Posted By

John Brooks

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) declared Minnesota a "ONE State," joining the ONE campaign against global poverty and disease by signing a pledge in a ceremony Aug. 20 in St. Paul.

Peter Rogness, bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Saint Paul Area Synod, joined Pawlenty, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and other Minnesota leaders at the ceremony.

The ONE campaign is a grassroots effort to motivate people to fight HIV and AIDs and extreme poverty. The campaign seeks an additional 1 percent of the U.S. budget to address global poverty, debt relief for the world's most impoverished countries and fair international trade rules.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman also signed declarations earlier in the week making their respective cities official "ONE Cities."

"Today the Lutheran Church and others of faith and conscience in Minnesota and throughout the country are uniting to speak with one voice to urge ongoing U.S. leadership in the fight against global poverty and deadly disease," Rogness said. "It is because of the generosity of the American people that Lutheran ministries in Tanzania and Nigeria are able to provide life-saving treatment and care to our brothers and sisters infected with HIV and AIDS. Lives are saved. Hope is reclaimed." Rogness, who introduced Pawlenty, is chair of the ELCA Conference of Bishops' international poverty and conflict special interest group.

"This campaign reflects the very best of what Minnesotans are all about: being good neighbors and helping those who are less fortunate than us," Pawlenty said. "The fight against global disease and extreme poverty is not a Republican or Democratic or Independent issue; it's an issue that brings us all together and an issue that we all must work to address. Global poverty won't be solved by government alone or faith-based organizations alone or philanthropy alone or businesses alone. It takes all organizations and people working together, doing their part and urging others to get involved. That's what the ONE Campaign, and being a ONE State, is all about."

About a dozen states and some local governments have also signed the pledge, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

Posted By

Julie B. Sevig

It wasn’t a Sunday to skip church.

At least that’s what members of First Lutheran Church, Eau Claire, Wis., might be muttering this week if they missed worship on Sunday. Barack Obama was a surprise worshiper at the 10 a.m. contemporary service. He walked into church about 10 minutes before the service began after being greeted by some 60 parishioners on the front steps.

“It was exciting. It was like Christmas, Easter and a marriage celebration all together,” said John Kerr, one of two interim pastors at First Lutheran.

Obama sat in the fourth row and brought his own Bible. Pastor Jennifer Elmquist acknowledged Obama in her welcome. The service included communion and two baptisms.

Kerr preached on the day’s Gospel text, Peter’s confession, and said he had his sermon done before he knew he’d be preaching to the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Obama’s advance people had contacted Kerr earlier in the week to ask whether Obama could worship there. Most members did not know he was coming, Kerr said, although by the end of the morning there were some 100 photographers/journalists camped outside the church.

As Elmquist carried one of the baptized babies down the aisle, she stopped before Obama, drawing chuckles from the congregation. Kerr said Obama posed for photos with the babies and their families following worship.

“He was gracious and the people just loved him,” Kerr said, saying that when he and Elmquist escorted Obama to his seat before worship those seated around him had “eyes as big as silver dollars.” He was a popular target during the passing of the peace, and signed the guest book with his name, Chicago and drew an arrow and then wrote “White House.”

Ralph E. Otto, 67, Wilmette, Ill., died Aug. 10 in an airplane collision near Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport, Rock Springs, Wyo.

Otto was a board of regents member of Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Otto was a cardiothoracic surgeon at Resurrection Medical Center, Chicago, and was a member of the Flying Physicians Association, Montgomery, Texas. Otto was flying one of the planes involved in the crash. Dr. C. Michael Downey, 67, Columbus, Ohio, and Dave Knezovich, 54, Rock Springs also died in the crash.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Otto and Downey were flying from Montana and had been cleared to land when their plane collided with an aircraft piloted by Knezovich, who was on a solo student flight.

Otto graduated from Wartburg College with a degree in chemistry and biology in 1963 and has served on the board of regents since 1992.

Otto and his late wife, Diane, who died in December 2007 from breast cancer, were members of Lutheran Church of the Ascension, Northfield, Ill. Plans for a memorial service are pending.

Christiania Lutheran Church of Lakeville, Minn., is mourning the death of former church president Todd L. Bachman, who was killed in an apparent random act of violence in Beijing, China, on Aug. 9. Bachman, the father-in-law of U.S. Olympic Men's Volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, also formerly served on the Board of Regents of Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

Bachman's wife, Barbara Bachman, was also injured in the attack and is in critical but stable condition following surgery. The couple's daughter, Elisabeth McCutcheon, was with the Bachmans at the time of the attack but was not injured. McCutcheon was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Women's Indoor Volleyball team.

For more information and continuing updates, please visit the Bachman's Inc. Web site.