Church scan

* With 600 of its 7,600 members present, North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Heights and Roseville, Minn., voted Aug. 19 by a 95 percent majority to leave the ELCA. The congregation reportedly disagrees with the ELCA on various social issues, including the church's sexuality study and mission and evangelism. A 92 percent majority voted to join the Alliance of Renewal Churches, a Minneapolis-based network of congregations with a "spirit-- filled" focus. Peter Rogness, bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod, expressed regret at the decision, maintaining that North Heights' reasons for leaving are "concerns that need not cause division, but ought to be a part of ongoing conversation" within the church.

* Citing Martin Luther's call to challenge civil authorities to support public education, the ELCA's seven Pennsylvania bishops asked the state government to fix funding inequities for public education and urged Lutherans to work toward equal education resources for all children as a matter of justice. "It's a grave injustice that, just because of their zip codes, all children do not benefit equally from their schools," said Bishop Roy Almquist, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, at the Sept. 18 interfaith vigil on the Capitol steps, where the bishops' letter was announced.

* The Sept. 14 ordination of Matthew Kuempel, the ELCA's seeand exception to the ordination guidelines of the Called to Common Mission agreement with the Episcopal Church, caused the resignation of that synod's ecumenical representative. CCM requires that a bishop preside at ordinations, but a 2001 bylaw amendment allows exceptions to that guideline in "unusual circumstances." Tom Kesselring, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Pflugerville, Texas, presided at the service after Bishop Gerald Mansholt, Central States Synod, granted Kuempel the exception in August. Mansholt attended the service and participated in the laying-- on-of-hands. Like Daniel Shaw, the first ELCA pastor ordained under the exception (see September, page 37), Kuempel has theological objections to the CCM requirement. Kuempel's wife, Kristen, was ordained by Mansholt, also in September. William Sappenfield resigned as the synod ecumenical representative in the Kansas City area after meeting with Mansholt in August about Kuempel's exception. Although a bishop is considered the synod's ecumenical officer, bishops name one representative to the Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network. "Ordination is an act of the whole church," Sappenfield said. "It's not an individual matter between the person called and the Holy Spirit .... The ELCA unilaterally changed a bilateral agreement. I don't agree with this. It lacks integrity, it's bad for relations with our existing ecumenical partners and it's bad for our ability to maintain policy within our denomination."

0 When an arsonist hit Faith Lutheran, Toppenish, Wash., in 1993, the congregation lost not only a building but a trademark-the large "slanted cross" that stood at an angle in front. After Faith relocated and rebuilt, dedicating its new building in 1996, the cross was missed. But it wasn't lost. Parishioner Earl Rice restored the fire-damaged cross, which was installed at its old slant in front of the new building in August. Rollin Swanson, interim pastor of Faith, says the return of the 35-foottall, 400-pound cross was "an act of spiritual renewal in the life of the church," and that "the congregation is now bringing closure to a tragic event ... [and] can now look forward and not backward."

Garden friends

Lutheran Church of the Master, Sacramento, Calif., commemorated Sept. 11 by joining the local Sikh community in hosting a service of remembrance.The service included a greeting in Punjabi by Daniel Bohline, pastor of the Lutheran church, and a message from Navinderdeep Singh Nijher, a Sikh doctor who interned at the Lutheran Medical Center in Manhattan, N.Y. Nijher, who treated injured New Yorkers near the Twin Towers site on Sept. 11, has since been harassed by Americans mistaking his beard and turban for the garb of a Muslim extremist. After the service, Madison Harris (left), a member of Master and Nijira Pahar joined other children in planting flowers in Master's Sept. 11 memorial garden.