CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Roy G. Almquist, 60, was elected to a second six-year term as bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at its assembly=20 May 5-6 at Friends Quaker Meeting House, Philadelphia.
Almquist received 201 -- or 61.5 percent -- of 327 votes cast on the fourth ballot May 6. Sixty percent of the votes were needed for election. The Rev. John A. Berntsen, Trinity Lutheran Church, Perkasie, received 71 votes. The Rev. Charles R. Leonard, St. Mark Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, and director of contextual education at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, received 55 votes. There were 74 names on the first nominating ballot.
Born in Paterson, N.J., Almquist graduated from Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. He was ordained in 1967 and served as pastor of congregations in New Milford and Saddle River, N.J., before moving to West Chester, Pa., in 1984.
In 1994 Almquist succeeded the Rev. Michael G. Merkel, Bethesda Lutheran Church, New Haven, Conn., as bishop of the synod.
Almquist is one of nine advisory bishops to the ELCA Church Council, and is the ELCA Conference of Bishops' representative to the ELCA Foundation. He is a participant in the Leaders' Forum of the Metropolitan Christian Council of Philadelphia and a member of the board of trustees of Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa.
The bishop is married to Shannon Smith Almquist, a teacher at The Westtown School. They are the parents of two grown daughters and live in West Chester, Pa.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod includes 106,645 Lutherans in 179 ELCA congregations in the Philadelphia vicinity.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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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 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
