Synod assemblies Bishop elections
Service projects were part of many synod assemblies this year. The La Crosse Area Synod collected more than 600 pairs of shoes for area clothing closets.
the theme “Your People Shall Be My People,” the assembly met for a Glocal mission gathering. The Glocal Musi- cians, keynote speeches on accompa- niment, worship and the handmade quilt backdrop from Women of Hope in Nigeria made for a spirit-filled event. Some technology issues turned the paperless assembly into a retro assembly, but with patience, humor and God’s help the synod’s work was accomplished. Attendees assembled personal care kits that were distrib- uted by congregations with food pan- tries. —Raeann Purcell
Metropolitan Washington, D.C., June 19-20, Leesburg, Va. (www.
metrodcelca.org/events/synod- assembly). Broken hearts didn’t allow business-as-usual during the assem- bly, which met close to the shooting in Charleston, S.C. An impromptu workshop to discuss living our faith in a time of deep brokenness around race was held. A resolution adopted from the floor named “June 21, 2015, [in the synod] as a day of mourning, prayer, contrition, repentance and contemplation concerning the events in Charleston on June 17 and other evil and violence perpetrated due to racism—in particular, by white Christians.” —Karen Krueger
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Northern Illinois, June 19-20, Rock Island, Ill. (
www.nisynod.org/assem- bly). The assembly took place under the shadow of the shooting in Charles- ton. S.C. Participants prayed for the victims and their families and friends, for the shooter and his family, and that all racial unrest might end. Bishop Gary Wollersheim asked everyone to pray and discuss racism and the ways congregations and communities can address it. He requested that each con- gregational council discuss possible plans of action and that all serve as instruments of peace. —Karin Graddy
Upper Susquehanna, June 19-20, Selinsgrove, Pa. (
www.uss-elca.org). The synod blessed and sent many to do God’s work, including installing the Camp Mount Luther staff; com- missioning Jennifer Baker-Trinity as an associate in ministry; and blessing new authorized lay worship leaders and those attending the ELCA Youth Gathering. Several actions were taken related to environmental issues. The assembly also approved a resolution to support efforts to provide solar power for Phebe Hospital in Liberia. Walter Gwenigale, Liberian minister of health and social welfare, addressed the assembly, particularly on the Ebola crisis. —Chad Hershberger
Elected: Timothy M. Smith, 55, as bishop of the North Carolina Synod, effective Aug. 1. When: May 30 on the fifth ballot with 301 votes. Mark Fitzsimmons, pastor of Lutheran Church of the Nativity, Arden, N.C., received 276 votes. Bio: A pastor of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Atlanta. Served two congregations in North Carolina. Received degrees from Drew Uni- versity, Madison, N.J.; the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.); and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Replaces: Leonard H. Bolick, who retired July 31.
Elected: Matthew L. Riegel, 50, as bishop of the West Virginia- Western Mar yland Synod, effective Sept. 1. When: June 6 on the fourth ballot with 97 votes. Sarah Lee-Faulkner, assistant to the bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, received 38 votes. Bio: Chaplain of Lutheran Campus Ministry at West Virginia University in Morgantown since 2000. He served Trinity-Mount Calvary Lutheran, a shared ministry in Westernport, Md., and Keyser,
W.Va. He earned degrees from Gettysburg (Pa.) College and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Replaces: Ralph W. Dunkin, who retires Sept. 1.
Re-elected: Jon V. Anderson, 56, to a third six- year term as bishop of the South- western Minnesota Synod, June 13, on the second ballot, 349 to 110 votes.
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