CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Paul R. Swanson was re-elected bishop of the Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which met in assembly in Portland, Ore. Swanson, 57, has been serving as bishop of the synod since 1988.
Swanson was re-elected to a six-year term May 4 on the assembly's third ballot for bishop. He received 209 votes of 297 cast. Runner-up was the Rev. Joan L. Beck, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Portland, with 49 votes, and third was the Rev. Zane O. Wilson, Springfield Lutheran Church, Springfield, Ore., with 18 votes. There were 31 nominees who received votes on the first ballot.
During the assembly's Saturday evening celebration of "Cinco de Mayo," Swanson was making a presentation, when he received a call on his cell phone. After taking the call, he announced to the audience that his daughter had informed him of the birth of his first grandson.
Born in Bakersfield, Calif., Swanson is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash., and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Ordained in 1970, he served as pastor of First Lutheran Church, Anaconda, Mont., and King of Kings Lutheran Church, Milwaukie, Ore. In 1984 he became an assistant to the bishop in the Pacific Northwest Synod of the former Lutheran Church in America.
The ELCA Oregon Synod has 47,262 baptized members in 122 congregations. Its offices are in Portland.
* The Rev. Ronald W. McCallum, Cornelius, Ore., chairs the Oregon
Synod's communication team.
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.
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Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
