General Correspondence 1995-2001

ArchivalResource

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Office of the Presiding Bishop. General Correspondence 1995-2001

General Correspondence 1995-2001

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/123761238

This series comprises general correspondence written or received by the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from 1995-2001. Records in this series date from 1995-2001 and includes original typewritten and printed electronic mail correspondence received by Bishop Anderson and reading copy replies sent by him or on his behalf. A majority of the correspondence is from individual congregation members or pastors. There is some correspondence from synod bishops or others working in the churchwide organization, but these generally are copies of correspondence of which Bishop Anderson was designated a CC recipient. Subject matter of the correspondence varies greatly, although a substantial portion of it pertains to issues the church was facing at the time or on which it had stated an opinion. These issues include the consideration for a full communion agreement with The Episcopal Church, referred to as "Called to Common Mission;" the issue of ordination of non-celibate homosexual clergy, and the Arab-Israeli conflict, or the abortion issue. Other subject matter includes concerns and issues related to specific congregations or their pastors. Many times a congregation member would write to the bishop expressing concern about a problem confronting his or her congregation or concerns regarding called staff. Of note, there is a folder of letters received from church leaders across the globe expressing their sympathies at the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Bishop Anderson answered most correspondence. There are letters which are marked "no reply" but the reasons why are not usually stated. Sometimes it is because there is no return address, postal or email, or the letter's author indicates he or she needs no reply. For letters from congregation members expressing a concern about either an issue or called staff, Bishop Anderson's reply states that his office cannot address matters related to individual congregations and advises the person to contact his or her synod bishop if they have not already done so. Letters are arranged into individual year subseries. Within these subseries letter are arranged alphabetically by the author or recipient's name and then chronologically. Many times the original letter is attached to the bishop's reply. In addition, if there is a history of correspondence between the bishop and an individual on a particular topic, that correspondence is kept together regardless of the year it was written. This occurs when there is a great deal of correspondence or the discussion continues over several years. Some folders are marked with individuals' names. These folders contain enough letters to and from that person that it warranted the bishop's office keeping a separate file. At the end of the series are several folders containing correspondence related to the same subject. These are the bishop's recognitions of milestone anniversaries observed by congregations, pastors, laypersons, and married couples. There are also recognitions of milestone 90th or 100th birthdays, attainment of Eagle Scout status, congratulations to newly organized congregations, and recognition of retirements of those associated with the church or one of its related institutions.

47 boxes (18.6 cubic ft.)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Library, ELCA Library