ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 16, 2007  

Kathy Magnus, Lutheran World Federation Regional Officer, to Retire
07-127-LL*

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Kathy J. Magnus, Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) Regional Officer for North America, announced she will
retire Dec. 31, 2007.
     Magnus, 60, has served as the LWF Regional Officer for North
America since 2002. Prior to her position with the LWF, Magnus
served as the vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) -- the highest elected position a lay person
can hold in the ELCA.  Magnus has also served as a staff member
of the ELCA Global Mission program unit and as an assistant to
the bishop in the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod, Denver.
     The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF now 
has 140 member churches in 78 countries.
     "I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I have had in
these last six years to serve on the staff of the LWF," said
Magnus.  "The work has been meaningful, challenging and filled
with opportunity.  I have learned so much about the world and our
wonderful global family of Lutherans. The relationship between
the ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC)
continues to bear exciting, new partnerships and initiatives for
sharing. Telling the LWF story in North America has been a
privilege, and I am convinced that the LWF's 66 million members
do make a difference!"
     "I had the privilege of working with Kathy when she served
as ELCA vice president, as a partner in ministry as the LWF North
American Regional Officer, and as a colleague in global mission,"
said the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA
Global Mission, after receiving news of her retirement.  "What I
have treasured most has been her sound judgment, which has been
enhanced by her ability to listen, clarity of thought, and most
of all her Christ-like manner."
     Magnus' office is located here at the ELCA Churchwide
office.  She serves the LWF member churches in North America by
building connections among churches and the global Lutheran
family.
     "She has put a very personal face on the work of the LWF.
She has also been a key player in deepening the working
relationship between this church and our partners in Canada,"
said the Rev. Randall R. Lee, executive for ELCA Ecumenical and
Inter-Religious Relations.  "She will be very missed."
     The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, noted,
"Kathy's great gifts as a communicator, administrator and
convener have contributed to a growing awareness of and
commitment to the work of the LWF.  She has a marvelous ability
to share stories out of the varied contexts where LWF is present
in a way that deepens our global connectedness in an often
fragmented world."
     Magnus is married to the Rev. Richard A. Magnus, executive
director, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission.
He too has announced his retirement effective Dec. 31.
The Magnuses have two adult children and three grandchildren.
---
     Information about LWF is found at:  http://www.ELCA.org/lwf/
on the ELCA web site.
* 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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