In a new online video, National Bishop Susan C. Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and Archbishop Fred Hiltz of the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) offer a joint Easter message to the two churches.

The two leaders share the message of the Easter story in this two-minute video; including in their greeting a reading from Luke 24:1-12.

"With Peter and all the disciples, we are still amazed at the glorious resurrection of Jesus from the dead," says Archbishop Hiltz. "For us it is no idle tale. It is the heart and hope of our faith."

"We wish you a joyous celebration of the resurrection this Easter," says Bishop Johnson.

2011 marked the 10th anniversary of Full Communion between the ELCIC and ACC, and among Anglicans and Lutherans in the United States. In 2001, the ELCIC and ACC signed the Waterloo Declaration. The same year the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Episcopal Church (TEC) signed Called to Common Mission. A joint celebration of the 10th year anniversary took place on May 1 with parallel services in Fort Erie, Ont. and Buffalo, N.Y.((

This year, Lutherans and Anglicans will host a joint National Worship Conference (www.nationalworshipconference.org) and Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth (CLAY) gathering (www.clay2012.ca).

Preparations are now underway for a July 2013 Joint Assembly of the ELCIC National Convention and the ACC General Synod in Ottawa, Ont. ((

View the Easter video message here: https://elcic.ca/From-the-Bishop/default.cfm

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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.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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

As part of his March 2012 visit to World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches in Canada, General Secretary Olav Fykse Tveit spent a day in meetings with the Anglican Church in Canada (ACC) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). The joint meeting was to recognize the full communion relationship between the two churches and marked the first time that the General Secretary had met with two member churches at the same time. Time was spent in reporting details of the working of the ELCIC and ACC full communion relationship, and in hearing of the work of the WCC. Discussions were held on how to strengthen partnerships in the midst of increasing challenges including declining resources.

Of interest, the General Secretary noted a Canadian connection – his Great-Uncle Rev. Amund Tveit, was his pen-pal in his youth and was the first to encourage him to ordained ministry. His second cousins Marie Tveit and Beth Cowan are ELCIC members in Camrose Alberta.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) National Church Council (NCC) members participated in a day-long visioning session as part of its recent spring meeting. Through a facilitated discussion process, NCC members considered where God is calling the national expression of the church.

During the vision process, NCC members evaluated the work of the national expression over the past four years. Council was asked to consider how fully strategies have been implemented and how effective the strategies have been. The review lifted up the development of the ELCIC’s five pillars of focus (spirited discipleship, effective partnership, focused framework, diverse faces, and compassionate justice), reaffirming the church’s mission in these areas and offering an expanded look at how to proceed over the next four years.

ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson stressed the importance of the council’s work in this area. "Allowing time for visioning at this meeting is critical to how we move forward and adapt to our changing landscape," said Bishop Johnson. "The visioning process and reflecting on our future will help guide our mission and ministry over the next four years. I want to thank the members of NCC for rolling up their sleeves and working hard on this during our recent meeting!"

In addition to the one-day visioning session, council members also received reports from the National Bishop, Officers and Synod Bishops. An update was also provided by the National Implementation Team on the Structural Renewal work being done by the synods in preparation for their upcoming Synod Conventions. Some concerns about the Structural Renewal process were raised at the meeting; NCC members discussed and prepared plan to address the concerns. More communication about the implementation process is being communicated by synods in advance of their Synod Conventions and is also available on the ELCIC website (www.elcic.ca/Structural-Renewal). NCC’s meeting agenda also included decisions on budgeting due to an unanticipated shortfall in benevolence from some synods in 2011 and the notice of a further reduction of support in 2012. More information will be communicated churchwide as details are finalized.

Worship is always an integral part of NCC meetings. For its spring meeting, new council member Jeff Buhse led the opening worship service – with Bishop Susan Johnson presiding. Buhse also opened each day of meetings with devotions. Several council members also shared their personal faith stories as part of a Dwelling in the Word component of the meeting. These personal faith stories will be available for viewing on the NCC website shortly (www.elcic.ca/National-Church-Council/Dwelling-In-The-World.cfm).

The NCC meeting took place in Winnipeg from March 8-10. The next meeting of the council is scheduled for September 6-8, 2012.

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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.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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

Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) are Ambassadors for Christ: In Mission for Others, says National Bishop Susan Johnson. In a letter to the church, Bishop Johnson thanks members of the church for their commitment and participation in the ELCIC Praise Appeal as it enables the church to be a witness in the world, responding in mission and ministry.

"We are Ambassadors for Christ as we are involved in mission with our Companion Synods and partner churches," Bishop Johnson highlights in the letter. "We are Ambassadors for Christ as we work towards a right relationship with Indigenous peoples. We are Ambassadors for Christ as we respond as a part of the Lutheran World Federation to train leaders, strengthen churches and respond to human need around the world."

"This is made possible through the commitment and support of ELCIC members to the ELCIC Praise Appeal," says Bishop Johnson.

ELCIC congregations are being asked to support this year’s Praise Appeal by designating a Sunday to highlight the appeal at a time that works best for local circumstances.

The theme for the 2012 Praise Appeal, Ambassadors for Christ: In Mission for Others, is based on the reading in 2 Corinthians 5, "we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us."

Resources for congregational use are available online.

Read the full letter from the National Bishop.

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 145,276 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.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) National Bishop Susan Johnson has prepared a message updating church members on the structural renewal process. The text of the message follows. She has also prepared a video message that can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9MrYIJ2GmQ. Congregations are encouraged to share this video before or after worship services, during annual general meetings, and at other opportunities as they are able.

Dear Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada:

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

This is the year that all five synods will be meeting in convention and will be considering next steps in the structural renewal process. Last summer the National Convention approved in principle the outline for structural renewal. Now we will be seeing specifics in terms of implications for synods and for congregations.

I have a confession to make to you. This process of restructuring began by being finance driven. There were concerns as we looked at the projections of declining membership, an increasingly aging church and decreasing financial resources that we were not going to be able to sustain our church’s structure for much longer without change. But as we started the renewal process, the Holy Spirit took control, and it has ended up being driven by mission.

As we have asked, how can we be a church In Mission for Others, we realized that the majority of the ministry of our church happens at the congregational level. The proposed changes create a structure to encourage and support mission at the congregational and area levels. It provides an opportunity for a new way of working together to reach out in witness and service to our local communities.

Will there be financial savings? Yes there will–-by having a reduced governance structure including fewer synods, fewer councils and committees, fewer offices, etc, there will be cost savings. But that money will be used to invest in supporting congregations and areas in ministry. We believe that by saving money to invest in mission we will expand our capacity for mission and outreach across the church.

But there’s more! Structural renewal, even if it’s Spirit-led and mission-driven will not make a difference in our church unless it goes hand in hand with spiritual renewal. The call to deeper discipleship as we pray, read, worship, study, serve, give and tell has to be answered alongside the call to structural renewal. These two strands must be interwoven if we are to grow as a church In Mission for Others.

In the next while you will be seeing further exciting announcements about the upcoming proposals for structural renewal that are coming to your synod convention. Please watch for them, read them, talk about them, and pray for our church and for the upcoming synod conventions.

God bless you all as we commit ourselves to renewal!

Yours in Christ,

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

A pdf version of the Bishop’s letter can be viewed here: https://www.elcic.ca/Documents/2012JanRenewal.pdf

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 145,276 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.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) National Bishop Susan C. Johnson has prepared a special message for the church inviting ELCIC members to take time this Christmas season and think of ways to deepen discipleship. The Bishop’s message emphasizes the seven areas of the Call to Spiritual Renewal, including: Pray, Read, Worship, Study, Serve, Give and Tell.

The text of the message follows. Bishop Johnson’s message can also be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrhNOrhYXXM&feature=youtu.be

As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, I want to encourage you in your Call to Spiritual Renewal. I invite you to take time this Christmas season to think of ways about how you can deepen your discipleship as you: Pray, Read, Worship, Study, Serve, Give and Tell.

Join with the angels and their song as you pray for peace in the world, and for those who are in need of food, shelter and safety.

Read the accounts of the birth of Jesus in the beginning chapters of Matthew and Luke. Read them with friends, or family, or your children.

Worship as often as you can over these twelve days of Christmas – and invite somebody to come and worship with you.

Study the differing accounts in those Gospels of Luke and Matthew. Find out what it is about the story of Christmas that is biblical and what you have learned from Christmas carols or tradition.

Serve. Find ways to serve over this holiday time – carol with a seniors home, or go and visit shut-ins, shovel the snow for neighbours, or help to feed the homeless.

Give an extra gift in honour of the birth of the child in Bethlehem – whether you give it to the church or to your charity of choice.

And tell, tell the story of Jesus as you have experienced him – whether you tell it on the mountain or wherever you are!

My hope and prayer for you is that this Christmas celebration will help you deepen your relationship with Jesus and help you grow in your spirited discipleship.

God bless you and merry Christmas!

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 145,276 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.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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

Dear members of the ELCIC,

We are writing to you today to clear up some misunderstandings about the balloting procedures that took place at the last National Convention. Many of you are unaware of these concerns, however, some misinformation has been crossing our church in the form of emails. National Church Council addressed these matters at their meeting in September but unfortunately the emails have continued.

The issue centers around confusion about who was responsible for counting ballots at the last National Convention and whether proper procedures were followed in the counting of yes/no ballots for approval of the Social Statement on Human Sexuality and the related motions. Here are some facts to address the questions that have been raised.

1.The ELCIC Constitution and Administrative Bylaws stipulate that the Committee on the Conduct of Elections is responsible for all balloting processes.

2.This year, for the first time, volunteer ballot counters were recruited to assist the Committee on the Conduct of Elections as needed. Unfortunately separate terms of reference were not created for the volunteer ballot counters and there was some confusion over their role. This is most unfortunate and will be addressed before the next convention. ( CC-2011-80 That officers of the church review the process of how elections and balloting are conducted at National Conventions, and report to NCC at the September 2012 meeting. CARRIED.)

3.The Committee on the Conduct of Elections chose to count the yes/no ballots on their own, since it was such a simple counting process. This decision was in order.

4.All of the committees of convention have a staff person assigned to them from the National Office. Assistant to the Bishop, The Rev. Carla Blakley, was assigned to assist the Committee on the Conduct of Elections. She is totally innocent of any suggestions of wrong-doing which have been circulating. These suggestions run counter to Matthew 18:15-17 and are libellous.

5.All of the votes that took place at the convention were conducted in a both legal and appropriate way. We understand that some people are disappointed and even angry with the results of the vote, but the conduct of the voting and counting of ballots is not in question.

We hope that this letter addresses these concerns. Any further communication should be sent directly to the National Bishop or the Secretary of this church.

In the Advent spirit of hope, love, and peace,

National Church Council

A PDF version of this letter is available here: https://www.elcic.ca/Documents/2011Dec-NCCLetter.pdf

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 145,276 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.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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

Senior management from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and Mennonite Church Canada (MC Canada) met at the ELCIC National Office in Winnipeg on December 15.

Nine leaders attended, including national leaders—Willard Metzger (MC Canada) and National Bishop Susan C. Johnson (ELCIC)—as well as staff with oversight in the areas of witness, church engagement, communications, finance, justice and other departments. They shared their current work, challenges, strategic plans, and mapped out their relationships with partners.

Relations between the ELCIC and MC Canada have been renewed since July 2010, when The Lutheran World Federation offered a historic apology to Mennonites for past persecutions. The move to formally apologize comes out of a seven year dialogue between Lutherans and Mennonites, which resulted in a study document that presents a shared understanding of what happened during the Reformation.

The ELCIC and MC Canada have worked to apply this global statement of reconciliation in local churches and jointly prepared a congregational study guide, Healing Memories, Reconciling in Christ, which offers a study process primarily for groups of both Lutherans and Mennonites to understand the context of the apology and the new relationship between the churches.

The study guide was intended as a first step with the hope that there would be further places to foster dialogue and leadership. The December meeting of senior staff is another step in building relationships. Further areas of cooperation emerged from the discussions, particularly in the area of indigenous ministries.

The leaders agreed that bilateral conversations in specific work areas should take place in the coming months, with a follow up meeting planned in late 2012.

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 145,276 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.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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

The Lutheran-Anglican-Episcopal leadership of Canada and the United States met on December 8 at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City.

Attending were:

The Rev. Mark Hanson
Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
The Rev. Don McCoid
Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA

The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz
Archbishop, Anglican Church of Canada
Archdeacon Paul Feheley
Principal Secretary to the Primate of Canada
The Ven. Dr. Michael Thompson
General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada

The Rev. Susan Johnson
National Bishop of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The Rev. Andre Lavergne
Assistant to the National Bishop

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church
The Rev. Dr. Canon Charles Robertson
Canon to the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church

The members have issued the following report:

The Second Annual Gathering of Lutheran-Anglican-Episcopal leaders from the United States and Canada met in communion, collegiality and with the spirit of our Lord.

Our four churches have a common understanding and commitment to the Gospel. At this meeting, we explored a deepened commitment to the witness that we share together and looked at new possibilities working together.

We were in conversation on a series of topics of mutual interest and common concern. Among the topics discussed at the one-day meeting were:

·Immigration reform, environmental issues, poverty, First Nations, and refugees. From those issues, we are encouraging the senior staff of all our churches who have responsibility in these areas to work collaboratively as we believe these are important issues.

·Ecumenical and interfaith issues. We discussed ways in which to share our resources.

·Middle East: We support our partners, and we are respectful of addressing the realities of the Middle East policies of our countries while respecting dreams of our partners.

·We raised possibilities of areas of partnership, focusing on common experiences as well as things we do in different ways. For example, some of our ministry work is addressed on the national or churchwide level, while the same work is addressed on a diocesan or synodic level. We are looking at bi-lateral or tri-lateral partnerships in these areas.

·Relief and development work, global mission, United Nations advocacy: We are seeking a better alignment of these challenges.

·We reviewed the possibilities of producing materials, study guides and resources that parishes and congregations in all four churches could use in various seasons of the liturgical year.

·We addressed the challenges of church planting and how we need to strategize with our full communion partners

We decided to:

·Form a subcommittee to further consider how we can make our bi-lateral full communion relationships effective among the four churches.

·Plan for our 2012 meeting to be held in Chicago and 2013 in Winnipeg (2010 was held in Toronto). At those meetings, our staff will be asked to provide updates on the collaborative work.

·Discuss the upcoming February meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario where the co-chairs of the Lutheran Episcopal Coordinating Committee (LECC) will attend the regular session of the Joint Anglican Lutheran Commission (JALC).

We worshipped together at noon, with Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori celebrating and Archbishop Hiltz preaching. We met with Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer of the Episcopal Church, and with senior management members of Episcopal Relief & Development, Episcopal Church Foundation, and Episcopal Migration Ministries.

We believe that this meeting and our work together are hopeful signs for the church.

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 152,500 baptized members in 607 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s (ELCIC) National Bishop Susan C. Johnson wrote to The Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of the Environment, to express her "disappointment and concern" over the recent decision of the government to withdraw Canada from participating in the Kyoto Protocol.

In her letter, Bishop Johnson urges the government to set a national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020, implement an effective national plan to reach this target, and help developing countries reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change.

"Climate change is very real," writes Bishop Johnson. "It is urgent that we reduce green house gas emissions in order to limit the effects of climate change."

The letter references a decision made by delegates at the 2009 ELCIC National Convention which affirmed, "that global warming is the greatest threat to life on earth–that entire populations and ecosystems are threatened by devastating impacts such as drought, heat waves, fires, floods, storms and rising sea levels."

Bishop Johnson urges the Canadian Government to match the commitment made by members of ELCIC congregations and reduce emissions by 25 per cent, and to support a national plan that helps reduce emissions.

Read the full text of the letter here: https://www.elcic.ca/Documents/documents/2012December14Lettertoenvironmentministerkyoto.pdf

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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.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop, Director of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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