MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Voting members at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly failed to elect a vice president on the second ballot. Voting took place Aug. 20. Incumbent Carlos Peña led on the second ballot with 657 votes. There were 686 votes required for election on the second ballot.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 17-23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,045 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is “God’s work. Our hands.”
There were 53 candidates listed on the second ballot. The top six vote-getters will advance to the third ballot, to be taken Aug. 21. Ordinarily the top five candidates advance, but there was a tie for fifth place. In addition to Peña, other candidates to appear on the third ballot will include Norma Hirsch, who received 146 votes on Ballot 2, Ryan Schwarz with 43, Nanette Dahlke with 37, Robert Benne with 21, Thomas Taylor with 16, and Chiu Yau and Jim Martin, both of whom received 6 votes.
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Information about the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.elca.org/assembly/ on the Web.
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
