CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Richard H. Graham, Hope
Lutheran Church and Student Center, College Park, Md., was
elected June 8 to a six-year term as bishop of the Metropolitan
Washington, D.C., Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA). Graham was elected on the fifth ballot for
bishop, 188-139 over the Rev. Philip C. Hirsch, Bethlehem
Lutheran Church, Fairfax, Va.
The synod assembly was June 7-9 in Gettysburg, Pa.
Graham, 56, will succeed the Rev. Theodore F. Schneider, 72,
who had announced he would not seek re-election. Schneider has
served as bishop of the synod since 1995.
Graham led on the fourth ballot for bishop with 149 votes.
Hirsch received 101 votes, and the Rev. Ronald G. Qualley, Lord
of Life Lutheran Church, Fairfax, received 79 votes. There were
70 names on the first or nominating ballot.
Graham will be installed Oct. 14 at a location to be
announced.
Born in Indianapolis, Graham received a bachelor's degree in
English literature at Washington and Lee University, Lexington,
Va., in 1973. In 1977 he received a master of divinity degree
from Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., and a master's degree
in church history from Catholic University of America,
Washington, D.C., in 1988.
After he was ordained in 1978, Graham was associate pastor
of Trinity Lutheran Church, Hagerstown, Md., and St. Martin
Evangelical Lutheran Church, Annapolis, Md.
Graham serves as the synod secretary. He has also been a
member of the synod's candidacy committee and a member of the
board of trustees of the National Lutheran Home for the Aged,
Rockville, Md.
Graham and his wife Nancy Ann are the parents of two adult
children. The Grahams reside in College Park.
The ELCA Metropolitan, Washington D.C., Synod has 35,744
baptized members in 75 congregations. The synod office is in
Washington D.C.
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Information about the ELCA Metropolitan Washington D.C.
Synod is at http://www.metrodcELCA.org/ on the Web.
* Karen S. Krueger, communication coordinator, ELCA Metropolitan
Washington D.C. Synod, provided information.
* Lauren A. Lamb is a senior public relations and speech
communication major at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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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
