James Hazelwood re-elected bishop of ELCA New England Synod

The Rev. James E. Hazelwood, Wakefield, R.I., was re-elected June 8 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the Synod Assembly June 7-9 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.

The bishop was re-elected on the fourth ballot with 311 votes to 72 votes for the Rev. Angel Marrero, pastor of Santuario Luterano in Waltham, Mass. A total of 254 votes were needed for re-election.

Hazelwood has served as bishop of the New England Synod in Worcester, Mass., since 2012. Previously, he served as pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Charlestown, R.I., from 1993 to 2012 and Bethany Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., from 1987 to 1993.

Hazelwood received a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks in 1981. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, Calif., in 1987 and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., in 2001. California Lutheran is one of 27 ELCA colleges and universities and Pacific is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

Information about the New England Synod is available at nelutherans.org.

- - -

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.5 million members in 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
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org

​