CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Greater Milwaukee Synod and the Delaware-
Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have
named former synod bishops to serve as interim bishops. The Rev. David W.
Olson will serve in Milwaukee, and the Rev. Theodore F. Schneider will
serve in Baltimore.
Olson, 70, was bishop of the ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod from 1987
to 2001. Since 2001 he served as interim pastor for three ELCA
congregations in Maryland and Connecticut, and he served as interim
bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod during its 2008
transition. He and his wife Nancy reside in Clinton, Conn.
The Rev. Paul Stumme-Diers resigned as bishop of the ELCA Greater
Milwaukee Synod effective Sept. 30 to become pastor of Bethany Lutheran
Church, Bainbridge Island, Wash.
The synod will hold a special assembly Dec. 4-5 at Our Savior
Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, to elect a new bishop. In an e-mail to synod
leaders, announcing the interim appointment, Olson said his top priority
as interim bishop is "to make sure that we have a very effective, spirit-
filled election."
Schneider, 74, was bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C.,
Synod, from 1995 to 2007. He and his wife Doris Lee reside in Silver
Spring, Md.
The Rev. H. Gerard Knoche cited health concerns for retiring as
bishop of the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod on Oct. 31. The synod elected
him bishop in 2000 and re-elected him in 2006 to serve another six-year
term.
The ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod has scheduled a special assembly to
elect a new bishop in January 2010.
The ELCA's 10,396 congregations are organized into 65 synods, each
lead by a bishop. The ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod consists of 137
congregations in seven Wisconsin counties. The ELCA Delaware-Maryland
Synod consists of 181 congregations in Delaware, Baltimore and 17
Maryland counties, and two Virginia counties.
-- -- --
The home page of the ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod is at
http://www.milwaukeesynod.org/ and that of the ELCA Delaware-Maryland
Synod is at http://www.demdsynod.org/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
