Sunday, October 29, 2006
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 27, 2006
ELCA Presiding Bishop Visits Hungary in LWF President Role
06-161-JB
BUDAPEST, Hungary (ELCA) -- In his first official visit to a European church since he became president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson paid tribute to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH), pointing out the contributions of the LWF Assembly held here in 1984.
Hanson, who is presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is visiting with church and government leaders here before traveling to Romania next week. His wife, Ione, is accompanying him. In his role as LWF president, Hanson periodically visits LWF churches.
The LWF is a global communion of 140 Lutheran churches in 78 countries representing 66 million Lutherans.
In opening remarks to church leaders, Hanson said he wanted to visit Lutherans in Hungary and Romania because he wanted them to know they belong to a global Lutheran organization.
Lutheranism in Hungary dates back to the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation in the early 1600s, inspired by the teachings of Martin Luther, a German monk and church reformer.
"It's a fact that most Hungarians became Lutherans in the first decade of the Reformation," said the Rev. János Ittzés, presiding bishop of the ELCH, in comments at Hanson's initial meeting with church leaders Oct. 26. Later, many became "Calvinists," he said. Today there are about 300,000 Lutherans in 300 congregations in Hungary, he said.
Throughout its history the Hungarian church has been deeply affected by the political situations. Losses in membership occurred following World War I and during the Communist occupation that followed World War II through 1989, when the Cold War ended, Ittzés said.
This week marked the 50th anniversary of the unsuccessful uprising against Communist rule. The commemoration was marred by protests, fueled by unhappiness with the current prime minister. "God has kept his church even in the hardest time," Ittzés said.
Hanson also learned about the church's only seminary, the Lutheran Theological University. The seminary, which has 200 students, will mark its 450th anniversary in 2007, said the Rev. András Korányi, assistant lecturer.
Hanson noted that the 1984 assembly here was "a very significant assembly" in the life of the LWF. That assembly adopted "altar and pulpit fellowship" with all churches that upheld the Augsburg Confession, said apartheid in South Africa was heresy and suspended churches that upheld such policies, and lifted the roles of women and youth in the LWF.
"We want to continue to work for the full inclusion of women and youth in the LWF," Hanson said.
In a question-and-answer session Hanson said he enjoys meeting young Lutherans when he travels because he says they are interested in the "structures of the church."
"They have a desire to experience the presence of God in their lives, and they want to be part of a church that is making a difference in the world," he said.
The LWF president told the ELCH staff there are four challenges today for the LWF and its member churches: reaching out to people of other faiths and determining how it will interact with Jews and Muslims especially; confronting HIV and AIDS; understanding the Word of God and the authority of Scripture; and meeting its financial needs to remain a viable and interdependent organization.
During the meeting the Hansons were shown the original handwritten Last Will and Testament of Luther, a document that was written in the 1540s. It was presented as a gift to the Lutheran Church here in the 19th century and has remained in the church's possession since.
October 27, 2006
ELCA Presiding Bishop Visits Hungary in LWF President Role
06-161-JB
BUDAPEST, Hungary (ELCA) -- In his first official visit to a European church since he became president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson paid tribute to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH), pointing out the contributions of the LWF Assembly held here in 1984.
Hanson, who is presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is visiting with church and government leaders here before traveling to Romania next week. His wife, Ione, is accompanying him. In his role as LWF president, Hanson periodically visits LWF churches.
The LWF is a global communion of 140 Lutheran churches in 78 countries representing 66 million Lutherans.
In opening remarks to church leaders, Hanson said he wanted to visit Lutherans in Hungary and Romania because he wanted them to know they belong to a global Lutheran organization.
Lutheranism in Hungary dates back to the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation in the early 1600s, inspired by the teachings of Martin Luther, a German monk and church reformer.
"It's a fact that most Hungarians became Lutherans in the first decade of the Reformation," said the Rev. János Ittzés, presiding bishop of the ELCH, in comments at Hanson's initial meeting with church leaders Oct. 26. Later, many became "Calvinists," he said. Today there are about 300,000 Lutherans in 300 congregations in Hungary, he said.
Throughout its history the Hungarian church has been deeply affected by the political situations. Losses in membership occurred following World War I and during the Communist occupation that followed World War II through 1989, when the Cold War ended, Ittzés said.
This week marked the 50th anniversary of the unsuccessful uprising against Communist rule. The commemoration was marred by protests, fueled by unhappiness with the current prime minister. "God has kept his church even in the hardest time," Ittzés said.
Hanson also learned about the church's only seminary, the Lutheran Theological University. The seminary, which has 200 students, will mark its 450th anniversary in 2007, said the Rev. András Korányi, assistant lecturer.
Hanson noted that the 1984 assembly here was "a very significant assembly" in the life of the LWF. That assembly adopted "altar and pulpit fellowship" with all churches that upheld the Augsburg Confession, said apartheid in South Africa was heresy and suspended churches that upheld such policies, and lifted the roles of women and youth in the LWF.
"We want to continue to work for the full inclusion of women and youth in the LWF," Hanson said.
In a question-and-answer session Hanson said he enjoys meeting young Lutherans when he travels because he says they are interested in the "structures of the church."
"They have a desire to experience the presence of God in their lives, and they want to be part of a church that is making a difference in the world," he said.
The LWF president told the ELCH staff there are four challenges today for the LWF and its member churches: reaching out to people of other faiths and determining how it will interact with Jews and Muslims especially; confronting HIV and AIDS; understanding the Word of God and the authority of Scripture; and meeting its financial needs to remain a viable and interdependent organization.
During the meeting the Hansons were shown the original handwritten Last Will and Testament of Luther, a document that was written in the 1540s. It was presented as a gift to the Lutheran Church here in the 19th century and has remained in the church's possession since.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
'Evangelical Lutheran Worship' brings new life to worship
During the past five years, the ELCA News Service has written several stories about "Renewing Worship," a multi-year project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) aimed at developing new worship resources. Last week, a key piece of this project became a reality for the church when the pew volume for "Evangelical Lutheran Worship" was released.
This is a positive for the church, and the quality of this volume speaks to the dedication of many people who worked on this for several years. Among them are the ELCA's worship team, editorial teams, artists, writers, designers, composers, and of course, the publisher, Augsburg Fortress.
The new burgundy-colored book is an attractive volume that's full of all kinds of worship resources for Lutheran congregations in the United States and Canada. Following an introduction that describes how the book was created, there is a detailed listing of the church year; 10 settings for Holy Communion, plus a Service of the Word; services for baptism, healing, funerals and marriages, plus special services for Holy Week. There are prayers, and in the back of the book is Martin Luther's Small Catechism.
There are almost 900 hymns (!), encompassing traditional favorites and newer hymns, some of which are written in languages other than English. Interestingly the editors decided to include The Psalms as the first 150 hymns -- since they are intended to be sung -- followed by hymns arranged by season or subject. I looked through the book and found a variety of familiar hymns. In the "National Songs" section, there are several well-known patriotic hymns familiar to those of us in the United States. There is also "O, Canada" the national anthem of Canada.
In the introduction to the hymn book, it states quite clearly that Evangelical Lutheran Worship is a "core" rather than "comprehensive" resource, which suggests there will be more resources in the future. And, we should remember that there are electronic versions of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship due out very soon, too.
There's a quote in the pew volume that sums it up for me: "Evangelical Lutheran Worship bears the rich tradition of Christian worship practiced among Lutherans, and, at the same time, seeks to renew that tradition in response to a generation of change in the church and the world."
Finally, the pew volume itself is well done -- it's a work of art that any Lutheran should be proud to show. Beth Lewis, president and CEO of Augsburg Fortress, says the book is sewn and not glued. It has a special bright white paper that takes several weeks to import. Careful attention went into the book's ingredients so that it would not become too big -- but it's rich.
What's the response of the church been? The Rev. Michael Burk, ELCA director for worship, says nearly 600,000 copies of the pew volume had been ordered through Oct. 6. That is something to be proud of and to cheer about. I hope you'll take a look at this new worship book in the near future.
John B.
This is a positive for the church, and the quality of this volume speaks to the dedication of many people who worked on this for several years. Among them are the ELCA's worship team, editorial teams, artists, writers, designers, composers, and of course, the publisher, Augsburg Fortress.
The new burgundy-colored book is an attractive volume that's full of all kinds of worship resources for Lutheran congregations in the United States and Canada. Following an introduction that describes how the book was created, there is a detailed listing of the church year; 10 settings for Holy Communion, plus a Service of the Word; services for baptism, healing, funerals and marriages, plus special services for Holy Week. There are prayers, and in the back of the book is Martin Luther's Small Catechism.
There are almost 900 hymns (!), encompassing traditional favorites and newer hymns, some of which are written in languages other than English. Interestingly the editors decided to include The Psalms as the first 150 hymns -- since they are intended to be sung -- followed by hymns arranged by season or subject. I looked through the book and found a variety of familiar hymns. In the "National Songs" section, there are several well-known patriotic hymns familiar to those of us in the United States. There is also "O, Canada" the national anthem of Canada.
In the introduction to the hymn book, it states quite clearly that Evangelical Lutheran Worship is a "core" rather than "comprehensive" resource, which suggests there will be more resources in the future. And, we should remember that there are electronic versions of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship due out very soon, too.
There's a quote in the pew volume that sums it up for me: "Evangelical Lutheran Worship bears the rich tradition of Christian worship practiced among Lutherans, and, at the same time, seeks to renew that tradition in response to a generation of change in the church and the world."
Finally, the pew volume itself is well done -- it's a work of art that any Lutheran should be proud to show. Beth Lewis, president and CEO of Augsburg Fortress, says the book is sewn and not glued. It has a special bright white paper that takes several weeks to import. Careful attention went into the book's ingredients so that it would not become too big -- but it's rich.
What's the response of the church been? The Rev. Michael Burk, ELCA director for worship, says nearly 600,000 copies of the pew volume had been ordered through Oct. 6. That is something to be proud of and to cheer about. I hope you'll take a look at this new worship book in the near future.
John B.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Serving you, serving the ELCA better
A question we're always asking ourselves in the News Service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is: "How can we serve our constituents better?" That was the subject of a recent planning retreat for the staff of the ELCA News Service.
We agreed that we need to conduct some formal research with a variety of audiences that receive our materials. We're going to ask questions about the kinds of news users want to receive from the ELCA News Service, the ELCA News Web site, story length, news photos, audio news, video news, and the ELCA News Blog. You may be part of the audiences we'll be asking these questions of, and we hope you'll offer us opinions. Of course, I'm always eager to hear from you. Write me with your comments at john.brooks@elca.org
Another new phenomenon you'll notice from us in the coming months is greater use of a variety of methods of telling our stories. We're combining our written news stories with photographs or images, audio cuts and video cuts. We call this "convergence," and we hope that you'll find this method of reporting more interesting.
Finally, we're paying close attention to our working relationship with The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA. We're cooperating on more and more projects, and that's a good thing for the church. This month, a staff member with The Lutheran will report for us (and the magazine, of course) when staff of the churchwide organization visit our partners in Lebanon for the first time since the war this summer; one of our staff will report for the magazine (and the News Service) when Presiding Bishop Hanson visits Eastern Europe; and we're releasing jointly a feature story about an ELCA seminarian later this year.
Let me hear from you, and thanks for your interest in the ELCA News Service!
We agreed that we need to conduct some formal research with a variety of audiences that receive our materials. We're going to ask questions about the kinds of news users want to receive from the ELCA News Service, the ELCA News Web site, story length, news photos, audio news, video news, and the ELCA News Blog. You may be part of the audiences we'll be asking these questions of, and we hope you'll offer us opinions. Of course, I'm always eager to hear from you. Write me with your comments at john.brooks@elca.org
Another new phenomenon you'll notice from us in the coming months is greater use of a variety of methods of telling our stories. We're combining our written news stories with photographs or images, audio cuts and video cuts. We call this "convergence," and we hope that you'll find this method of reporting more interesting.
Finally, we're paying close attention to our working relationship with The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA. We're cooperating on more and more projects, and that's a good thing for the church. This month, a staff member with The Lutheran will report for us (and the magazine, of course) when staff of the churchwide organization visit our partners in Lebanon for the first time since the war this summer; one of our staff will report for the magazine (and the News Service) when Presiding Bishop Hanson visits Eastern Europe; and we're releasing jointly a feature story about an ELCA seminarian later this year.
Let me hear from you, and thanks for your interest in the ELCA News Service!
