CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. James A. Rave, Ormond Beach, Fla., has been appointed interim bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), effective Jan. 1. Rave, 65, is the former bishop of the ELCA's Northwestern Ohio Synod, where he served from 1987 to 1998, when he retired.
Rave will succeed the Rev. William B. Trexler. Trexler, who has served as bishop of the synod since 1995, resigned effective Dec. 31 to become pastor at First Lutheran Church, Norfolk, Va. A permanent successor to Trexler will be elected in 2001.
The ELCA has 5.15-million members in 11,000 congregations. It is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop. The Florida-Bahamas Synod has 92,430 baptized members in 214 congregations.
Rave was appointed Nov. 17 by the Florida-Bahamas Synod Council upon the recommendation of the council's executive committee.
"My fondest remembrances of the bishop's office include being of support to those who serve the church in these changing times," Rave said in a written statement to the synod council. Rave also said he treasured the development of a companion synod relationship between the Northwestern Ohio Synod and the Dodoma Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Most ELCA synods maintain working relationships with Lutheran churches in other countries.
Although he will work some days at the synod's Tampa office, Rave said he plans to remain in Ormond Beach and work from an office at home.
Before he was bishop of the ELCA's Northwestern Ohio Synod, Rave was assistant to the bishop of the Ohio District of the former American Lutheran Church, a predecessor church body of the ELCA.
Rave received a bachelor's degree in 1957 from Capital University and completed seminary training at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in 1961. Both are ELCA institutions located in Columbus, Ohio. He also holds a master of sacred theology from Trinity Seminary and was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity from Capital University.
He was ordained in 1961 serving first for four years in what was then a newly forming congregation, Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, Columbus. From 1965 to 1973, he was pastor at Atonement Lutheran Church, Cincinnati. From 1973 to 1986, he was pastor at Emanuel Lutheran Church, Marion, Ohio.
Rave and his wife, Carol, are parents of two children: Krista, Seattle, Wash.; and Mark, Columbus.
A permanent successor to Trexler will be elected to a six-year term at the Florida-Bahamas Synod Assembly, which will be held May 3-5, 2001, at the Hyatt Orlando Hotel, Kissimmee, Fla. The synod council approved a change in location for this assembly from the Lake Yale Baptist Retreat Center, Leesburg, Fla.
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
