Women’s leader dies Many of the ancient temples in Durgar Square (UNESCO site) have suffered severe damage. Lutherans respond to quake in Nepal A
t presst ime, more than $300,000 had been donated to the ELCA to aid victims of
the April 25 earthquake in Nepal. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A.
Eaton called for prayers “for people affected by the earthquake and its aftershocks.” Lutheran Disaster Relief is com-
mitted to long-term response, said Daniel Rift, program director for ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal. “The ELCA will accom- pany our brothers and sisters in the Nepal area as they navigate every part of this disaster relief and recovery process,” he said. The Lutheran World Federation
ELCA growth stats
The ELCA has approved 11 “new start” congregations, bringing the total to 31 as of April for 2015. The total for 2014 was 53. Also: • There are 363 ELCA congrega- tions under development.
• Since 1988, 500 congregations have joined the ELCA.
• In May 2015, Spirit of Joy Lutheran in Seguin, Texas, became the 500th congregation to join the ELCA.
Gay marriage backed As the landmark case on gay mar-
started a large-scale emergency response based in Kathmandu. The ELCA is also working
with ACT Alliance to coordinate response efforts, which includes distributing life-saving supplies such as water, food, shelter and medication for people injured, along with the LWF and other local organizations. To help, make checks payable
to Lutheran Disaster Response (write “Nepal area earthquake” on the check’s memo line) and send to ELCA Gift Processing Cen- ter, P.O. Box 1809, Merrifield, VA 22116-8009; give at 800-638-3522 or
www.elca.org/disaster.
riage began before the Supreme Court in late April, a poll indicated that most Americans have already made up their minds: There’s no turning back. In a nationwide USA Today/Suffolk University poll, 51 percent of those surveyed said it’s no longer practical for the Supreme Court to ban same-sex marriages because so many states have legal- ized them (35 percent disagreed). One reason for a transformation in public views is that nearly half say they have a gay or lesbian family member or close friend who is mar- ried to someone of the same sex.
Julie Stine Maroti of Milwaukee died April 18 at age 90. From 1975 to 1980 she served as executive direc- tor of the former American Lutheran Church Women. Among her lega- cies, according to From Our Mothers’ Arms (Augsburg, 1987), was creat- ing program committees within the ALCW national board and launch- ing a national survey, “A Study of the Attitudes of Women of the American Lutheran Church,” that guided the organization’s programs in the 1980s.
Schaller leaves legacy
Lyle E. Schaller, 91, an author and church consultant who was widely cited as the most influential Prot- estant church leader of his era, died March 18 in Oklahoma City. A funeral was held May 2 in Naperville, Ill., where he spent much of his adult life. A Methodist pastor, Schaller was also a prominent teacher and voice among Lutherans. From 1971, he focused full-time on writing, consult- ing and leading workshops through an association with the Yokefellow Institute.
No funds for funeral
Robert H. Schuller, the “Hour of Power” religious broadcaster, once raised $18 million to build his land- mark Crystal Cathedral in South- ern California. Yet when he died in April, his fractured family resorted to crowdfunding to cover funeral costs. His daughter said her par- ents were left “financially crippled” and weren’t able to save enough for funeral costs. Schuller’s wife, Arvella, died last year. Christ Cathedral, the name the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, Calif., gave the building after purchasing it in 2012, and a private benefactor covered Schuller’s basic funeral costs.
June 2015 9 10
LWF/C. KÄSTNER
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