More than 800 Anglicans, Lutherans, and partners will gather at the Ottawa Convention Centre July 3 to 7, 2013, for a historic joint national meeting.

Inspired by the theme “Together for the love of the world,” members of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada will gather for worship and decision-making on areas of shared work, including mission and development.

Several key events will highlight the churches’ commitment to God’s mission in the world. Anglicans and Lutherans will be invited to make statements on two priority social justice issues: affordable housing and responsible resource extraction. On July 6, Anglican and Lutheran youth from Ottawa are to lead people at the assembly to Parliament Hill where they will participate in an act of public witness and worship.

The Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada share a unique “full communion” relationship. In the 2001 Waterloo Declaration the churches recognized their shared heritage and future. They share in the Eucharist, use each other’s liturgies, and Anglican and Lutheran clergy may serve interchangeably in either church.

In a welcoming letter on the Joint Assembly website, www.jointassembly.ca, the co-chairs of the Joint Anglican-Lutheran Commission, the Very Rev. Peter Wall and Bishop Michael Pryse, celebrate the Anglican-Lutheran collaboration that has happened in the 12 years since the Waterloo Declaration:

“Our bishops meet together regularly; congregations, conferences, deaneries, dioceses, and synods all live out our Lord’s fervent wish ‘that they all may be one.’

“It is therefore with a real sense of excitement that we approach this first-ever joint national gathering.”

Select parts of Joint Assembly will be held separately, including elections and discussions about specific church business such as governance. Both churches will use electronic voting technology for on-the-floor elections and polls.

Guests at Joint Assembly include keynote speaker the Rev. Dr. Christopher Duraisingh, Episcopal Divinity School; the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches; the Rev. Martin Junge, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation; the Rev. Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Director for Unity, Faith, and Order, Anglican Communion; the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion; Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

All are asked to remember Joint Assembly with this special prayer written for the occasion.

• Visit the Joint Assembly website
• Learn more about Full Communion
• Follow news about Joint Assembly
• Request media information
• Learn about sponsorship opportunities
• Read more about special guests

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 145,376 baptized members in 594 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s (ELCIC) National Church Council (NCC) met in Winnipeg from March 7-9. Council members conduct the business of the church between National Conventions. The following is an overview of highlights from the meeting:

Synod Area Strategy implementation
ELCIC Synod Bishops are present at all NCC meetings and provide a synopsis for council on the landscape of their region. At this meeting, Synod Bishops shared the excitement they felt within their regions regarding the implementation of area strategy models – groupings of congregations based on geography or other mission-related criteria.

The model is unique to the context of each synod, but Synod Bishops were unanimous in identifying this area of ministry as a positive highlight in their reports to NCC.

“We are in this together because we need each other,” said Saskatchewan Synod Bishop Cindy Halmarson during her report. “But because we are together we can more faithfully respond to God’s call to mission and ministry.”

Mentor’s Handbook added to Candidacy Manual
National Church Council members passed a motion to endorse the Mentor’s Handbook as a recommended resource during candidacy. The handbook will be included in the Candidacy Manual as an appendix and is intended to be a valuable resource for both diaconal and ordained ministry.

As outlined in the manual, “mentoring is a one-to-one relationship, based on mutual trust, respect, openness, and confidentiality in which the mentor, drawing on a fund of experience, offers encouragement, counsel and guidance.”

The ELCIC Candidacy Manual recommends every candidate has a mentor, and outlines and establishes guidelines for both participants – mentor and mentee – along with goals, timelines and expectations.

Report on climate change
NCC members received a report by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) delegation at the 18^th Conference of Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The ELCIC had one youth delegate participant as part of the delegation at the request and expense of LWF.

In their report, LWF delegates emphasized the importance of every member church within the communion having a critical stake in addressing climate change. Delegate members believe, “that all can and should do more to work towards healing our creation and ensuring a future for generations to come.” A number of recommendations for the LWF and its member churches were cited in the report, including, engaging with civil society to continuously advocate and lobby governments towards increased action and exploring the issue of climate change through theological reflection in Lutheran, ecumenical and interfaith frameworks.

Jeff Bushe, ELCIC’s representative for the conference and a member of NCC, reported on the work of the delegation and his experience at COP18. The LWF delegation was extensively involved in the educational side of the gathering. From the event, all LWF delegates are charged with coming up with a project to be implemented within their own context.

Strategic plan reviewed
Following up on a one-day visioning session from 2012, NCC members reviewed a new National Church Strategic Plan. In a process led by National Church Vice-President Sheila Hamilton, ELCIC National Office senior staff and the National Bishop took the outcomes from the visioning session and worked extensively on articulating the activities that will enable the National Church to fulfil the goals set out in the strategy.

NCC typically sets a five-year strategic plan for the National Church and it was time for renewal.

The National Church Strategic Plan sets out the goals and directions for service. The new plan will see the ELCIC focus on four areas: Spirited Discipleship, Healthy Church, Compassionate Justice, and Effective Partnerships.  

The National Church Strategic Plan 2013-2017 will be presented at the 2013 Joint Assembly as part of National Convention business.

Update on the 2013 Joint Assembly
NCC members received an update on the planning for 2013 Joint Assembly. Staff at the ELCIC National Office and the Anglican Church of Canada General Synod have been hard at work coordinating the  joint event which will take place in Ottawa July 3-7, 2013.

Council members affirmed a motion to include electronic voting as part of Joint Assembly (and during official National Convention business sessions). Electronic voting will present a number of exciting new possibilities to planners and presenters. A significant advantage will be the opportunity for real-time results, increased accuracy, and different data output options (Excel, pie charts, etc…).

At the Joint Assembly there will be both joint and separate sessions for the two denominations. Further information on the event will be available on www.jointassembly.ca as it becomes available. Over 800 delegates from the two churches will be at the gathering.

Adjournment and next meetings
The March NCC meeting adjourned with a closing worship service led by Rev. Lyle McKenzie, assistant to the National Bishop for worship.

NCC members will meet prior to the 2013 Joint Assembly on Tuesday, July 2. The fall meeting of NCC will take place September 5-7, 2013.

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Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) National Bishop Susan C. Johnson invites members of the church pray for peace in the Middle East on the 24th of each month. The regular call to prayer is part of a global ecumenical prayer vigil initiated by ACT Alliance.

"You may wish to pray together as a family, as office/parish colleagues, or as a congregation on the 24th of each month as part of the vigil," says Bishop Johnson, noting that the first opportunity for ELCIC members to participate in the vigil will be on Palm Sunday, March 24. "During these most sacred days of prayer, I encourage you to also remember the people who live in the Holy Land today and their deep yearning for peace."

The full letter from the National Bishop follows. You can also view and print off a pdf version of the letter (www.elcic.ca/Documents/20130314PeaceVigilLetter.pdf).

March 14, 2013

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

Dear friends in Christ,

Grace to you and peace in the name of Christ our Saviour!

I am writing today to invite you to pray for peace in the Middle East on the 24th of each month.

This is part of a global ecumenical prayer vigil that invites people around the world to pray for the Christian communities in Palestine and Israel, for all those who are suffering in the Holy Land, for Palestinians and Israelis, and for peace in the Middle East and the world.

This vigil was initiated by ACT Alliance, of which Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) is a member. Additional information about the prayer vigil for peace in the Middle East, including the opportunity to sign up your congregation or group as a participant, can be found at: www.actpalestineforum.org/vigil/

This invitation to prayer has come to the ELCIC through our membership in The Lutheran World Federation. It is in harmony with the 2009 ELCIC National Convention Resolution on Peace in the Holy Land that “commits this church to supporting and working for justice and peace in the Holy Land by praying for peace in the Holy Land.” (www.elcic.ca/Public-Policy/documents/600.52009- ELCICResolutiononPeaceintheHolyLand.pdf)

You may wish to pray together as a family, as office/parish colleagues, or as a congregation on the 24th of each month as part of this vigil. Participating in the vigil comes with an invitation to contribute prayers, sermons and other worship materials to the "Resources" section of the prayer vigil.

The global vigil began on December 24, 2012 and continues across the globe on the 24th of every month until the Israeli occupation is dismantled, violence in the Middle East ends, and all can celebrate a just and lasting negotiated resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The first opportunity for ELCIC members to participate in this vigil will be on Palm Sunday, March 24, 2013. During Holy Week, scripture and worship move our attention and imaginations to the Holy Land as we ponder Christ’s Passion. During these most sacred days of prayer, I encourage you to also remember the people who live in the Holy Land today and their deep yearning for peace.

I thank you for all the prayers you offer, for the needs of the world and for the mission of the church. And I thank you for all the ways that you serve, give and tell every day as a church In Mission for Others.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson,
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 145,376 baptized members in 594 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

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Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) are encouraged to join in solidarity with KAIROS and other denominations across Canada in support of the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and First Nations leaders.

Indigenous leaders will meet with Canada’s Prime Minister on Friday, January 11 to discuss treaty relationships, aboriginal rights and economic development. The ELCIC joins with KAIROS and our Full Communion partner, the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), along with other denominations across Canada, in inviting people to observe a day of prayer on Friday. KAIROS has asked that people pray for a successful meeting, "one that will mark the beginning of a genuine, collaborative process for resolving the long-standing injustices on a nation-to-nation basis."

Resources relating to supporting participation in this day of prayer can be found on the KAIROS website and on the Anglican Church of Canada website.

ELCIC Bishop’s Commissary, Rev. Paul Gehrs — who also serves as chair of the KAIROS Board, offers the following prayer:

God of all creation, source of light and hope: Make your justice and peace known in this land.
Support, encourage and guide First Nations leaders and Government leaders as they meet this day
 to address important, difficult and systemic issues of rights and responsibilities.
Open our hearts and wills to see opportunities before each of us to increase respect, renew relationships and
 create more just communities. Send your spirit of wisdom and understanding, that we may walk the days ahead
as faithful covenant people. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

At the 2011 ELCIC National Convention, delegates committed the ELCIC to encouraging right and renewed relationships between Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples within Canada. Through the motion approved by delegates, the ELCIC affirmed, "that we are all treaty people, and we will find ways to mature in our living together" through means such as "remembering the rights, responsibilities and dignity that are bestowed by God and lived out with one another" and by affirming that "recognizing and implementing indigenous rights is essential to being the kind of society Canada strives to be."

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 145,376 baptized members in 594 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Subscribe or unsubscribe to ELCIC Information by emailing info@elcic.ca with a short message.

Winnipeg, 14 December 2012 — In their 2012 Christmas video message, Anglican and Lutheran national leaders give a nod to the past and the future. The video messages are a tradition enjoyed by the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, two churches that are in full communion.

In the short greeting, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate, Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), and National Bishop Susan C. Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), first recall their May 2012 visit to Jerusalem where they fostered Anglican-Lutheran cooperation in the region.

Archbishop Hiltz and Bishop Johnson then look forward to the joint national assembly of their two churches, to be held in Ottawa July 3 to 7, 2013, under the theme Together for the Love of the World. The video message this year was recorded in Ottawa during a break in joint planning meetings.

Bishop Johnson says that at the assembly, we hope to act out and act upon the gift that we have received through the birth of Jesus.

Jesus calls us to people of love, people of hope, and people of peace, adds Archbishop Hiltz.

Since 2001, the ACC and the ELCIC have been in a full communion relationship. This means that each church maintains its own autonomy but cooperates in many ways, including using each others liturgies and serving as clergy in each others churches. Several joint Anglican-Lutheran parishes and cooperative ministries have sprung up across Canada.

·        Watch the Christmas message online (https://elcic.ca/From-the-Bishop/default.cfm)

·        Learn more about our Full Communion relationship (https://elcic.ca/ecumenical/anglicans.cfm)

·        Access Anglican-Lutheran Epiphany devotions

·        Follow the Anglican-Lutheran prayer cycle