CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson will be installed as the third presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Oct. 6 here at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago. Hanson, 54, was elected to a six-year term as presiding bishop Aug. 11 at the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Indianapolis.
"We are looking forward to a day of celebration and giving thanks to God as we look forward to the ministry of Mark Hanson as ELCA presiding bishop," said the Rev. Eric C. Shafer, director, ELCA Department for Communication and chair of the installation planning committee. "This is a day not only for the Hanson family but also for the Church Council, the Conference of Bishops, churchwide staff and the whole of the ELCA to celebrate churchwide ministry and leadership as we thank God for the work we are privileged to do together in Christ's name in the ELCA," he added. The installation service will begin at 3 p.m. EDT, and a reception for Bishop Hanson and his family will follow. Hanson and his wife, Ione, are parents to six children, and they have one grandchild. Hanson is currently bishop of the ELCA Saint Paul (Minn.) Area Synod. He was first elected bishop there in 1995 and re-elected this spring prior to the churchwide assembly. He will assume the role of ELCA presiding bishop Nov. 1. The current ELCA presiding bishop, the Rev. H. George Anderson, 69, will conclude his six-year term Oct. 31. The ELCA's first presiding bishop, the Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom, served two terms before he retired in 1995. At Hanson's request, the Rev. Heidi B. Neumark, Transfiguration Lutheran Church, Bronx, N.Y., will preach at the installation service. Dr. Addie J. Butler, ELCA vice president, Philadelphia, will be assisting minister. David Cherwien will be organist, Deborah Ford will be soloist, and other musicians will participate. Special music for the event will be provided by the Lenoir-Rhyne College A Capella Choir, Brass Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. Lenoir-Rhyne, Hickory, N.C., is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities. Among invited guests are leaders of the five churches with which the ELCA has a relationship of full communion. In such a relationship, the churches agree to share a variety of ministries, and, in certain circumstances, clergy from one church body may serve in a congregation of the other. The five churches which share a full communion relationship with the ELCA are the Episcopal Church, USA, Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ. In addition, Lutheran bishops from outside the United States who have confirmed their attendance include the Rev. Medardo Gomez Soto, bishop of the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod, San Salvador, El Salvador; the Rev. Maria Jepsen, bishop of the Hamburg Diocese, North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hamburg, Germany; the Rev. Ambrose Moyo, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo; the Rev. Julius Paul, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Offerings will be shared by the ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission and the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Hanson will be the first ELCA presiding bishop installed into the "historic episcopate," a line of bishops extending back to the early days of the Christian church. The installation procedure is part of the full communion relationship of the ELCA and Episcopal Church. The service will be available live through a Webcast on the ELCA's Web site. Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits society based in Appleton, Wis., and Lutheran Brotherhood, a fraternal benefits organization based in Minneapolis, are providing financial support for some installation activities. -- -- -- Information about Presiding Bishop-elect Hanson's installation is available at http://www.elca.org/installation/# on the ELCA's Web site.
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
