July 2, 2009

CHICAGO – Preachers, presiding ministers and Bible study leaders chosen for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ECLA) Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis this August come from diverse backgrounds.

The preachers, presiders and Bible study leaders were chosen by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop. The Rev. Jennifer P. Ollikainen, associate for worship resources, said the goal with this group was to have "broad representation" of the church body.

The presiding and preaching ministers include four pastors who are bilingual, a first-year pastor, a university chaplain and the president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops. The leaders at the assembly serve an important role, Ollikainen said.

"Word and Sacrament are at the center of the church," she said. "Those who are ministers have a central role in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and administering the means of grace for the sake of the work of the assembly."

Prayers for the assembly, normally written by one person, were written by a group of pastors who have been serving for 10 years or less. The change was made so that more voices could be heard at the churchwide assembly, she said.

The worship leaders met with Hanson this spring to talk about the meaning of the assembly. This was the first time that ministers assisting in worship for an assembly met to study as a preaching community before the assembly, Ollikainen said. Presiding are:

• Aug. 17, 23: The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop

• Aug. 18: The Rev. Natacha D. Kemp, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kan.

• Aug. 19: The Rev. Lit-Inn Wu, Truelight Lutheran Christian Church, Schaumburg, Ill.

• Aug. 20: The Rev. Callista S. Isabelle, associate chaplain, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

• Aug. 21: The Rev. Rani R. Abdulmasih, Mother of the Savior Lutheran Church, Dearborn, Mich.

• Aug. 22 at Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis: The Rev. Sylvia De La Garza, St. John Lutheran Church, San Juan, Texas Preaching are:

• Aug. 17: The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop

• Aug. 18: The Rev. Megan L. Torgerson, Augustana Lutheran Church, West St. Paul, Minn.

• Aug. 19: The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission

• Aug. 20: Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, president, United Methodist Council of Bishops

• Aug. 21: The Rev. Christine A. Timm, Olivet Lutheran Church, Sylvia, Ohio

• Aug. 22: The Rev. Linda O. Norman, chief financial officer, Development Services and ELCA Foundation

• Aug. 23: The Rev. Allan C. Bjornberg, bishop, ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod, chair, ELCA Conference of Bishops

De La Garza and Malpica Padilla lead worship in English and Spanish, Abdulmasih leads worship in English and Arabic, and Wu leads worship in English and Chinese. De La Garza, Abdulmasih and Wu will lead parts of liturgy in their respective languages at the assembly. Bible study leaders are:

• Aug, 19: Dr. Diane Jacobson, professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. and director, ELCA Book of Faith Initiative

• Aug. 20: The Rev. Jessica R. Crist, bishop, ELCA Montana Synod, Great Falls

• Aug. 21: The Rev. Ronald T. Glusenkamp, Bethany Lutheran Church, Cherry Hills, Colo.; Peter Mayer, lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffet and leader of the Peter Mayer Group

• Aug. 22: The Rev. John A. Nunes, president and chief executive officer, Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore

More information on the Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.ELCA.org/assembly/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service
Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a concentration in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.