CHICAGO — The Rev. Virginia S. Aebischer, Columbia, S.C., was elected July 25 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during an online synod assembly.
Aebischer was elected on the fifth ballot, with 280 votes. The Rev. Jacqueline Utley, pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in Columbia, received 211 votes.
The bishop-elect has served as assistant to the bishop since 2008. She served as pastor of Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church in West Columbia, S.C., from 2001 to 2008, and as pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Charleston, S.C., from 1989 to 2001.
Aebischer received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Upsala College in 1983 and a Master of Divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, in Columbia, in 1989. Upsala College was a Lutheran college in East Orange, N.J. Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary is one of seven ELCA seminaries.
Aebischer will take office on Sept. 1. Her installation is scheduled for Sept. 19.
The Rev. Herman Yoos has served as bishop of the South Carolina Synod since 2008 and will retire Aug. 31.
Information about the South Carolina Synod is available at scsynod.com/.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 3 million members in more than 8,700 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
