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 > ELCA NEWS SERVICE

 >

 > September 27, 2004

 >

 > ELCA Board Adopts African American/Black Outreach Strategy  > 04-181-FI  >

 >      CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Evangelical Lutheran

 > Church in America (ELCA) Division for Outreach reviewed, adopted  > and forwarded an African American/Black Outreach Strategy that  > has been more than a decade in the making.  The board met here  > Sept. 17-18 to discuss a number of issues and make decisions.

 >

<snip 13 paragraphs>

 >

 >      In another action the ELCA Division for Outreach board

 > asked the council to "grant delay of any review" of the  > division's acknowledged relationship with Lutherans  > Concerned/North America as an independent Lutheran organization  > until the council's "Legal and Constitutional Review Committee  > determines a position on the category of acknowledgement of  > independent Lutheran organizations and/or Churchwide Assembly  > action on the policy decisions to be made in 2005."

 >      In 2002 the division granted an acknowledged relationship

 > with Lutherans Concerned because of its cooperation with the  > division in developing hospitality guidelines for ELCA  > congregations.  Lutherans Concerned supports "the acceptance and  > full participation of people of all sexual orientations and  > gender identities" in the church.

 >      The ELCA is involved in a study to result in recommendations

 > to the 2005 ELCA Church Assembly on blessing same-gender  > relationships and on allowing lay and ordained ministers in such  > relationships to serve in the church.

 >      "It seems to me that any action on our part at this point,

 > prior to decisions around governance with the Plan for Mission  > and how this church will relate to independent Lutheran  > organizations or churchwide decisions on the issues to be faced  > at the Churchwide Assembly in August 2005 would give the wrong  > signals, no matter what the decision," said the Rev. Richard A.

 > Magnus, executive director, ELCA Division for Outreach.

 > -- -- --

 >      The homepage of the Division for Outreach is at

 > http://www.elca.org/outreach/ on the ELCA Web site.

 >

 > For information contact:

 > John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@...  > http://www.elca.org/news

 

 

VERBUM DEI MANET IN AETERNUM   The Rev. Christopher Hershman, MA, STM, DMin Licensed Psychologist, LMFT, LPC The Marriage & Family Institute 923 North Brookside Road PO Box 3303 Allentown, PA 18106 vdmiae@... tel: fax: mobile: 610-366-7880 610-366-1960 484-695-5638

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