CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Callon W. Holloway Jr. was re-elected to a six-year term as bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) June 1. Holloway was elected at the synod's assembly May 30-June 1 at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.
Holloway, 49, was first elected bishop of the synod in 1996. He was re-elected on the fifth ballot for bishop by a vote of 255 to 217 over the Rev. Jim Wilson, Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Worthington, Ohio.
The Rev. Renee G. Ahern, Trinity Lutheran Church, Marysville, Ohio, joined Holloway and Wilson on the fourth ballot. Holloway received 262 votes, Wilson earned 237, and Ahern garnered 4 votes after she appealed to the assembly not to vote for her. There were 51 nominees who received votes on the first ballot. All withdrew from consideration for the second ballot except for 10 pastors.
Before he became bishop, Holloway served as assistant to the bishop of the ELCA Southern Ohio Synod from 1988 to 1996. From 1980 to 1987, he was pastor of Westwood Lutheran Church, Dayton, Ohio. Holloway is a graduate of Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pa., and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Wittenberg University in 1997. Holloway is the church's only African American bishop.
The ELCA Southern Ohio Synod has 101,942 baptized members in 241 congregations. Its office is in Columbus.
Capital University, Gettysburg College and Wittenberg University are three of the ELCA's 28 colleges and universities. The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is one of the ELCA's eight seminaries. The ELCA's 10,816 congregations are organized into 65 synods.
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
