WHAT'S NEWS

From the Bishop's Office (added 5/2/08)

United Methodist Church Vote of Full Communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

April 28, 2008

Dear Friends in Ministry,

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I write you today in order to express joyful news regarding one of our ecumenical relationships in the ELCA.

The United Methodist Church (UMC) voted and approved this week an implementing resolution of full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at that church's General Conference meeting in Fort Worth, Texas.

According to the terms of the implementing resolution, a relationship of full communion will begin insofar as the ELCA votes favorably for full communion with the UMC. The ELCA Church Council will consider recommending an implementing resolution for full communion with the UMC in the coming months, which would then be passed on to the ELCA Eleventh Churchwide Assembly for further consideration in 2009. After many decades of conversation and cooperation, we rejoice with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the United Methodist Church.

As you may know, the United Methodist Church (UMC) and the ELCA entered into a relationship of interim Eucharistic sharing as of the ELCA Ninth Churchwide Assembly in Florida in 2005. During this time of interim Eucharistic sharing, both churches have taken opportunities to study documents together, learn and share in each other's traditions, advise and evaluate the possibility of a relationship of full communion, and generally pursue the marks of fellowship that express greater visible Christian unity between these churches in our local, regional and national expressions. Through a period of interim Eucharistic sharing, churches also discern whether to take next steps and vote on a relationship of full communion.

Unlike interim Eucharistic sharing, a relationship of full communion would allow for exchangeability of clergy, among many other benefits to these churches. On the other hand, full communion is not a vehicle for church-to-church merger, or for the imposition of one church's rules and regulations upon the other.

The 2005 vote for interim Eucharistic sharing between the ELCA and the UMC was the culmination of a series of dialogues between Lutherans and Methodists that began in 1977 when the first bilateral round explored the Sacrament of Baptism, and continued since then with significant study of episcopacy and the holy Eucharist. Our churches have journeyed together into four decades of conversation, and have sought greater consensus and awareness while also appreciating differences that are essential features of our respective pieties and heritages. Since 2005 the ELCA has pursued multiple means - from local arrangements to national resources and evaluations - to enhance this church's awareness of both interim Eucharistic sharing and the future possibility of a relationship of full communion.

The UMC vote is joyful news, and we look forward to the ELCA's consideration of full communion with the UMC in the months ahead.

I wish you God's blessings in your ministries,

Donald J. McCoid

Executive Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations

Office of the Presiding Bishop

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America


 

From the Bishop's Office (added 2/14/08)

Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke accepts appointment by Governor Ted Kulongoski to the Global Warming Commission

Salem–On January 24, 2008, Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke joined a 25-member advisory group of the Oregon Global Warming Commission, created by the 2007 legislature through House Bill 3543. In a meeting with Governor Ted Kulongoski and other new commission members, the Governor charged the group to develop recommendations for policy makers for the 2009 legislative session that will build on Oregon’s aggressive actions responding to global warming and climate change concerns.

Bishop Brauer-Rieke will represent the 118 congregations of the Oregon Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the broader ecumenical community. In response to Governor Kulongoski’s request for remarks on the task before him, Bishop Brauer-Rieke shared three points about his appointment. “First of all, I want to thank you Governor for the opportunity to bring a religious voice to the table. Whatever faith background one comes from, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Native American or other, all of us share the common thread of stewardship for the earth. We regard care for the earth to be a profoundly spiritual matter. Members of formal religious communities respect this holy dimension. I want to bring that language and this passion to our work. Secondly, the Church is not just a group of religious people. We are engineers, business owners, teachers, scientists, and farmers; people that offer many gifts. Because of these gifts, our faith communities can provide opportunities for networking and education. Lastly, I want to be an advocate for those who don’t always get heard. Policy changes relating to energy and oil concerns, environmental issues, transportation and taxes sometimes fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable in our society. I know none of us what to see that happen.”

Later, reflecting on the meeting, Brauer-Rieke said, "Our ELCA social statement, Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice," offers wonderful guidance for this work. Many key elements of Governor Kulongoski’s 2009 Climate Change Agenda focus on issues and opportunities articulated in this 1993 statement. As people of faith we call our culture to justice for all of God's creation through participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability. I am proud to sit with this commission as bishop of a church which has been ahead of the curve on such issues."

The commission follows the work of the Climate Change Integration Group that will soon release its report on how Oregon is making progress on adapting to climate change and outline next steps for the state. The final report, in conjunction with the work of the Global Warming Commission, will play a key role in the development of the Governor’s climate change package for the 2009 legislative session. The package will focus on both protecting the climate and continuing to develop Oregon’s nationally recognized green economy to bring new companies and jobs to the state. “Dealing with global warming is not just a moral imperative, it’s an economic imperative,” said Governor Kulongoski.

Key elements of Governor Kulongoski’s 2009 Climate Change Agenda, include:

** Development of a cap and trade proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region;

** A comprehensive water package to address reduced snow pack leading to low water levels in the summer; 

** Aggressive steps for energy efficiency and the development of green building, a green collar workforce and electric cars; and,

** Resources for state and local agencies to integrate climate change policy and analyze impacts of climate change on our water, forest, coastal and transportation resources.

For the ELCA Social Statement on “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice, go to: http://www.elca.org /socialstatements/environment/

For the membership of the Global Warming Commission, go to: http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/docs/01_24_08_globalwarmingcommissionmembers.pdf

 

 

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