The former coordinator of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Tenth Assembly, Rev. Arthur Leichnitz, passed away on 3 March at the age of 59 in Winnipeg, Canada, after a long illness. Leichnitz, whose most recent activity was that of adviser to the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), had been entrusted in September 2001 with the task of planning the July 2003 LWF Assembly in Winnipeg from the LWF Secretariat in Geneva.
Leichnitz returned to Winnipeg in the spring of 2004 and acted as interim pastor on a part-time basis for Christ Lutheran Church. In addition, until the time of his death he served as adviser to various LWF departments, and had a significant role in producing the 2005, 2006 and 2007 LWF annual reports.
Between February 2005 and April 2008, Leichnitz served as resident advisor to the president and senior management team of the EECMY in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for strategic planning, management and program implementation.
Leichnitz was a native of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, and a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC).
From 1998 to 2001, he was the regional expression officer for the LWF North American office, located at the Chicago headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Ordained in 1982, Leichnitz served in parish ministry in Winnipeg and as Lutheran campus pastor at the University of Manitoba and synod facilitator for youth ministries. He was also a member of the national church council and chaired the national youth ministry committee.
Leichnitz graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Carleton University in 1970 and worked as a systems engineer with IBM Canada. He studied theology at St. Paul University, Ottawa, and at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, graduating with a master of divinity degree in 1980. He received a master of sacred theology degree from the University of Winnipeg in 1988 with specialization in marriage and family pastoral counseling.
The funeral service will be held on 4 April in Ottawa. (336 words)
