During his first-ever visit to Wittenberg, Mark Hanson,
presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), presented the keynote address titled “Service and Engagement in the World: A Lutheran Tradition,” at the annual Witt Series sponsored Opening Convocation, Aug. 29.

Hanson, who was recently elected for a second six-year term as bishop of the ELCA, called upon students and faculty alike to use their positions as members of the Wittenberg community to engage others and be a catalyst for change in today’s society.

“I believe Wittenberg exists in part to teach you the art of being engaged in communities of moral deliberation,” Hanson said. “We need Wittenberg students, faculty and staff to keep unquenchable curiosity about life’s big questions.”

Hanson also encouraged students to connect themselves with issues like relief
for Hurricane Katrina victims because the experience can “form you for a life of
being engaged.”