
Vatican.
The ELCA must confront racism and reach out to new members across all
ethnicities, Hanson said. The Churchwide Assembly in Orlando, Fla., will
also make decisions on questions regarding homosexuality, he said.
“I don’t fear what will happen in Orlando. We are going to Orlando
to be the body of Christ,” Hanson said.
Christians in the United States must look at themselves through the
eyes of global partners, he said. Many in the world look at the United
States and see it “drunk with economic power … mesmerized with our
military might,” Hanson said. He said now is the time for Lutherans in
the United States to remind fellow citizens that we are part of a global
family.
Focusing on the gathering theme, “Act Boldly,” Hanson said to act
boldly does not mean to act alone but “communally” not arrogantly “but in
humility.”
Finally, Hanson said some tension in the church is a sign of
vitality. “I worry about a church that is concerned about conflict,” he
said. He challenged the delegates to think about how they read the Bible,
reminding them that wherever Jesus walked he caused tension and questioned
people in authority.
“We need to engage tension and remain healthy,” he said. “We must
speak openly and respectfully with each other.”
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Information about the Women of the ELCA's Sixth Triennial
Gathering is at http://www.womenoftheELCA.org on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
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