ELCA NEWS SERVICE

January 20, 2006  

ELCA Presiding Bishops to Present 2006 Hein-Fry Lecture Series
06-008-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Since the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) was formed in 1988 by the merger of three Lutheran
church bodies, it has been led by three presiding bishops -- the
Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom, 1987-1995; the Rev. H. George
Anderson, 1995-2001; and the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, 2001-present.
They will present the 2006 Hein-Fry Lecture Series, "Living
Together in the 21st Century: As Lutherans in the ELCA," on the
campuses of the eight ELCA seminaries.
     Chilstrom and Anderson will speak about elements of the U.S.
culture that divide people while Christians live in community.
Hanson will respond to the lectures and open the discussion to
those in attendance.
     Before Chilstrom's election at the ELCA Constituting
Convention in 1987, he was a parish pastor, college professor and
academic dean, and bishop of the Minnesota Synod of the Lutheran
Church in America.
     Anderson was president of Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, at
the time of his election in 1995.  He had served as a professor
of church history on the faculty of Lutheran Theological Southern
Seminary, Columbia, S.C., and was its president for 12 years.
     Hanson had been a parish pastor for more than 20 years when
he was first elected bishop of the ELCA Saint Paul (Minn.) Area
Synod.  He was elected to a six-year term as presiding bishop of
the ELCA in 2001 and president of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) in 2003.
     The LWF, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a global communion
of 140 member churches in 78 countries with a total membership of
nearly 66 million Lutherans.  Chilstrom and Anderson both served
as LWF vice presidents.

2006 Hein-Fry Lecture Series Schedule

     Wednesday, February 8
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia

     Thursday, February 9
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.

     Thursday, March 15
Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa

     Wednesday, March 16
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa.

     Thursday, March 23
Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.

     Monday, March 27
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

     Wednesday, April 19
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.

     Wednesday, May 10
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio

     The Hein-Fry Lecture Series predates the ELCA.  The endowed
theological lecture series is coordinated by ELCA Vocation and
Education in cooperation with the eight seminaries to foster
original scholarship and enrich theological dialogue throughout
the church.
     The series combines the Dr. Carl Christian Hein Memorial
Seminary Lectures of the former American Lutheran Church and the
Franklin Clark Fry Theological Lectures of the former Lutheran
Church in America.
-- -- --
     Details about the eight seminaries of the ELCA are at
http://www.ELCA.org/theologicaleducation/seminaries/ on the ELCA
Web site.  Information about the Hein-Fry Lecture Series is at
http://www.ELCA.org/heinfry/ on the Web.
     Biographical information about each speaker is also
available:
The Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom
http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/chilstrom.html
The Rev. H. George Anderson
http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/anderson.html
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/meet.html

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog