"Melting Snow on Mount Kilimanjaro: Christian Witness Amidst the Suffering Creation" is the theme of the 2008 meeting of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council to be hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT).

The Council meets from 25 June to 1 July 2008 in Arusha, Tanzania, dates agreed by the LWF governing body at its March 2007 meeting in Lund, Sweden. The theme is developed in consultation with the Council host church.

The LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko conveys the Council theme and venue in a December 2007 letter addressed to the member churches, and invites them to concerted action in view of the theme and current global environmental challenges. "This theme connects well with our concerns related to ecology and global warming, pointing to some stark realities and injustices," Noko writes. He invites the churches to observe 29 June 2008 as a "Sunday on Climate Change" reflecting and worshipping together as they focus on the theme. "I urge you … to sensitize the pastors and congregations on the urgent issues related to God’s suffering creation," he adds.

LWF Work in the Region
Noko says the meeting in Arusha will offer possibilities to experience some aspects of the life and work of the ELCT congregations in the northeastern dioceses of Meru and Arusha. The Council participants would have the chance to visit some of the LWF Departments for World Service (DWS) and Mission and Development (DMD) projects and programs implemented in collaboration with the ELCT and other member churches in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

The general secretary notes the Arusha location of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) would serve as a reminder "of the ongoing search for justice on the continent and the continuing challenge of impunity."

In accepting the ELCT invitation to host the Council meeting, "we are deeply aware that this pilgrimage will expose us to and help us to understand the unique challenges faced by the LWF
communion and its expressions in the United Republic of Tanzania," he writes. Gathering in Arusha would be an opportunity to learn more about the "House of Africa," Noko says, and points
to the "House of Europe" focus at the 2007 Council meeting and LWF 60th anniversary celebrations in Lund, Sweden. (More about the ELCT at http://www.elct.or.tz/)

The Council, LWF’s governing body between Assemblies, meets once every 12 to 18 months. It consists of the President, who is elected by the Assembly, the Treasurer, who can be elected from
among the membership or from outside, and 48 persons elected by the Assembly.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is represented by two members on the LWF’s Council, National Bishop Susan C. Johnson and David Pfrimmer, principle dean, Waterloo Lutheran Seminary.

11th Assembly
The general secretary’s letter also informs the churches about the second meeting of the 11th Assembly Planning Committee (APC) to be held 28-30 January 2008 in Stuttgart, Germany. The APC will, in addition to its deliberations, have orientation to the conference center facilities, and to opportunities for worship and interaction with the Assembly host church – the Evangelical Church in Wuerttemberg. The APC comprises 14 persons drawn from the LWF member churches worldwide, and is chaired by Ms Angelene Swart, president of the Moravian Church in South Africa.

The Assembly is the LWF’s highest governing body, meeting every six years. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada hosted the July 2003 Tenth Assembly, held in Winnipeg, Canada. The 11th Assembly will be held 20-27 July 2010 in Stuttgart, Germany.

The general secretary’s letter highlights the LWF Executive Committee meeting, 30 November-2 December near Geneva, during which the Strategic Plan implementation was discussed among other issues. Members of the committee also provided information regarding the life of the churches in the regions, while paying particular attention to efforts for reconciliation in internal
church conflicts, he notes.

Noko invites the LWF churches to join in the 18-25 January 2008 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, also marking the 100th anniversary of the ecumenical week of prayer.

The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66.7 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager of Communications
302-393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC)’s National Bishop Susan C. Johnson and Anglican Church of Canada (ACC)’s Primate Archbishop Fred Hiltz issued a joint 2007 Christmas Greeting, rejoicing in the richness of the ELCIC’s and ACC’s Full Communion relationship. A copy of the full text follows.

Grace to you and peace in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
It gives us great pleasure to write to you together as the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and the National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada in order to send you our best wishes for a blessed Advent and a joyous celebration of Christmas.
In a world where there is much conflict, we give thanks for the birth of the Prince of Peace.
In a world where there is much division, we celebrate the unity we have in Christ.
In a world where many are in need, we ask to be given generous hearts and willing hands.
In a world where many are alone, we rejoice in the richness of our relationship of Full Communion.
Our hope and prayer for each one of you is that you will be able to join us in proclaiming with the hymnist:
"Oh, join with me, in gladness sing, to keep our Christmas with our king, until our song, from loving souls, like rushing mighty water rolls.”

The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church of Canada and The Rev. Susan C. Johnson, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

A pdf version if the 2007 Christmas Message is available at: https://elcic.ca/From-the-Bishop/documents/Christmasgreeting2007.pdf

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager 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.

From Nov. 22 to 25, the Joint Anglican-Lutheran Commission met in Toronto to review the Full Communion relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. The two churches have shared this unique relationship since the Waterloo Declaration of 2001, and now, six years later, they are assessing what they’ve accomplished and where they can go.

The recent communiqué (available below) gives the broad strokes of a new, exciting vision, which includes shared congregational ministries and training for lay and ordained ministry.

Communiqué from the Joint Anglican-Lutheran Commission

The Joint Commission of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada meeting at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Bloor Street, Toronto, greets the members of our two churches and sends this message to all.

We have spent three days reviewing the work of the past six years of full communion and planning the work that lies before us during the next six years. We have heard from the Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, and the National Bishop, Bishop Susan Johnson, of their hopes for the future as our two churches continue to grow into the full communion established in Waterloo in 2001. From all these conversations has emerged the realization that we are living into ‘the hope set before us’ when we embarked on this journey in faith. At a time when much of our attention is focused on divisions within the Christian communions we represent, we share with Anglicans and Lutherans in Canada that there is much in which to rejoice and many reasons to look forward to our churches working collaboratively in many areas of mission and ministry:

the public face of our churches, especially in addressing together matters of human need and global concerns
shared congregational ministries
growth in our understanding of diaconal ministry
formation for ministry, lay and ordained

We encourage the congregations of our churches to be imaginative in discovering ways to celebrate and work together. As a Joint Commission we look forward to working with the Primate and National Bishop, the Bishops of both churches, our national councils and with the people of our churches as we ‘build one another up into the fullness of the stature of Christ’ and into the unity for which our Lord prayed.

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager 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 (ELCIC)’s Global Hunger and Development Appeal (GHDA) has issued an appeal to help support HIV/AIDS prevention work.

Congregations within the ELCIC are urged to mark World AIDS Day during worship services on December 2. Worship and advocacy resources are available on the GHDA website at www.elcic.ca/GHDA .

HIV/AIDS can be stopped and it can be prevented. GHDA is working to address this crisis with its partners, Canadian Lutheran World Relief and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance. Together we can "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."

To support HIV/AIDS prevention work, donations can be made to GHDA as follows:
Via the ELCIC website: www.elcic.ca (click on the "Donate Now" link)
By mail: GHDA, 302-393 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 3H6 (please indicate "GHDA-HIV/AIDS Appeal" in the memo portion of the cheque)
Through all ELCIC congregations

GHDA has developed a bulletin insert (www.elcic.ca/GHDA/documents/WorldAIDSDay.pdf) that can be downloaded and copied to assist congregations in sharing this information during worship.

The ELCIC’s Global Hunger and Development Appeal works in partnership with Canadian Lutheran World Relief to carry out development and emergency response work internationally along with refugee resettlement in Canada.

—————————————————————–
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager 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.a new article, replace this text with your own content and images and press submit.

In his 2007 Christmas message, the president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Bishop Mark S. Hanson emphasizes Christ’s meeting with humanity where people struggle for justice, mercy and peace.

"Christ meets us where the creation groans in travail under the weight of our consumptive living. Christ meets us where the Word is read, the gospel proclaimed, and the sacraments shared," says the LWF president in the message addressed to members of the global Lutheran communion. Hanson is presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Affirming God’s presence in the world and unconditional offer for justice, he adds, "Because God is present in the world, there is no person so lowly, no place so forsaken, no enemy so despised, no conflict so intense, no sin so grievous, no relationship so severed that God cannot offer forgiveness and faith, reconciliation and resurrection, justice and mercy, healing and hope."

The full text of Bishop Hanson’s Christmas message follows. It is available on the LWF Web site in PDF version at: http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/LWF_Christmas_2007.pdf

2007 Christmas Message from the LWF President

Dear sisters and brothers within our Lutheran communion:

Holy Child within the manger, long ago yet ever near,
Come as friend to every stranger, come as hope for every fear.
As you lived to heal the broken, greet the outcast, free the bound,
As you taught us love unspoken, teach us now where you are found. *

"Holy Child within the manger, long ago yet ever near…"
The Holy Child, born of Mary in a manger, is an image that is both familiar and heartwarming. Yet Jesus cannot be confined to a long-ago time and place, for Jesus is alive in the world and present for us, with us, and through us.

"Come as friend to every stranger, come as hope for every fear…"
The Holy Child, born of Mary in a manger, is also the crucified one, now risen. The manger is shadowed by the cross and illumined by the power and promise of Christ’s resurrection. In this Holy Child, God is entwined forever in the mystery and brokenness of our humanity, drawing us graciously and mercifully into the wonder of God’s divinity.

"As you lived to heal the broken, greet the outcast, free the bound…"
The Holy Child, born of Mary in a manger, is the Good News. Because God is present in the world, there is no person so lowly, no place so forsaken, no enemy so despised, no conflict so intense, no sin so grievous, no relationship so severed that God cannot offer forgiveness and faith, reconciliation and resurrection, justice and mercy, healing and hope.

"As you taught us love unspoken, teach us now where you are found."
Christ meets us where humanity struggles for justice, mercy, and peace. Christ meets us where the creation groans in travail under the weight of our consumptive living. Christ meets us where the Word is read, the gospel proclaimed, and the sacraments shared.

May the wonder and joy of Christ’s presence fill you with hope in believing.

In God’s grace,

Bishop Mark S. Hanson
President, The Lutheran World Federation

November 2007

* Quote from "Holy Child Within the Manger" by Marty Haugen.
Copyright, GIA Publications, Inc.

* * *
The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, with a total membership of nearly 66.7 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

—————————————————————–
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager 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 (ELCIC)’s Global Hunger and Development Appeal (GHDA) will be accepting donations to support victims of a devastating cyclone that hit Bangladesh late last week.

Cyclone Sidr struck the country of Bangladesh on November 15, with winds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph) and a tidal surge of several metres. Recent reports confirm 3,000 deaths, but Bangladesh’s Red Crescent Society says up to 10,000 may have died. The devastation along the southern coast comes only a few months after floods in the north of the country.

Donations received through the ELCIC’s GHDA will be forwarded on to Canadian Lutheran World Relief who will channel the funds through Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, which has several local members in Bangladesh working in the affected areas. Over 35,000 people will be targeted through ACT International efforts.

To support relief efforts in Bangladesh, donations can be made to GHDA as follows:
– Via the ELCIC website: www.elcic.ca (click on the "Donate Now" link)
– By mail: GHDA, 302-393 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 3H6 (please indicate "GHDA-Bangladesh" in the memo portion of the cheque)
-Through all ELCIC congregations

The ELCIC’s Global Hunger and Development Appeal works in partnership with Canadian Lutheran World Relief to carry out development and emergency response work internationally along with refugee resettlement in Canada.
—————————————————————-
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager 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.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, paid a traditional call on Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on Oct. 16. It is a tradition for new Anglican leaders of provinces to visit the archbishop, the titular head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, at his home in Lambeth Palace.

During their two-hour meeting, Archbishop Hiltz described the current state of the Anglican Church of Canada, particularly after the national meeting, General Synod, this past June. He spoke about the issue of human sexuality, and explained the diocese of Ottawa’s decision to approve blessings of same-sex unions. (The diocese of Montreal, which later passed a similar motion, had not yet met).

Archbishop Williams appeared receptive to the Canadian church’s actions. "He described our approach to handling the whole matter as ‘coherent,’" said Archbishop Hiltz. "We also, in that conversation, focused on the pastoral statement of the bishops and the kind of value that has for the church."

The two also discussed ecumenical relations, and the Archbishop of Canterbury was interested to hear about the continued development of the Full Communion relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

Archbishop Hiltz made several other stops during his five-day trip. He visited the Anglican Communion Office, where he spoke with Deputy General Secretary Gregory Cameron, and Philip Groves, facilitator of the listening process around the human sexuality issue for the Anglican Communion. He shared a meal with the Primate of Ireland, Archbishop Alan Harper, and even gave a spontaneous presentation to Norwegian Lutheran students about Anglican-Lutheran relations in Canada.

Throughout these visits, Archbishop Hiltz heard encouraging feedback about how the Anglican Church of Canada is dealing with the issue of same-sex blessings.

"It’s always nice to hear someone like the Archbishop of Canterbury or from the Anglican Communion Office say you’re handling this coherently, cautiously, judiciously, and you’ve got some things I would hold up as a model for others to consider as they grapple with the issue," said Archbishop Hiltz. "Of course that’s very encouraging and I’m looking forward to sharing those kinds of reflections at the Council of General Synod and the House of Bishops. Because we need to hear that."

(Forwarded from ACC Web News.)
—————————————————————–
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager 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 ELCIC’s Global Hunger and Development Appeal (GHDA) is collecting donations to assist with relief efforts in Uganda. It is estimated that tens of thousands of people in the region have been displaced by floods that have submerged whole villages.

Heavy torrential rains that started in mid-July have resulted in severe flooding throughout northern and eastern Uganda, specifically in the Amuria and Katakwi districts.

Designated funds received by GHDA will be sent on to Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) who is partnering with Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

Staff from CLWR are in Uganda and currently assessing how Canadians can best aid in relief efforts being coordinated by ACT.

Immediate needs being addressed include supplying tarpaulins or plastic sheeting for shelter and for drying the few harvested food crops, blankets to provide warmth and mosquito nets to reduce the prevalence of malaria, relief food for the immediate food needs of especially vulnerable individuals and sanitation interventions in communities.

To support relief efforts in Uganda, donations can be made to GHDA–Uganda Flooding Appeal as follows:

– Via the ELCIC Website: www.elcic.ca (click on the "Donate Now" link)
– By mail: GHDA, 302-393 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 3H6 (please indicate "GHDA-Uganda Flooding Appeal" in the memo portion of the cheque)
– Through all GHDA Congregations

The ELCIC’s Global Hunger and Development Appeal (GHDA) works in partnership with Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) to carry out development and emergency response work internationally along with refugee resettlement in Canada.

—————————————————————–
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager 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.

Students of theology and young theologians are being invited by the World Council of Churches (WCC) to bring new perspectives and contributions to the debate about the future of the ecumenical movement by participating in an essay competition to mark the Council’s 60th anniversary.
Participants in the contest, both clergy and lay persons, are invited to address the theme “Making a Difference Together – Prospects for Ecumenism in the 21st Century”. The WCC expects to receive a significant number of quality essays reflecting on the theme from different church traditions, contexts and perspectives. The best six essays will be presented by their authors at an international consultation on the same theme to be held in Bossey, Switzerland, in late 2008. Other selected essays will be published by the WCC.

“There can be nothing better than fresh eyes when it comes to looking to the future,” says WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, commenting on the contest. “We hope young theologians and theology students from all over the world will grab this opportunity to bring some new, challenging perspectives to the attention of leading figures within the ecumenical movement,” he adds.

Essays should be written in English. However, they will be judged for the quality of their contribution and not their English language proficiency. With a length of between 5000 and 6000 words, the essays should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. More details and a number of resource documents are available on the WCC website. The deadline is 28 February 2008.

The contest is part of the programme to commemorate the Council’s 60th anniversary in 2008. It will include a celebration at the 13-20 February 2008 meeting of the WCC central committee and the promotion of local celebrations through visits to member churches. Resources for common prayer, Bible study and celebration will be made available to congregations and groups on the WCC website in early 2008.

Formally inaugurated in Amsterdam in 1948, the World Council of Churches has been the churches’ primary instrument to promote the search for Christian unity and to foster common witness and service for sixty years. The Council enters the year of its 60th anniversary with a membership of 347 churches in more than 110 countries and territories. It represents some 560 million Christians.

More information (in English): http://www.oikoumene.org/contest

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 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, Manager 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.