Jeffrey Clements elected bishop of Northern Illinois Synod

          CHICAGO – The Rev. H. Jeffrey Clements, Rockford, was elected June 18 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the Synod Assembly June 16-18 at Centennial Hall at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill.
          Clements was elected on the fifth ballot with 278 votes to 181 votes for the Rev. Stacie R. Fidlar, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in Rock Island.
          "I have never yet served a call in this church that I would have anticipated or sought. Yet, each time the Holy Spirit has spoken through the church, I have been challenged and happy," said Clements. "The same is true today. I am honored and humbled to receive this call and will gladly serve the Northern Illinois Synod in a time of great transition in the church."
          Clements has served as assistant to the bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod since 2002. He was pastor of First Lutheran Church in Prophetstown, Ill., from 1990 to 2002.
          Clements earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1977 and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 1983. Luther is one of the ELCA's eight seminaries.
          The Rev. Gary M. Wollersheim, current bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod, has served three six-year terms and will retire Aug. 31.
          Clements will be installed as bishop Saturday, Sept. 24, at First Lutheran Church in Rockford.
          Information about the Northern Illinois Synod is available at nisynod.org.

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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 more than 3.7 million members in more than 9,300 congregations 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
773-380-2877 or Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
http://www.ELCA.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com

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